Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

OUB-PLATE PLANING SHOP, ZE REQUIRED. BATTLESHIP. )YNE. IN designing a warship the naval con- structor has to keep in view the three methods of attack to which his creation may be subjected. These are the ram, the torpedo (or mine), and the gun. Of these first two nothing need be said here, since they deal with attacks upon the submerged portion of a vessel’s hull, where, with rare exceptions, no armour has yet been placed, and where, in- deed, it is doubtful if armour would prove of any value. The best defence against the mine and torpedo, as also against the ram, is afforded by minute subdivision of the hull into water-tight compartments. For protection against gun-fire, the side of the ship is cov- ered as much as possible by armour-plates, and there is a constant difficulty in meeting the dual desire to give the maximum thickness of plate and at the same time to cover the largest possible area of exposed surface. The belief is often expressed that the belt and side armour are the only defences of a battleship. Armour is to be found in a dozen different positions within the body of the ship itself, and Early the main belt is backed up by Armour, the coal bunkers—coal being a most valuable defence against the entry of projectiles—and at its upper and lower edges is based upon thick curved steel decks forming a defensive carapace for the protection of the engines and other internal mechanism of a warship.