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1901.] MARINE REVIEW. 23 NEW RUSSIAN HIGH SPEED CRUISERS. From Engineering, London. The Russian navy has just ordered four new cruisers to be built--one at Windau, another at Libau, a third at Nikolaief, and a fourth at Sebas- topol. German naval constructors are naturally gratified at the fact that the design of these four ships follows exactly the lines laid down for the Bogatyr, a first-class protected cruiser built for Russia at the Vulcan Co.'s works at Stettin,. who were required to furnish copies of every draw- ing made for ship and engine--many hundreds in all. In many cases | Fig.2 Scale 1-150. STARBOARD eee also patterns have been supplied to the Russian government, so that the work may be not only expedited, but carried out to exactly correspond with the German ship. Accompanying this article is a general elevation with deck plan and a cross-section, which shows at a glance not only the arrangement of the protective deck and casemate armor of the Bogatyr type of vessel, but also the disposition of the guns. The Bogatyr was designed at Stettin, on the basis of an outline specification of the Variag supplied by the Russian government, with the instructions that wherever possible im- provements were to be effected; and, as will presently be shown, various and a draught of 6.35 meters (20 ft. 10 in.) The principal improvements on the Variag and the other cruisers of her class may be briefly indi- cated. In the first place the new vessels, like the original Bogatyr, are to be provided with a poop on which the two aftermost 6-in. guns will be placed, so that their platform is raised some 8 ft. or 9 ft. higher, which gives them considerable advantage in so far as horizon is concerned, and necessarily increases their usefulness in a sea way. It is also important to note that by this change they will not interfere with the line of fire, particularly on the broadside or abaft the beam of the other 6-in. guns fitted on a lower level on either side of the ship, as shown on the deck plan. The provision of a poop also enables the accommodation of the officers to be improved; a fact of great importance for cruisers intended for service in eastern waters, because the supply of fresh air and natural ventilation is thereby greatly facilitated. But perhaps the most important change made is in respect of the protection of the guns. The two poop guns of 6 in. caliber and the two forecastle guns of the same class are worked within armored turrets on a mounting suitable for working both guns simultaneously, whereas in the earlier Russian ship, and, indeed, in many of the Elswick ships of corresponding type, these guns, in common with others of the same type on the broadside, have only had the somewhat limited protection which an armored shield affords. Similarly, two guns on each broad- side, which have radii enabling them to fire ahead in line with the keel, and two firing similarly astern, as shown on the plan, are enclosed within casemates, and all of these guns have armored ammunition hoists extend- ing down to the armored deck. Thus, eight of the twelve 6-in. guns are protected by Krupp's special nickel armored plates, and there can be no question that this affords a better protection than a comparatively thin shield surrounding the mechanism of a gun standing on the open deck. There can be no question about the feeling of confidence which such a casemate engenders in the minds of the gunners, on whose coolness, after all, depends the accuracy of gun fire, and often the ultimate result of naval engagements. The casemate armor forms a complete protection on all sides from the splinters and fragments of burst shell, apart altogether from the great advantage of its being able to resist perforation from direct shot, and experience of naval tactics points to the fact that in future engagements explosive shells will form a very important factor, especially in cruiser attack. It is true that in cruiser design each element is necessarily a compromise, but where a high speed is to be got on a minimum draught and displacement, an important consideration must be given to the maintenance of gun fire, and this can be effectually achieved by adequate protection for the gunners. The remaining four guns, mounted two on each broadside, are fitted with large armored shields. It is also important to note that the placing of the two 6-in. guns on the forecastle and poop within one turret to be actuated by one turning gear, enables both pairs to be utilized for firing on either broadside. In the earlier ships, notably the Variag, these two guns were so placed side by side with independent mountings, so that the one gun prevented its neighbor from firing in a line at right angles to the keel, and, therefore, abeam. The British navy in the later ships of the "County" class have adopted this system for the 6-in. bow and stern chasers, which are also enclosed in armored turrets. ' The cross-section of the ship which accompanies this article is inter- esting as showing the construction of the ship as well as the arrange- ment of the armored deck. It will be seen that there is a double bottom which extends for the full length of the ship, and in the way of the engine and boiler rooms it is carried up to the armored decks with é | | _\2 7 peta c a LC Is GA YY N Fig i. Scale 1-750, a 4 VY nie te Y 7) id ; za f i \ i : eee 2 t Cie, or Nt alle ASS Sy» Wi TELE TEL EE STEED C TT: N ee = ts ied oe Gee ' } My : i tage = : Sem aK Sse "i ci Ary 6 ad cl & Lt D> i --- Q See oe eS a ae a SK a po eet in tee cee improvements were carried out in the direction of increased protection to the guns and of thicker armor for the conning tower, and the normal coal supply has been greatly increased without affecting the speed attained. It has been said that the five vessels of the Bogatyr class have been evolved from the design of recent Elswick cruisers, and nota- bly of the Blanco Encalada. This statement, however, has no basis in fact, and one or two points in connection with the design almost suffice to prove the statement. The vessels of this class are of the following dimensions: Length over all, 134.21 meters (440 ft. 4 in.); length at water line, 132 meters (432 ft. 2 in.); width, 16.60 meters (54 ft. 514 in.); depth, 10.40 meters (34 ft. 14% in.) With complete equipment and 720 tons of coal on board the vessel will have a displacement of 6,750 tons, sna" plating as thick as the outside shell, in order to afford protection against torpedo attack. It will be remembered that when the question of the construction of cruisers was brought before the Institution of Naval Architects, at their meeting at Newcastle-on-Tyne, some months ago, this question was raised, and it was pointed out that in high speed cruis- ers this system of construction which has been adopted in the Bogatyr, and also in the four new ships of the same design, was not carried out in high speed Elswick cruisers. The protective deck has a thickness of 33 millimeters (1 5-16 in.) in the horizontal center parts while the sloping part of the deck is of 73 millimeters (2% in.) special nickel steel, and in view of the curve offers a very good resistance to the pene- tration of shell, and is eminently satisfactory when the displacement of the