David Napier by David Napier and David Bell: Note 24
24. ARMOURED GUN-BOAT
The precise date when Napier proposed his gun-boat is not known, but till the beginning of the Crimean War (1854) armour-clad ships constructed of iron were an untried novelty; and naval guns were of comparatively small calibre. Napier's scheme outlined a vessel combining powers of attack and defence far exceeding those of any gun-boat then existing. Stevens had, before this time, suggested the protection of war-ships with armour; and in 1853 the French Government had carried out experiments in the armour-plating of wooden vessels. The results were embodied in a type of gun-boat having 4-inch plating on its sides; and the design of this vessel being communicated to the British Admiralty, the latter ordered the construction of four such craft, designated "armour-clad floating batteries," to operate in shallow waters against land fortifications. These were supplemented later by four more of an improved construction, but till this time no armour-plated iron ship had been built by or for the British Government. The war then in progress suggested the advantage to be gained by having iron vessels, armoured, and carrying powerful guns; and toward the end of 1855 the Admiralty prepared plans of iron "floating batteries" — short broad vessels, protected by heavy armour-plates, which were wanted for immediate service. By dint of extraordinary exertions several vessels of this description were completed within a few months, including the Erebus, built on the Clyde, the Terror, and the Thunderbolt. These were distinctly different from Napier's design; but as the war had come almost to a close when they were finished no opportunity offered of testing their practical efficiency, and there was no immediate inducement to undertake further experiments. The next development in British armour-clads came three years later, when the frigates Warrior and Black Prince were simultaneously built, the former on the Thames, the latter on the Clyde.
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