United States or Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Admiral Horsey sent an officer on board the Huascar to demand her surrender. Pierola refused, and upon the return of the officer to the Shah, the battle at once commenced. The Huascar was built for the Peruvian Government by Messrs. Samuda, and was a turret-ship mounting two 300-pounder guns in her turret. She had also two 40-pound pivot-guns.
The young Englishman's surmise soon proved correct; for directly the Union had passed out of the line of fire the Huascar opened with one of her turret 300-pounder guns.
Both missiles struck on the unarmoured portion of the Huascar's bows, and pierced her through and through, without exploding, however, as the thickness of steel penetrated was insufficient to detonate the projectiles. The Peruvian at once replied with a shot from her 300-pounder, which struck the Blanco's navigating bridge and blew it to pieces.
Her available force on the day of Lissa consisted of 12 armored ships and 16 wooden steam vessels of same fighting value. Then there was the new single-turret ram Affondatore, or "Sinker," with two 300-pounder 10-inch rifles, which came in from England only the day before the battle.
The 110-pounder Armstrong rifle has 99-1/2 inches length and 7 inches diameter of bore, 27 inches maximum diameter, and weighs 4-1/3 tons. The "300-pounder" smooth-bore has 11 feet length and 10-1/2 inches diameter of bore, 38 inches maximum diameter, and weighs 10-1/2 tons.
Word Of The Day