H.M.S. Pylades, The Last of Her Class

Prominent among the naval patrols that England sends to police the southern seas and guard the island fringes of the Empire, making the while their headquarters in Port Jackson, is the Pylades, now on another cruise among the British possessions and protectorates in Oceania. Peculiar interest attaches to this vessel, because she is absolutely the last of the barque-rigged craft, of which the British Navy once possessed so many. Of course, there are still men-of-war to be found in commission rigged as barquentines, three-masted, but with yards on the foremast only, and as topsail schooners, two-masted, and square on the fore. But the Pylades, with her barque-rig of yards on both fore and main mast, and fore-and-aft sails on her mizzen, is the last survival of the type, as apart from the absolute square-rig, or full-rigged ship, which has long disappeared out of actual service. Built at Sheerness in 1884, the third-class cruiser was named after the bosom friend of Orestes, a hero of Greek tragedy, and the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Twenty years ago we went to the ancients for the nomenclature of warships more frequently than is now the case; twice twenty years ago the practice was even more common, and in many instances the names then given have been perpetuated, and will be so while the British Navy exists.

The Pylades is what is known as "composite" built. Soon after the building of ships with iron was commenced, this composite system of construction was adopted in the British merchant service, and some very fast and celebrated vessels were thus constructed. The iron framing, with wooden skin planking, admitted of considerable strength being obtained, and the possibility of sheathing the bottom with metal in order to avoid fouling, appeared to be another advantage in favour of the composite system. Soon, however, it was shown that the galvanic action set up between the copper on the "yellow metal" sheathing and the iron frames tended to rapidly deteriorate the ironwork, and perhaps, sooner or later, hasten the loss of the vessel. So rapid, indeed, was this wasting of the frame found to be, that for some time past the composite system has been, so far as regards merchantmen, quite abandoned. Some ships, however, are still built "composite" for the Royal Navy, especially such craft as are intended for use on foreign stations, and whose duties would render frequent docking impossible. Such vessels are built with frames of steel, then sheathed with wood, and coppered.