Arman to Captain Maury, June 12, 1863

Monsieur Arman to Captain Maury.

Monsieur l’Amiral: I come to submit to you the definitive plan of a gunboat battery, made out upon the programme which Monsieur the captain of the frigate Jamsen, has made known to me, and upon which I have already furnished to him some summary information.

To attain the end which you have proposed to yourself, to carry upon the deck two iron-clad turrets, (blokaus blindés,) enclosing, each, two cannon of heavy calibre, I have been obliged to cause the primitive plan to undergo several important modifications. I have been obliged to carry the displacement from 1,280 tons to 1,358 tons, and, besides, to calculate that, upon a normal supply of 180 tons of coal, which shall be completed at departure by 30 tons, producing an overcharge of 7 centimetres, in fine, the weight of the plating (blindage,) calculated firstly at 320 tons, is raised to 389 tons.

These changes produce the distribution of weight as follows:

Upon these new conditions the price of the vessel would be raised, not including the artillery and its accessories, to one million seven hundred and fifty thousand francs, and the time necessary to the construction would be eight months, on account of the execution and the more difficult putting in place of the plating.

The vessel which I propose to you is, in fine, a complete ship, and I engage myself in the delay of one month, after the signing of the agreement, to furnish you the proof of the authorization of exit of the armament which you shall have to put upon the ship.

In fine, I repeat to you, admiral, the proposition which I have made to Mr. Jansen, to construct upon the same type, in a very short delay, six vessels of the same kind.

I will have the honor to present myself Tuesday morning at your house, and, in the mean time, I cause to be transmitted to you herewith the plans of the vessel, and a project of the contract, in order that you may have had time to examine them.

Be pleased to accept, admiral, the assurances of my high consideration.

ARMAN.

Captain Maury, Rear-Admiral of the Confederate States of America.

Cannon Boat Battery of 220.

Details of the weight of the cuirass, mattress, and screw, distributed over the hull, the forward turret and the back turret.

Distribution of the weight.