501/2 ft.; and her draught is 20 ft., giving a
displacement of 5,000 tons, which will be increased to 5,600 tons when
she is fully equipped.

This vessel belongs to the internally protected type of war cruisers,
a type of recent origin, and of which she is the largest example yet
built. The internal protection includes an armored deck which consists
of steel plates ranging from 3-1/8 in. in thickness in the flat center
to 43/4 in. at the sloping sides of the deck. This protective deck
covers the "vitals" of the ship, the machinery, boilers, etc. Then
there is a very minute subdivision in the hull of the ship, there
being, in all, 156 water-tight compartments, 83 of which are between
the armored deck and the one immediately above it, or between wind and
water. Most of these compartments are used as coal bunkers. Of the
remainder of the water-tight compartments, 60 are beneath the armor.
Throughout her whole length the Reina Regente has a double bottom,
which also extends from side to side of the ship. In order to keep the
vessel as free of water as possible, there have been fitted on board
four 14 in. centrifugal pumps, all of which are connected to a main
pipe running right fore and aft in the ship, and into which branches
are received from every compartment. These pumps are of the "Bon
Accord" type, and were supplied by Messrs. Drysdale & Co., Glasgow.

Not being weighted by massive external armor, the Reina Regente is
unusually light in proportion to her bulk, and in consequence it has
been rendered possible to supply her with engines of extraordinary
power. They are of the horizontal triple expansion type, driving twin
screws, and placed in separate water-tight compartments. The boilers,
four in number, are also in separate compartments. Well above the
water line there are two auxiliary boilers, which were supplied by
Messrs. Merryweather, London, and are intended for raising steam
rapidly in cases of emergency. These boilers are connected with all
the auxiliary engines of the ship, numbering no fewer than
forty-three.

The engines have been designed to indicate 12,000 horse power, and on
the trial, when they were making 110 revolutions per minute, they
indicated considerably upward of 11,000 horse power, the bearings all
the while keeping wonderfully cool, and the temperature of the engine
and boiler rooms being never excessive. The boilers are fitted with a
forced draught arrangement giving a pressure of 1 in.