The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-06-04
Torpe,,oe. and xren.clas,n.

I MAGNIFICENT Fi.EETS AT TUE MENCf VI. Ilt'
| TIE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ENEMIES TO A
! NAVY.
| The London Times, referring editorially
to lecture delivered Id that city on the re-
cent developments Of torpedoes, says: The
question at issue is neither more nor less
1 than whether our! whole system OF naval
1 warfare, and perhaps Of naval architecture,
will not have to be changed. and whether
our magnificent iron-clad fleet is not la
BILE to be paralyzed by means OF little ma.
chimes which almost any Government
could afford to construct. Our present
system OF naval warfare rests on the supposi-
ton, handed down from the days OF the old
three-deckers, that the most powerful ves-
sci is the one which carries the greatest
weight Of metal, and accordingly we have
taxed the skill OF our naval architects to
build at any cost vessels of immense size,
each carrying several Of the largest guns
constructed. There Is, rs we have more
than once observed, very great reason to
| doubt whether this plan is wise one, even
| assuming that the naval battles OF the future
will he simply contests between guns. We
have had it proved within the last few days
by one OF those incidents which real war
alone can furnish that single she'll, IL it
strikes an iron-clad in q weak place, may be
sufficient to send it instantaneously to the
bottom, and it Is obvious to ask whetherit is
prudent to concentrate on board vessel
liable to this kind of accident so vast an
amount Of our fighting strength, alike in
guns, IN men, and in money. 1t appears
possible to mount these heavy guns, one by
one, on little vessels, upon which they
would be equally effective, but which would
be far more difficult TO hit, and OF which the
loss would be OF comparatively insignifi-
cant importance. Tt is the old story OF put
ting our eggs into one basket, and that bas-
kct & very frail one. . ....... WI,
These considerations, rs we have said,
would arise even il we had solely to deal
with the fire Of modern heavy guns. But
they are vastly enhanced by the invention
OF these torpedo-resSels OF which we have
lately heard, and OF which Mr.. Donaldson
gave 4 full account. The invention has
passed beyond the stage OF experiment, for
vessels OF the kind have been constructed
for several foreign governments, and one
has been built for our own. These little
vessels are described rs little more than the
length Of n racing "eight," an from seven
feet to ten feet in beam. They are made
entirely Of steel, and arc provided with
engines which give them !; speed vary
ing from fifteen to nearly twenty knots
almost any ship OF war ahoat. They
are armed with one OF two classes OF
torpedocs, either the outrgger torpedoes
or the Whitehead 1ish-torpedo. The former
is carried projecting from the bows, and
cXplodes Oh being brought into contact
with the vessel attacked, the little ship itself
escaping any damage from the shock of the
explosion. 4 little steel boat. therefore,
| armed with this kind OF torpedo, is q ram
| OF the most powerful and most manageable
kind. 1t can hardly miss its mark, and ii
! it strikes its onset is fatal. But such i
| boat CARRYING the Whitehead torpedo is
| perhaps, still more formidable. This, as
| its name implies, is like fish, with its
motivc-power in its tail and body and its
explosive force in its head. Like fish,
when its machinery is set in motion, which
| is done by compressed air, it can swim
through The water at any depth and in any
prescribed direction, and it can carry the
largest torpedoeS 800 yards at ~ knots an
hour or 900 yards at 1G knots. Such, it is
said. is the skill now acquired in the use OF
this torpedo that ii is believed possible to
make almost sure Of hitting an iron-elad at
| 900 yards, even when the ship from which
It is Iired is moving at the rate Of ten or
twelve knots an hour. 1t follows that our
powerful iron-ciaG fleet might be beSct by Il
swarm Of almost invisible enemies, too rapid
TO be caught, too small to be easily hit, and
capable OF delivering absolutely fatal blows
from distance OF moro than half mile.
Ii had been supposed at first that these tor
pcdoes might be kept at bay by surrounding
vessels with some kind OF wire netting, but
it Is now stated that the torpedo-boats can
be provided with wecd-cutters which would
easily cut through such defence.