The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1880-02-04

In naval warfare the leviathan now lies at
the mercy Of a swarm Of wasps. II is an En-
glishman's idea caught up and put In prac-
tice by the oldest monarchy under the sun. A
few years ago the Japanese Government CON-
misSioned 3 foreign shipbuilder to desiga and
construct feet of heavily-armor.d vessels
for offensive operations on the coast of China
The Chinese Government hit upon a scheme Of
defence devised by George Rendel. This was
a feet of small, unarmored gunboats, armed
with enormous guns. lrouclad monitors such
as the Hercules and the ThUnderer were cost
ing as much as $, SOC, 900. Mr., Rendel contend
ed that for this sum dozen boating carriages
could be constructed for as many heavy guns,
and that, aside from their manifest superiority
for purposes of coast defence, they could take
up advantageous positions ii shallower water
and direct eonverging fire upon an ironclad
vessel, under which il would Inevitable 80
down. These conclusions were accepted by
The Chinese Government, and four Of these
gunboats, are now off the coast, while four
more are on their way across the seas. As the
series has been set aflOat important modihca-
tious have ben made in the models, and the
armament has been doubled. The length of
the vessel has been increased from llsft, 9 in
10 l27 f.: the drsAught II. in. to II. & in;
and the displacement from 3le 10 i4e tons. Al
the same time the 26ls-ton gun which the
Alpha carried has given place TO a 55-ton
muzzle-loading gun, which, owing TO the pow
der charge that is burned, has greater pene-
tratiye power than the most formidable artil-
lery Of the British feet. This superiority is
increased, furthermore, by the greater range
which the guns of the mosquito fleet have AZ
given elevations. So great is this advantage
al the maximum range that the leading En-
s-l,sb r,al cd th.f ba rhnpIara- aud
the Dreadnaught could be disabled before
their turret-guns could be brought into use
The 35-ton gun is fired forward, but as the
vessel is double ended, it becomes stern
chaser when the engines are reversed. 1t is
not mounted on carriages and slides, but lies
fiat upon the deck, and is worked, loaded and
aimed by five men with the aid of hydraulic
power Not only has this wasp of the sea
this terrible sting in its tail, but il can fly
drought the water either backward OF for
ward at high speed. Nor need the wasps 90
in swarms against the leviathan. Each is
strong enough to fight alone. This Greek
letter series, if we mistake not, is destined to
reyolutiOnize naval architecture. The day of
the heavily armored ironclads has gone by.
and torpedo warfare aud light-draught craft
with heavy guns will be the main elements of
coast defence in the future. A striking proof
of this tendency is afforded by the new de-
parture of the German Government. The Adj
miralty have decided to build thirteen gun
boats in place of 1--WE heavy monitors which
had been planned in 1878, and, furthermore,
TO abandon the construction o. two ironclad
floating batteries, and to provide each war ship
with q small fleet of light torpedo-boats. This
order shows how great change has been
wrought within few years in the methods of
marine warfare