The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-07-21
A Strange War-Ship,

A strange and novel addition to the
British Navy is to be made to-day. The
launch of the Polyphemus at Chatham
will bring to its final test, SO far as it can
be done in quiet waters and in times of
peace, one of the most curious expert
ments yet tried in naval armament The
vessel to be launched and named to-day
was devised and begun while the late
Mr.. Ward Hunt was at the Admiralty.
1t was designed by Sir George Sartorius,
and was intended, to use Mr.. Ward
Hunts words, not to supersede all other
kinds of fighting ships, but only as use
full adjunct in case of war. The Poly
phemus is not a man of war in any OF the
old acceptatiOns of the term. Instead Of
carrying weapons she is herself a weapon.
Instead of firing cannon-shOt above water
she will fire torpedoeS under water. The
boat combined, and will depend for her
utility as an adjunct in case of war on
her strength, her swiftness, and her power
to attack the vessels of the enemy below
the Waterline and under their armor.
The appearance of the ship, if ship it can
be called promises to be unlike anything
now atloat. Perhaps the nearest parallel
may be found in the cigar-shaped steam
yachts, which so long lay useless in South
ampton Water. The Polyphemus will lie
in the sea as a cylinder, with a tlattened
top, on which there will be a conical deck
surrounded 10y the hurricane deck. The
ends of the cylinder will be under water,
and all that will be usually seen will be
the round deck. which has been compar-
ed to floating peg-top, with its pilot
| tower, signal post and tunnels. This deck
is only four and a half feet above the
water-line, and the whole of the exposed
surface of the vessel, and the uneXposed
to depth of six feet and half below
the water-line, are to be protected with
compound steel-faced armor plates.
The vessel is $40 feet long and 10 feet
broad, and is to be propelled by high
pressure engines of $500 horse power.
This great propelling power is calculated
to give the vessel speed OF IL knots an
hour. Her speed is, in fact, the chief ele
ment in her strength rs weapon OF Of
fence. AS the bow constitutes Il ram -
feet long, and rs the ram is so deeply
submerged as to strike the attacked YES
sci below the depth to which the armor
plating is usually continued, it is obvious
that the high speed attained is a great
element inthe success of the attack The
largest and strongest IRON clad now atioat
would probably succumb at once, could
it be directly attacked by the ram and
torpedoes Of the Polyphemus. This sub
marine attack was the purpose for which
the Polyphcmus was originally designed.
She is specially designed to assail vessels
immensely larger and heavier than her
self. The hull is intended to bear the
shock of the collision by which her de
structive work is to be performed. 1t is
divided by Il longitudinal bulkhead and
many transverse bulkheads into two series
of tight compartments. The bot
tom is double and is split up into Il large
number of cells, or very small Watertight
divisions Her floating capacity is there
fore lis great as any under water vessel
can possibly be, while the danger of sink
ING from one OF two peuetratons OF the
hull IS reduced to minimum.
There are three ports under water for
the discharge of Whitehead torpcdoes
one Of which is directly in front, underline
ram, while the other two are at the sides
and amidshps. The vessel will, there
fore. have four chances of attack She
may send out a torpedo on either side as
she advances, she may strike the enemy
against which she is advancing 4 severe
blow with her ram, and as she retlres,
after the blow, she may follow it up, if
| necessary, by sending Il torpedo against
the point which the ram has just struck.
At the same time she may launch surface
torpedoes from the armored pilot tower
as is done by the ordinary torpedo boats.
The fighting of the Polyphemus, if she
should ever get into naval engagement,
will therefore be done at close quarters.
London Daily News of June Is.