The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-05
A QUEER CRAFT.
Launch cf the Huge Ram and Torpedo Boat,
the PoIyphemus.
London Daily New.

London Daily New.
A strange and novel addition to the
British navy is to be made to-day. The
launch of the Polyphemus at Chatham
viii 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 experiments
vet tried in the naval ornaments. 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 Sarorius, and was
intended, to use Mr. Hunts words, not
to supersede all the other kinds of fighting
ships; but only as useful adjunct in case
of war. The Polyphemus is not a man of
war in any of the old accepta-
tons of the term. Instead of
carrying weapons, she is herself a
weapon. In place of firing cannon shot
above water she viii fire torpedoes under
water The vessel is in fact hugh ram
and torpedo boat combined, and will de-
pend for her utility as an adjunct in case
of war on her strength, her swiftness, and
her power to attack the vessels of the enc
my below the water line and under their
armor. The appearance of the ship. il a
ship it can be called, promises to be unlike
anything now afloat- Perhaps the nearest
steam yatchs; which so long lay useless in
Southampton water. The Polyphemus
will lie in the sea as a cylinder, with flat
tened top on which there will be a conical
deck surrnounted by the hurricane deck.
The ends of the cylinder will be under wa
ter, and all that will be usually seen
will be the round deck, which
has been compared to floating peg-top,
with its pilot tower, signal post and fun
nels. The deck is only four and half
feet above the water line and the whole of
the exposed surface of the vessel, and the
unexposed to a depth of six feet and a
half below the water-line, are to be pro
tected with compound steelf armor
plates.
The vessel is 240 feet long and 40 feet
broad, and is to be propelled by high pres
sure engines of 6, 500 horse power. This
great propelling power is calculated to give
the vessel a speed of seventeen knots an
hour. Her speed is, in fact, the chief Gle
ment in her strength as weapon OF de-
Tense. AS the bow constitutes ram twelve
feet long, and as the ram is SO deeply sub
merged as to strike the attacked
vessel below the depth to which the
armor plating is usually continued, it is
obvious that the high speed attained is a
The largest and strongest iron clad now
afloat would probably succumb at once,
could it be directly attacked by the ram
and torpedoes of the Polyphemus. The
submarine attack was the purpose for
which the Polyphemus was originally de-
signed. She is specially designed to as
sail vessels immensely larger and heavier
than herself. The hull is intended to bear
the shock of the collision by which her de-
structiye work is to be performed 1t is
of steel throughout. 1t is divided by a
longitudinal bulkheads and many traverse
bulkheads into two series Of small water
tight compartments. The bottom is
double. and is split up into large number
of cells or very small watertight divisions
Her floating capacity is therefore as great
as any underwater vessel can possibly be,
while the danger of sinking from one OF
two holes in the hull is reduced to min
imum.
There are three ports under water for the
discharge of whitehead tOrpedoes, one OF
which is directly in front, under the ram,
while the other two are at the sides and
amdslips. The vessel will, therefore,
have four chances Of attack She may
send out a torpedo on either side as she
advances, she may strike the enemy against
WHICH SuG Is dClNa1lClHs9 ii ScNeIC plO" Win
her ram, and as she retires, after the blow,
she may follow it up, if necessary by send
ing a 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 lighting OF
the Polyphemus, if she should ever get
into naval engagement, will therefore be
done at close quarters.