Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-06-14
A Modern Sea Fight.


People often wonder what would be
the results of great naval battle at the
present time. Would many ships be de
|stroyed3 Would the loss of life be great3
Let us try to describe, shortly, few of
the probable features Of fight between
two fleets OF modern ironclads. Although
two hostile fleets might approach one
another in some tactical formation, this
could not be adhered to for any length
of time, and the battle would soon be-
come series of independent duels be-
tween individual ships. This is at once
apparent when we consider that most, If
not all of the ships would have rams, and
it would, therefore, be highly necessary
for a captain to have perfect control over
the movements of his ship to prevent her
being rammed by an enemy.
At the outset of the action the torpedo
boats would probably take very active
part, and until exterminated, which they
certainly would be in time, would engage
great attention, and be effective in sink
ing few ships. 1t may be safely con
cluded that every ship would be steamiDg
fast during the action, this being neces-
sary to avoid being rammed, to get into
favorable positions for discharging torpe
does and to elude the fire of an enemy.
Heavy gun fire would Of course, be main
taiued from the cc'S,nene nent of the
action, and those ships whose engines got
disabled from this cause would speedy be
rammed; and at this point We consider
that great loss of life would take place,
for the reason that the boats of ship, be
+. ing always exposed to the machine gun
fire, would at an early stage of the action
be riddied and shattered by shot, and In
the incredibly short time in which a ship
sinks a ter being ramIned 1t would be i'm
possible for the crew to improvise other
means to save themselves from drowning
No steps seem yet to have been taken by
the English admiralty with view Of pro
viding for this contingency. 1t has been
Suggested that hospital ship bearing the
Geneva cross should accompany 8
fleet into action to receive the wounded
We would make further suggestion
namely, that this ship should be pro
vided with fast steaming boats, peculiarly
marked to show their pacific nature
which should proceed to the assistance o
a sinking ship. By this means, mum
Der of men might be saved who would
| otherwise certainly be drowned. 1t is mo-
probable that the loss of life from CUR
| fire would be large as great part OF the
crew of an ironclads would be undel
water, the lest being inside the armored
portions of the ship. Few ships would bC
able to get into favorable positions fol
Idischarging Whitehead torpedoes from
their tubes; even If they did so, the course
of one OF these machines is 30 erratic wheI
discharged from ship In motion that i
would in nearly every case miss its mark
The time for the use of Whiteheads woul(
be from the torpedo boats at the com
mencement of the fight.
To sum up, it is the opinion of man!
naval men of authority that a moderI
naval battle. would only occupy abou
one-half the time OF fight In the OLE
Trafalgar days; that half the ships em
ployed would be sunk, and that most o
the remainder would be SO battered a
to be unfit Ior further service for month
to come.