The sun., 1889-12-28
sub-surfsce Naval Warfare.

Sub-surface Naval Warfare.
The last trial Of the Spanish torpedo boat
FL Peral, which took place about ten days
ago In tho Bay Of Oadiz. was still moro suo-
cessful than the three or four preceding.
She remained two hours submerged, with
only her coming turret, which ls little over
two feet high, showing above the water, then
sank and showed about half Of this tower,
and proceeded to navigate the bay for three
hours, during half Of which time che was
wholly out Of sight.
These performances Of the Peral ar
hardly more important to Spain than to
other countries which are waiting for the
first complete success Of submarine craft
to abandon their present system Of torpedo
boats for the new one. Secretary WHITNEY
was 80 convinced OF the necessity Of sub
marine boats in torpedo warfare that he
only asked Congress for one Of the ordinary
surface-going boats, the Gushing. He also
invited bids for submarine contrivances.
| The Columbian Iron Works responded with
| three propositions for boat OF ninety tons
displacement-the first yielding twelve
knots speed and nineteen hours endurance
| on tho surface, with nine knots and
one hour submerged, at O cost Of
| $3.50, 900; the second, yielding ten knots
and fifteen hours on the surface and
eight knots submerged at $4,000; the third
yielding nine, knots on the surface and seven
submerged, at 100000. The system thus
contemplated was the Holland. Under an
other call for proposals by Secretary WHIT
NEY. CRAAP & Sons had proposed to build
Nordenfeldt boat. There are many other
80 - IL ha Tr,nIr
the Ramagote, the Waddington. the Camp
bell, the Goubet, the Bjevalsky, the Ring
bonn. and 80 on; and the first which proves
In every respect adequate to It's task will
make a great change in torpedo warfare.
The Peral, named for its inventor. has the
cigar shape common to such boats, and is about
seventy feet long and nearly nine in breadth
Her motive power is electricity. supplied by
storage batteries, as is the case with many
submarine boats. Where. as In the Norden-
feldt craft and others, steam is used, the
fuel consists Of petroleum. or sometimes Of
chemicals, while Of course only stored steam
is available with complete submersion.
PERA1's invention was apparently made
known to the Spanish Government during
the controversy with Germany about the
Caroline Islands. The keel Of the little
craft was laid In the autumn Of 1887, and she
was launched in September Of last year.
One OF her distinguishing features is the am
pie accommodation she provides for her
crew. which not only insures them from
being cramped, but gives them good breath
ing space.
But with all allowance for the degree Of
success attained by the Peral, it would be
wholly premature to declare the problem Of
submarine navigation solved. The ultimate
object aimed at Is to produce craft which.
without trusting to the shelter Of night or
fog, can sink beneath the surface at sufi-
cient distance from the enemy not to be seen
by him, and then proceed wholly under
water to the hostile ship. and there discharge
It's projectile against the bottom Of the hull.
The submarine boat can be made to sink and
rise with sufficient rapidity and at the will
OF the Captain; it will even come to the sur
face by its own buoyancy should an accident
to its machinery occur beneath. 1t can be
kept on an even keel by balanced rudders or
equivalent devices. There is a sufficient sup
ply of compressed air or adequate breathing
space for the crew, and the boat can remain
hours together under water. 1t can be made
to move with reasonable speed, as a sur
face boat, or when only partly submerged.
But the final triumph will come when not
even the coming tower needs to show above
the water, and when three or four miles to-
gether can be run absolutely submerged so
as to reach an enemy's vessel in the daytime
without having given him any clue to the |
approach.
What with rapid fire and machine guns to |
riddle the ordinary surface torpedo boat or
its observation tower. and with steel nets to |
keep out its weapon. armor-cads have
ceased to greatly fear this form Of attack;
but when they can be made the victims of
an enemy whose existence defies detec-
tion, and which, approaching at depth
of 20 or 80 feet, fastens its weapon to the
bottom of tho doomed vessel, submarine
warfare must at once become Of the highest
Importance.