The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-22
TIE NEW TORPEDO oRU1sKR.
A Graft that will Beat EuEIand's ShaFP.
ahOoter and SRaIn's Deatrnetor.

A Graft that will Neat EusIand's SHARP
shooter and sPaIn's Destraotor.
WASHINGTON. May 21.-The type OF the tor.
pedo cruiser. as distinguished from the torpedo
boat. Is one that has within the last few years
attracted great attention in foreign naval con
struction France has built or is building nc
fewer than ten OF the Bombe class; England
four OF the Rattlesnake and eleven OF the
Sharpshooter classes: Italy. five OF the Tripolt
class; Spain has her Destructor. and Russia
her Him. The Vesuvlus is also vessel oil
this general type. except that she carries the
aerial or Mefrord- Zalinski torpedo tube. while
the others use the locomotive marine torpedo
launched from short tubes The new torpedo
cruiser which the Senate committee proposes
is also apparently designed to use automobile
torpedoes instead OF the pneumatic apparatus
employed on the Vesuvlus.
The Cushing, which is n fair example OF q
torpedo boat OF the first class. has less than a
| hundred tons displacement But torpedo
cruiser is much larger vessel Tho De-
structor at light draught is OF 95s tons: the
Rattlcsnake, OF $50: the HIN, OF 1917; the Sharp
shooter. OF 1855: the Vesuvius. OF si1; the Trip
oil OF 500. The Bombe has but 800 tons. and
is almost Of IN intermediate class between the
torpedo boat and the torpedo cruiser. Our new
vessel is intended to be OF $50 tons displace-
ment which would bring her directly within
tho latter class.
As to her armament. some idoa OF Its prob
able character may be obtained from examin-
ing the vessels already mentioned. The Sharp
shooter and Rattlesnake have four tubes each !:
the Destructor and Trlpoli. five each tho Ilgin
seven. while all those vessels employ White
head torpedoes. All also have secondary bat;
teries. the Destructor, the Sharpehooter. and
the Rattlesnake each carrying q fonr-inch
breeoh loading rifle as also does tho Bombe.
The a'n ir IS pG and IN ali 70
S shs ssGn 6S I'm hG H. s
maximum weight Of high explosive designed
Tor these torpedoes II lhM bounds which, how;
gun cotton actually thrown IN the recent ON
cal trlalof the Nesuvins, and this latter can be
the new cruiser would DO Of an American type.
which, It IL confidently believed, will surDass
the Whitehead III etieotiN enesA.
:. II is rather noticeable that four years ago Mr..
McPherson OF the Senate Naval Committee
introduced bin providing for vessel Of tho
same general type as the ono ow contemplated:
One torpedo cruiser OF about roo tons AGsmsnt
S Sm fS S hss F" ana
Length and WITH engines OF sufficient P"~sr . H"ln
lifted WORKING with forced draaSh s.d " eu Hng
sS GA an E Hs cot sG Of . for q and A. "a.
machinery complets, including armament shah not
is shown by the fact that tho Senate committee
now asks % knots on ~ tons less lis placement;
nhu tHoIe ID ROOu RFOunn IOr DeueylnR tHht
this great speed can be secured. The Vesuvius
mas reached on average speed OF 2lG5 knots.
and certainly tho experience gained since abe
was designed must count for something. The
lestructor. built at tlydebnnk for Spain. Is
even faster. Her builder. In paper read be-
fore the British Institute OF Naval Architects.
gave her speed In trial made last year as z263
knots. 1t Is accordingly probable that tho %
knots required OF the now vessel can be OBJ
tained. Tho Official report Of the recent trial
OF the NesnTus Tor horse power has not
yet been made public: but unofficial in
Iicatiors, are that moro than $500 was
DEVELOPED. aud perhaps more than 300. The
Indicated horse power of the Destructor on the
trial In question was $3.50 according to some
accounts and 3.7s4 according to others. the
former perhaps being the maximum and the
latter the average: but as this was put into "a
Vessel OF much smaller Dimensions then the
Nesnvlns it Is quite credibl @ that more than
q knots was made 1t Ia true that the
Destrurtors trial was not official, aud the
difference between .the claims of builders ard
tn" reports OF Government officers Is no doubt
sometimes great IN England. as in this
country. Still. with all allowances. II the Senate
cruiser of % knots Is sanctioned by the Senate
and c1Icurred In by the House there will
probably be no difficulty. with S350.000 ap-
proprlated as the price nj the vessel in |
securing contract which will guarantee |
y knots. even though It may demand large |
increase above the horse power OF the |
' csuvius.
According to n British service journal the |
new pattern OF the Whitehead torpedo pro- |
ducel at the royal laboratory at Moolwich |
has an accurate destructive range OF more |
are confident that they will he able TO Quito the
best achievements OF the Whitehead. and II so |
the new tornedo cruiser will be armed In a |
manner worthy OF her hich speed. |