Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-11

,CaszS lr- able ones may be
named the Norden-
.SSSDA=- felt and the Wad-
sSS- dington boats, the
M Spanish Pera1, the
French Goubet, Gym
note and Gustave
Zede, and German boats said to be of
modified Nordenfelt type. besides an Italian
and Portuguese boat.
| In the Nordenfelt boats, intended for
| service at the surface as well as under
water, steam propulsion was employed.
screw propeller for this purpose being
driven by compound engines. While at
the surface steam was generated in the
usual way. When the boat Was submerged
steam was supplied by means of the heat
stored in water before descending, the hot
water being carried in tanks as well
in the boiler. The pressure in the reservoirs
when first charged was 150 pounds to the
square inch. Provision was made for cool
ing the air, for indicating it's condition,
for showing at all times the depth reach
ed and for the automatic regulation Of the
action of the submerging propellers so as
to main tain the boat at a given depth.
Partial submersion was accomplished by
admitting water to compartments or tanks.
Further submersion was caused by two
serve buoyancy of the boat by exerting
their effort in a vertical direction. The
boat was always to remain in horizontal
position. Being buoyant, in the event of
accident 1t would rise to the surface. To
prevent plunging use was made of horizon
tai rudderS, controlled by weights attached
to arms secured at right angles to the rud-
der axle Each weight being at the lower
end OF swinging arm would keep The
necessarily
keep the rudder horizontal.
the first Nordenfelt boat was built in
1888. 1t was cigar-shaped: it's length was
SlXty-four feet and its diameter in the mid
die was nine feet. Owing TO a small con-
ming tower on top and Sponsors on the
sides the extreme beam was twelve feet
and depth eleven feet. The Sponsors form
ed wells Tor the protection of the suDmerg-
ing propellers.
The First Trials.
Trials Of Nordenfelt boats were made sew
eral years ago which attracted much at
tention at the time. OF late but little has
been heard of them, other types having as
sumed greater prominence. The first enc
was tried at Landskrona, Sweden, in Sep
TENDER, 1885, in the presence of officers rep
resenting various governments. When par
TALLY submerged 1t showed good steering
qualities while steaming at a speed of five
knots.
1t vas frequently made to sink to a depth
OF nVe feet, disappearing below the surface
in half minute, but remaining below for
short periods only. While below the sur
face of the water the distance covered at
any one time was only about 800 yards
and the boat did not remain out of sight
for longer period than four and half
minutes. At light draft, in smooth water,
the boat was scarcely visible at distance
of 1000 yards. While submerged this boat
was very defective in speed, the inventor
claiming but three knots for her. To raise
the necessary pressure for steaming under
water required twelve hours. The opera
ton of closing the boat and sinking il until
the upper surface was just awaSh occu-
pied twenty minutes. In this position the
cupola was the only part visible.
Tie Greek government afterward pur-
chased Nordenfelt boat similar to the
one which had been employed in these
trials, and 1t was reported at the time that
tests at Athens showed that the boat could
be worked at a depth of thirty feet and
that on one occasion four men had re-
manned in the boat submerged for six hours.
The contract surface speed of eight and
one-half knots was attained and a run of
ten miles was made on steam stored in the
reservoir. One Whitehead torpedo was car
RED
The Turkish government ordered two
| improved boats of the same general type,
but somewhat larger, each 10 be fitted TO dis
charge two Whitehead torpedpes. AS finally
built they each had a length of 100 feet,
| beam II feet, displacement 100 tons. The
vertical propellers to be used in descending
were placed above the hull in the fore
and aft line, near the extrmeities. instead
of being fitted In side Sponsors as in the
earlier design.
The sultan Saw the Tests.
| In May, 1887 one Of these boats was sub
! jected to a series of trials in the Bosphorus
under the personal supervision of the sui
| tan, who was stationed at a convenient
point on shore. No torpedoes were used.
The boat was ready for service, with fires
| banked and pressure of $50 pounds in the
| reservoir, the water having been already
| heated. 1t was found that position could
| be maintained in the strength of the cur
rent which launches in attendance were
| unable to stem. First acting as a surface
| boat simulated attack was made on a
steamer. This was followed by speed trials
after which second attack was made on
| the steamer with the boat entirely sub
merged. In this trial the boat disappeared
under the water and nothing more WAS
| seen or 1t until 1T came to the surface on
! the other side of the steamer, having rass-
| ed under her keel The boat then reIurne
! TO her moorings, which were reached with a
pressure of 80 pounds in the reservoir, after
having been under way for five hours dur
ing two of which the reserve Of steam had
been depended on entirely
In February, 1888, final trials of the two
boats built for Turkey took place in the
Gulf of Ismidt, before an official board,
which made favorable report, and the
boats were then accepted. Upon leaving
SOHStdnllHople prior TO the trials, a rough
sea was encountered in the Sea of Nor
mora, but in spite of this the boats made
sixty nautical miles in five and a half
hours. In the course OF the trials II vas
SHOWN, according to accounts published
shortly afterward that the boats could no
Kept under water for considerable periods
ana also that the length of time thew could
continue steaming without rising To the
surface was satisfactory. The actual dis
charge or an automobile torpedo under
water was reported to have been succasa-
fully accomplished. 1t was claimed mot
this had never before been attempted bv a
submarine boat. In this case the boat an
pears to have been stationary and at the
surface long enough to make sure that tbe
torpedo was SO pointed that ii should not
strike any neighboring vessel 1t then de-
scended and the discharge was effected i'm
mediately. The boats were also tested in
attacking a steamer at night and in otbar
ways. 1t may be added that the particn
lars OF these trials as here given are tslen
from accounts printed at the time in
various technical journals.
"A stlIl larger boat of the same class. nam
ed the Nordenfelt. after the inventor was
Launched in March, 1887, and in the course
OF the same year had several unofficial
trials in England, but these trials were NOT
or such nature as to test the practical
efficiency in oil