Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-07-23
ARMORED TORPEDO-BOATS.
Argentina Has Four to Go Twenty Six
Knots an Hour.

On Saturday afternoon last there was
launched from the yard of Messrs. Var
rev & Co. torpAdo-bcat destroyer
which differs from vessels of this class
built for the British navy chiefly in
respect of being armored
The boat is one Of four similar YES.
sells now in course Of construction Her
length over all is 100 feet S inches. her
breadth i9 feet 6 inches and her depth
amidships l. feet. With a draught of
5 feet The displacement will be about
$50 tons.
The armament comprises one 1S-iuch
torpedo tube, built into the stem for
bow fire, and two tS-inch swivel Tor
redo tubes on deck aft. The latter
command both sides Of the vessel.
There will be a 14-pounder quickfiring
gun mounted on the coming tower Tor
ward, three 6-pounder quick-firing suns
on the deck aft, and two Maxim auto
matte guns just abaft the coming
tower, one being on either side.
The policy of armoring these small
craft has been { good deal discussed
lately, the interest in the subject hay
ing been revived by some operations
during the late war in the east About
eleven years ago Messrs. Yarrow &
Co. built for the Japanese govern Inent
a small vessel, the Kotaka which wa
protected by armor, anG was, we be-
heve. the first high-speed armored or
generally recognized, however that
redo craft. 1t will be remembered that
during the late war Kotaka led two
important torpedo attacks, and came
through comparatively unframed, while
the unarmOred boats suffered severely.
The price paid by armor is, of course,
loss of speed, but the Argentine naval
authorities are evidently of opinion that
it is advisable to sacrifice something in
swiftness in order to gain protection.
In our navy there are, as stated, no
armOred torpedo craft, it being held
that the very thin armor, which clone
can be used, is comparatively useless,
or worse than useless, while it destroys
the most valuable quality in these lit
tie vessels-their paramount speed.
Speed, however, is a relative term.
These Argentine destroyerS are to
steam twenty-siX knots, which would
their ostensible duty Of putting out of
action torpedo-boats proper. 1t is now
generality recognized, however, that
''destroyers' are but tCrpedO-boat5 of
a larger growth, and this is fairly Well
shown by the fact that the present YES
sells have each three torpedo discharges
which are certainly not intended for use
against small craft.
Whatever may be the intention of
the designers, however, one may be
sure that no naval officer in command
of a destroyer would lose the oppor-
tunity of bagging a battle-ship or crui-
ser. For such an opportunity the chief
advantage of speed is that it enables the
attacking boat to pass "the zone of
fire" very quickly. Armor naturally
lessons this advantage, but while it de-
tains the boat longer lnder fire it would
keep out a great many projectile8 that
might otherwise be fatal. 1t is, of
course, guns of the smaller nature that
torpedo craft have most to fear. The
nachine-repeating gun sends a
stream of bullets which may
almost be liken9d to jet
OF water from a hose, and once the
range we're obtained would soon play
havoc with the ordinary thin plating
Of the average torpedo-boat. 1t is to
keep out these projcctiles that one
half inch armor mas been added to the
Argentine boats. This armor entirely
surrounds the engines and boilers. The
bulkheads at the ends of the machinery
space being also Of steel one-half iIch
thick.
The estimated speed OF these boats is
twenty-six knGts.--Enginte ring.