Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 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
row & Co. torpedo-bCat destroyer
which differs from vessels of this class
built for the British navy chieh. in
respect of being armored.
The boat is one Of four similar YES
sells now in course of construction her
length over all is 1870 feet S inches, her
breadth IS feet inches and her depth
amidships II feet. With a draught OF
feet the displacement will be about
$50 tons.
The armament comprises one 13.inch
torpedo tube, built into the stem for
bow fire, and two lS-inch swivel Tor
redo tubes on deck aft The latter
command both sides Of the vessel.
There will be a 14-pounder quickfring
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 operation 5
during the late war in the east. About
eleven years ago Messrs. Yarrow &
Go. built for the Japan 9se government
a small vessel, the Kotaka, which Wa
protected by armor, and was. we he
heye. the first high-speed armored .or-
generally recognized, however chat
redo craft It 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 armoT 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 alone
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
be sufficient to enable them TO perform
their ostensible duty of putting ous OF
action torpedo-boats proper II Is now
generality recognized, however, hat
"destroyers' are but tcrpedo-boats OF
a larger growth, and this is fairly we'll
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 battle-ship or erui-
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
iessens this advantage, but while 1t de-
tains the boat longer 'Inder fire II would
keep out great many projectiles that
might otherwise be fatal. 1t is of
course, guns Of the smaller nature that
torpedo craft have most to fear, The
Eachinerepeating gun sends
stream of bullets which may
almost be likened TO Jet
OF water from a hose, and, once the
range were obtained, would soon play
havoc with the ordinary thin plating
OF the average torpedo-boat. 1t is to
keep out these projectiles that one
half inch arnlor 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 ileh
thick.
The estimated speed Of ttese boats is
twenty six kn1ts Engineering.