Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-06
CLEARED For ACTION
MODERN Battle Ship Presents an
Unusual Spectacle.

"A Modern Battle Ship Presents nm
Unusual Spectacle.
X +. Zogbaum in Harper's Weekly
A battle ship cleared for action presents
an appearance differing greatly from that
shown while lying peacefully at anchor In
port Sanctions, davits, everything NOV
able not specially designed for fighting mr.
poses, disappear from the decks and sides.
brass-barred skylights to lower decks and
cabins. rails and supports about the OPEN
lngs leading below, give way to steel battle
matches; hose is coupled to the fire pumps
and laid along the deck; circular openings
10 the ammunition passages yawn, traps
to the feet of the unwary; and everything
tnat might interfere with the sweep of the
guns or the freedom of movement of the
crew vanishes from sight as completely as
IL IT never had existed. The stencied word
overnoard on chests on the deck-chests
containing anything inflammable, as paint
aicohol or ofl-indicates that in the pres
ence OF the enemy they would disa;,pear
over the side of the ship into the sea, while
the boats are hosted from their rests on
the superstructure and lowered to be towed
astern-perhaps even to be cast adrift-to
avoid injury to life and limb from fiying
spInters under the enemy's fire. The shock
and noise of action, as the ship comes en-
the firing line. is something beyond descrin-
ton. Take ships like Iowa and Indiana
Tor instance where single discharge from
| Dow to quarter of the principal batteries
give weight of fire of 400 and < Go0
pounds, respectively, and the tremendo5,s
shock of the explosion may be dimly i'm
aSined by one who has not experienced it
sun more trying to the nervous senses are
the sharp thudding reports OF the raDid-fire
guns, vomiting forth their deadly missiles
at the rate of four or five shots every min
ute. Night practice with the auxiliary bat
teries gives an exhibition of the murderous
work these guns are capable Of and the
drifting targets-mere handkerchiefs in an
pearance as compared with attacking tor
pedo boatS-are greeted with such a storm
OF projectiles that nothing coming under
the rays of the search light could live for
moment Only by the simultaneous rush of
number of those small, but terrible en-
glnes OF marine warfare, torpedo boats
could there be much chance of inf1icting
injury to the larger ships. By luck or
through superior skill one might get in"
and successfully explode it's torpedo against
the side of Its huge enemy. but the attack
would be much of the nature of the charge
of a "forlorn hope" of bygone times into a.
breach in the wall of a hostile fortress
But eggs are broken when omelets are
made and war. on shore at sea. is
hazardous game. and the loss Of half a
score of torpedo boats would count for less
than the destruction of an enemy's battle
ship. Cavalry acts against cavalry in war
on land; torpedo boats are, to certain ex-
tent, the cavalry of the sea. Torpedo-boat
destroyers-torpedo boats of large size and
superior speed-form valuable adjuEcts to
fleet of war ships cruising as scouts and
videttes, ard guarding by their vigilance
the lines of approach to the main body of
the squadron. In the absence of such craft
as in the absence of cavalry with an army
the fleet is seriously handicapped. and the
chances of loss of some of it's number
through the enemy's torpedoes are much
greater. in spite of searchlights and rapid
fire ordnance.
At present our entire force of torpedo
craft consists of four boats in service and
one torpedo-boat destroyer, and fourteen
torpedo boats in the hands of the builders