Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-06-26
Defense Against rorpedoes.

Pail Mall Gazette: The recent alarm Of
the fleets in Cretan waters lest Greek tor
pedo boats hould attack them, and the
elaborate defensive measures adopted In
Suda Bay give certain interest to torpedo
boat attack and defense generally-to the
latter especially.
A ship is most exposed to danger when
lying In a harbor, and 81 is then that de-
fensive precautions become of the great
est urgency. The sea is a big place, and a
fotilla of boats hunting blindly for a fleet
In the open are only likely to encounter II
by Its rushing right into them. Then, the
probability liz that the lookout cruisers
and destroyers viii drive them off or sink
them before they get their chance to run
the gauntlet of fire from the large battle
ships. THERE'S but one quarter from which
they have any chance of successful attack
from ahead, because, though their speed
may De v yards a minute, the pattiesfiif,s
are probably doing 800 yards in the same
time. and an attack from the stern would
mean being under Gre for possibly ten
minutes, The assumption Is that no boat
could survive being under fire for over
two minutes. Approaching from ahead.
the combatants nearing each other at the
combined speed OF 1900 yards a minute,
Ni'ie 10 "A HlIDHk appearance VI Nhs bOdN y
being able to get within two cables and fire
her torpedoes before she has been much
more than a minute under fire. Yet this is
appearance only. ! hav seen a good many
end attacks in m~aneuvers, and the big
ship has always had time to turn and pre-
sent her bow or stern TO the boat. No tor
pedoist would fire at a ship end-on; the
chances of hitting the target are very
Sight; while given a hit at all. no modern
warship so hit is likely to be sunk or alb
solutely disabled by the explosion. The
boat Is, I'm fine, compelled to make a de-
tour, In doing when she pill probably be
sunk.
In the next naval war very few ships are
likely to be ~"bagged" at sea by torpedo
| boats. and the boats are not likely TO last
long IL they attempt the task. For they
ann long keep the sea; they must have
shelters to fly TO in the day time. and the
number OF these shelters being limited
they are easily watched by catchers and
d~estroyers able 10 sink the boats at leisure
as they return in the dawn. Yet all this
does not mean that fleet attacks will not
be attempted. and now and again a daring
man is bound TO get home: in any case
the possibility of such attack il bound TO
be a terrible menace to a fleet: hence there
is 4 reason Ia believe that the one boat
lying idle in harbor might be a worse en-
m than three careering about in search
OF something to sink. p~aradoxical though
IL may at first sight seem.
The terrible part that torpedo craft
might play after a great fleet action amid
the big ironc!ads rolling helplessly dis
abled on the swell hardy enters into the
scope of this paper. IT suffices to say that
as each SIDE will probably have a large
cruiser and torpedo force with IL. one Of
these VIII have to annihilate the other be-
fore much can be done, and the victor may
then be- too enfeebled 10 act.
When a fleet lies in harbor many OF the
conditions are changed: the boats know
where 70 find the ships, there Is no more
bllnd seeking and there Will be very little
OF the haphaZard I'm the attack. II Is true
that In certain big harbors, strongly forti-
fed, protected by booms full OF deadly
Instructions, a fleet will be safe enough.
but most harbors are not so protected;
then defensive measures hav 10 be SER
iously adopted, and woe betide the feet
II they fail. The simplest of all defenses
Is for the fleet 10 put boldly out to sea.