The San Francisco call., 1897-02-07

Mgf in admiralty circles to a new device
for the protect of big battle-ships
below the water line.
The new mode of hull defense Is the
idea of DR.. Herbert Jones, naval con-
structor of note, and is designed to act as
a torpedo-guard for the vessel below the
surface of the sea. 1t has met with such
universal favor among naval architects
and marine engineers that the Govern
ment OF Great Britain is seriously con-
sidering its adoption.
The plan of DR.. Jones is simply to place
huge steel shield along the hull OF the
battle ship on both sides. 1t will consist
of mum ber of large plates in iuxtaposi-
tion, extending from stem to stern, and
from the keel to a point just above the
water line. The plates must fit exactly to
the model OF the hull so as not to retard
| the speed of the vessel when there is no
| occasion to use them.
Even those who are unfamiliar with
naval construction must know that the
most vulnerable part of ship is that of
.her hull below the water line. There are
located the very vitals of the marine
monster-the boilers, engines, magazines
and furnaces. On each of these the life,
|
pends. One shot, or even 100, or even
1000 shots might pass through the upper
parts of a battle ship without destroying
or even seriously disabling her, but let
one torpedo pierce the comparatively thin
| body in the weak spot under the water
and the chan ;es are a thousand to one
against her remaining afloat long after
: that.
| ha mil ~ dc linn AoA
| by the great powers of the world on the
offensive and defensive merits of guns YER
sus armor has brought them no nearer to
a solution as to the superiority in the one
case or the other than they were thirty
years ago, and for many years past the idea
OF one ship destroying another by stand
ing off and exchanging shots from dis
| tance has been recognized as an absolute
impossibility.
Lord Armstrong on this point has well
stated that these stupendous warships
cannot be made invulnerable," and that
their cost is so enormous that no country
can have a numerous navy of such YES
| sells.
While the great naval powers are pusily
engaged in bringing submarine warfare to
perfect sy stem of attack by means of div
ing torpedo-boats British naval authori-
ties agree that England has apparently
| neglected the means of resisting marine
attack. There are, for instance, torpedo
| boats torpedo boat catchers and tor
! pedo- boat destroyers, and it is an admitted
!, fact that the so-called catchers are in
ferior in speed to the boats they are sup
posed to catch; and as to the destroyers
their special destructive powers are not
very apparent.
In fair aboveboard sea fight between
the types mentioned and first and second
class battle-ships it is question with ma
val experts which would destroy or be de-
stroyed. The greatest danger to battle-ships
would be at night when the destroyers,
owing to their speed and bandiness
might get a torpedo in contact with the
enemy's side, when the battle-ship, devoid
of underwater protection, would inevita-
bly, be destroyed. Hence, declares lead
ing naval officer, ''the term destroyer in
its fullest and truest sense is only applica-
bic to the modern diving torpedo-boat.
AS sure as one OF these submarine ship-de
stroyers. in state of suspension at a reg
lated depth below the surface of the
water, is navigated to within striking dis
tance OF a 15,000-ton battle-ship so surely
will the ponderous battle-ship be destroyed
Immediately on being struck by missile
aimed by her unseen submarine foe.
There is no give and take about this what
ever, as the submarine torpedo boat when
deeply immersed is out OF reach of its op-
ponent, while at the same time it strikes
at the most vital and unprotected part OF
the hull of the monster floating above it. +"
1t is upon this very point that the ma
rine architects and engineers Of the world
have been puzzling their brains for years.
That is, they have taxed their inventive
powers to the utmost to devise form OF
protection against the scientific advance OF
submarine warfare. The only contrivance
now in use to pro iect the lower portion oi
a ships hull from torpedo attack is huge
netting of wire slung from booms on the
side of the ship and supposed to pene-
trate far enough beneath the surface OF
the water to furnish protection for the
entire bottom. This apparatus affords
protection to some extent when the vessel
has hove to, but when she has speed on
the net is sure to drag astern and expose
large surface of the hull. Then again
torpedoes have been invented for the very
purpose of cutting through the netting
when it is found as an obstacle
With DR.. Jones' new device, the torpedo
could not reach the hull proper but would
explode itself against the preventive hull,
as the guard might be termed. That OF
course would be demolished, but the hull
itself would be saved from destruction.
AS previously stated, the shield must fit
snugly to the hull. The shield consists OF
number of wide plates placed side by
side and hung by hinges on long rod
running the length of the ship, just above