The herald., 1897-08-01
OUR TORPEDO FLEET ON exhibition
THE FIRST MANEUVERs THESE SMALL BUT
FORMIDABLE CRAFT NOW
GREss AT NEWPORT

Mississippi. 1t Is quite likely the boats
will steam some distance I'D the Ohio.
but as these details will be governed by
circumstances, no positive statement
can truthfully be made.
Most OF the officers and nearly every
one OF the ordinary seamen who man the
torpedo boats are new to the task. It
Is not at all like serving upon any of
the other vessels which wear the easfes
OF Uncle Sam at their bows. 1t is like
learning the methods of the navy over
again, and Jack Tar, who has slung his
hammock between decks for twenty
years. has almost as much to learn as
the most recent graduate from the mer-
chant marine. 1t Is no light task before
these salts. There IS no sea poetry about
being member of the crew of a torpedo
boat
Lieutenant Commander William w.
kimball has been detailed by the navy
department to take, charge Of the ma
neuvers, and the program of evolutions
and drills, largely of his devising, is
within the ordinary limits of the depart
ment rules, but initiates to some extene
the maneuvers of foreign fiotillas of the
same class They consist primarily OF
torpedo practice, which corresponds to
gun drill on the big battleships. Torpe-
does are necessarily the principal weap-
ons OF these swift little craft; when they
attack monster battleship this weapon
must be used with deadly precision, or
the chances of the little David in COM
bat with the Goliath of the seas are very
small indeed. Consequently the princi-
pal emphasis is laid upon torpedo drill.
Then there will be fleet maneuvers
speed tests and practice in approaching
and getting away from an imaginary
enemy, for your torpedo boat Is built to
flight and run away" in order that it
may Give to fight another day." Wheth-
er there will be any after dark drills,
practice in blockade running, such as
was tried at Charleston several months
ago has not been definitely decided on,
but in such maneuvers the public would
have little interest, since they would not
be seen from on shore.
The spectacle Of these little boats, not
much larger than the ordinary steam
yacht, would not be imposing except for
the terrible potentialities Of the flotilla.
Every one Of the little boats has the
power, If properly placed, to blow clean
out of the water the biggest battleship
ever built. Both in size and destructive
ness they may be compared to the ter
rible "thraeher." the one fish in the seas
which can kill whale.
/ The fact that the daring little torpedo
boat and all on board would probably
follow the vessel 1t destroyed to the bot
tom Of the sea only increases the inter-
est in and admiration of the men who
willingly accept such frightful odds.
Their crews are small-two officers and
not more than twenty-five men to each
vessel-but every man Is hero in that
he volunteers to meet the fate of the
brave Gushing, provided he can inflict
still greater damage to the enemy To
learn how to do this expeditiousy and
unerringly Is the purpose Of the maneu-
vers at Newport.
The following torpedo boats partici-
pated in the Newport drills; Ericsson,
Lieutenant Usher, commander; Cush-
ing, Lieutenant Gleaves; Porter. Lieu
tenant Fremont; Foote, Lieutenant
Rogers. They will be Joined by the Du-
pont when she has been fully repaired.
The Ericsson was detached to drill with
the New York and Massachusetts naval
militia, but this did not interfere with
her participation with the flotilla ma
neuvers later. Indeed it may be cor
sidered as a valuable drill, as the flo
] tilla operated in conjunction with the
| torpedo station at Newport.