The herald., 1898-05-01
AN ENCLSFMANS VIEW OF THE SPANISH TORPEDO BOAT

est torpedo boats at command at Key
West are three which were built two years
ago-170 feet long, 1876 tons, $500 horse
power, speed 271a knots. These craft only
carry four quick-firing guns, but they nave
three torpedo tubes. Three other boats,
launched also in 1S96-160 feet long, 13o tons,
1000 horse-power-have a maximum speed
of 241s knots
Speed commented representative or
Messrs. Yarrow, in conversation on sat
urday, 'is not the only consideration IN a
torpedo boat. Much depends upon the
crew and much upon the management or
the torpedoes.'
"Has the Spanish navy the reputation
of efficiently training crews?"
II can form no opinion, nor can say
whether they are experienced in torpedo
practice
Then, should war break out, the chap
ter in naval history about to be unfolded
will be entirely new and correspondingly
instructive?"
1--WE cannot tell what use may be made
of the craft. OF course, they were de-
signed to attack battleships, cruisers or
merchantmen. and they might also be en-
ployed to blockade ports. The majority of
the first-class torpedo boats were built
Il s.
ycraft at Chiswick, not more than ANa
years since, and 1 should by no means ~
gard them as out of date. The Americans
have no destroyers afloat-hence their
purchase of swift armed yachts to serve
as such, though not so efficiently. Spain
has torpedo boats not to be surpassed in
the world
In all important navies the building of
is feature of the program, but there is
q great difference of opinion as to whether
craft of such high speed will render the
service expected of them. Some experts
maintain that it would be preferable to
sacrifice several knots in order to strength
en- the hull and improve the Availability
on sea-keeping qualities of the boat. The
experience of the Pluton, Furor and Terror
is, therefore, looked forward to by experts
with considerable interest. In view of the
results obtained by NJ Normand at Havre,
who, in the case of the Forban, attained
S1.2 knots 0he length of the boat is IA
feet and the tonnage 1859, and by Messrs.
Yarrow with the Russian Sokol, which is
credited with a maximum trial speed of
297 knots the length of the boat being 1870
feet, the tonnage 24O and the horsepower
higher standard of speed than the q knots
44OO)-the British admiralty has set
previously accepted; and the Desperate.
the first of the new class, with speed of
nearly 3Ols knots, was launched at CHS
wick in February, 1895. But even the Des-
perate did not mean finality, for she will be
outpaced by the destroyers now complet-
ing. She is stationed at Chatham, and,
compared with the Spanish Pluton, she is
Is feet shorter. foot less in beam and S
inches less in draught but in tonnage and
engine power both craft resemble each
other. Assuming the Pluton to give chase
to the fastest United States battleship, the
Iowa, the latter, with it's speed of 16h
knots, would be quickly overtaken, and
the Indiana and the Massachusetts, Is
knots, would fare no better. Nor would
the swiftest cruisers-the Minneapolis, 23
knots, and the Columbia, 22.S knots-be
able to get out of harms way, while the
New York and Brooklyn, the largest cruis-
ers in the United States navy, with a speed
of 20 knots, would not b able to show
clean pair of heels to even the slowest Of
the torpedo boats comprising the Spanish
fotilla.