The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-05-11
Torpedo Boats and TORPEDO Boat
Destroyars.
The Difference Between These Two
Types of Naval Vessels.

The Difference Between These Two
Types of Naval Vessels.
The Importance attached by naval
authorities to the little boats now on
their way from Spain to the West
Indian waters is source of aston
;shment to the people who have paid
no attention to recent Developments
in naval architecture. Torpedo boats
have been populally known for some
time as war craft of potential posi-
bilities, bat in actual use more dan
gerous to their owners than to the
enemy. Torpedo boat destropers
are apparently type of vessel absc-
lutely unheard of by the majority,
and the manner in which they are
mixed up in the news reports with
the craft they are supposedly intend
ed to aunihilate is certainly mystlfy
ing.
The torpedo boat of today, it
should be stated in the beginning, is
no longer a vessel of doubtful value.
Its terrible prowess has been shown
on several occasions in recent years
While it is designed primarily as a
coas, defense vessel, and is not especi-
ally fitted for long voyages on the
high seas it has been made as stable
and safe as any small boat can be.
1t can move faster than any battle
ship or cruiser. and, owing to its
small size and low free board, can
steal up within few hundred yards
of warship, discharge it's projectile
under water with considerable &C
curracy and dart away without being
seen, perhaps; or, if seen, can laugh
at the effolts of the big vessels to
capture her. The torpedoes which
she sends forth on their errand OF
destruction are sufficiently powerful
to sink any man -of-war af1oat if they
hit the mark. The only protection
that battle ship has from these ter.
rible lite engines of war is in her
guns, which, if seen in time, may
sink the torpedo boat; or in the pro-
tective net of large iron rings which
is hung around the ship when in dan
ger. But the torpedo boat is so
small that it is very hard to hit her
even in daylight, and her attacks are
generally made at night, while the
torpedo nets are OF doubtful efh-
cheney. The torpedo boats are 100
to $50 feet long and have an average
draught Of about 5feet, so that they
can slip into shallow water or up
rivers if necessary. They have COM
plement CT from 20 to 25 officers and
men and carry three or four 1-pounder
rifles for defense and as many topedo
tubes for of;snse.
The torpedo boat destroyer is the
result of the development of the tor
pedo boat. As its name indicates, its
primary object is the destruction Of
torpedo boats, but it combines the
qualities Of the torpedo boat, the
gunboat and the cruiser. 1t is
larger and swifter than the torpedo
boat, some of them rushing through
the water at the rate Of 81 miles an
hour, as fast as the average express
train. Besides its torpedo tubes, it
carries guns OF the rapid firing variety
as large as II Founders. With such
speed and such armament it can run
down and sink the speediest torpedo
boat, while-without using its tor
pedoes, which are reserved for war
sbips-it can capture, and destroy il
necessary, commercial vessels OF
large size. In attacking war vessels:
however, it is not as effective as the
torpedo boat, because its larger size
and highet free board makes it more
easily seen and better target for
the guns of the battle ship.