The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-03
THE NAVY'S WEAK POINT
UNITED STATES WITHOUT ANY TOR
PEDO BOAT DEsTROYERs.
Small hat Terrible Engines of Marine.
warfare That Can Make
Thirty Knots an Hour.
New York Herald.

"A type OF NeSSSt ueeueu 10
properly equip our Atlantic squadron is the
torpedo boat destroyer, often for the sake
of brevity called the destroyer With tor
pedo boats we familiar but with the
destroyer a type heretofore unknown to our
navy, we are not. She is something quite
| different from anything we have heretofore
put afoat although we'll enough known
abroad. From the name torpedo boat de-
stroyer the principal functions expected
from the craft can be in measure deter
mined. The object in view in constructing
! the destroyer was to provide sea-going
fleets with the means of annihlating tor
! pedo boats and rendering nugatory their ac-
| ticns, but ii is impossible to doubt that IN
addition TO such work a further employ
ment of the destroyers will be in the per-
Torrance of those very duties now ascribed
to torpedo boats and which they are TO
check for the destroyer, besides being de-
signed to be able to keep the sea for as long
a time as a week and to be capable of a
burst of phenomenally fast speed, must also
be fitted to fire torpedoes in quite a similar
way to the torpedo boat.
Far in advance of any other nation in
bringing forward the torpedo boat destroyer
was Great Britain. and to-day she not only
leads in the world in the number of these
designers and originators of the type, are
the largest suppliers of the world. Yarrow
& Thornycraft have brought this style of
war ship to the highest state of perfection.
and they have now on hand in their yards
some of their best work, which they could
put afloat in as short a time as we would
wish.
Captain Brownson, now abroad for the
purpose of purchasing war vessels for our
government, will beyond peradventure see
these ships and will, we have no doubt, try
to drive a bargain for them. in the recent
maneuvers of the English squadrons the
torpedo boat destroyers were put to the test
on purpose to ascertain their qualities They
proved to have fair sea-keeping qualities
Living on board them out in the open sea
during foul weather is described as not be-
ing altogether comfortable; STILL 1t was
bearable. In the main they are good sea
boats. In heavy weather steaming against
a head sea, when the waves run mountain
high the decks are naturally very wet, ana,
since at Such times the decks have TO pc
battened down and the crew live shut up,
the quarters are not particularly pleasant.
though perfectly safe. Nevertheless tney
proved themselves to be first rate all around
craft and a decidedly valuable adjunct TO z
fighting sea force. No better evidence OF
this is needed than the statement that Eng
land has about one hundred of them, France
fourteen Germany eleven ana Spain sixteen
built and ordered
SPANISH DESTROYERS
Something more about these Spanish de-
strovers may be interesting, since they are
model craft of their kind. The Juror and
Terror were designed and built by the
Thompsons. of Clydebank, to the order OF
the Spanish government. They are superior
10 most of the English destroyers in the
elaborateness of their fittings. They are
lighted throughout by electricity, and q
number of electrical ventilating fans insure
a. supply of fresh air to the people below the
deck This makes them more habitable.
especially in the tropics, Wnere' ~ LIS nv"
reported, these vessels are pounu, anT 90
sells have a length of 220 feeI, Dreaulh -
feet and depth of 13 feet. The oisplace-
ment is $50 tons. The armament CONSISTS
Of two fourteen FOUNDER rap1d-nre guns, Oho
mountei forward on top of the coming tower
and the other aft; two SlX-pounuef buiniss,
one in each broadsde, ana Two a9 eels "a
machine guns 11a-inch diameter, IorMdlSu.
These are also equipped with two torpea99
tubes fourteen inches in diameter, mou in,
the upper deck SO as t TO iae on are car
ried and there is OF course q coI H. ~.
stallation of air COMPRISING mac!lln1eIy iol
charging them. These boats had ennh7
emily satisfactory trials, attaining speeu
of over tWenty-eight knots without peliis
forced to their utmost. H., .rr,ad
Firing trials of the guns were dIs,V "a ~ -
ont 70 the entire satisfaction Oh all the NJ
specting officers. The terrlply ueS st uS. .t
nature of the fire, especially from the aeeeot
matte guns. was very apparent, percy
hail of projectiies of one and a nan Acne9
i'm diameter being delivered Dy tnese su $50,
and continued so long as the person nrins
the pun kept his finger pressed on stl1S
trigger the whole of the operations " ioes.-
ing and firing being autoIna''ca ,iSa ptbe sam
nv the energy of the recoil quite tne san
og g the ouns from the Colts works, recent.
received at the New York navy yaroii -,r,.,,
The Spanish destroyerS are nIleu w. w.
eteam-sfearing gear, steam caPstan, Tour
cylinder triple expansion engines ana lou
french (Normandl boilers. Inc hrerI psoi'''''
are three-bladed manganese prone. -, o,-
,Tbera was a report that the Spanish soss
eminent had ordered sixteen OF tu n, ts lPs ~
DESTROYER There is little DOUBT tlldI 49, "a
ttra ,re ready now namely, the furor'
Terror Audaz, Osodo, Plutoh anu r55,a LAT
pima, all built by the Ih t8 the first two.
being four hundred tons anu ti9 ~, ~ boafs
thirty knots. In other resnect o,,e si bundred
are unite similar They store ot . nu .s,.oss
tons ~ coal sufficient to carry them $3.50 $3.50,
he Atlantic at a moderate rate OF seT raa'
ing, ana en H. hoats we can truthfully say
ua would like very much to nave III o0A
navy. .,.-,,,,1yr,r,c
AS an example of how inesanlapiy F.la
able the type is regarded abroad INC 49,.
- of those owned by the different couh-
-. :. herewith eiven-Great Britain, ";
Argentina. A: Brazil, 8; Chile, \ Chilla' =
11aornark a. France, IA; Germany. 10; ltaly'
1e. Ianap 5: Netherlands, 1S; Russia 10
snain. G. How many of these are puliulns
- i dificult to say. for the experiences
norstructors can do very quick work Win
tbis TYNE. and boat reported BUILDING one
month NAV be off and away the next = ?
,it,r Some of them can't come TINS W.,
g p ~ asS thirtv-knot flyers would ~ .sae,
~ ~ - S,,essenger dispatch Doat5- ~ xxast
Az eat OF Cuba and the base at &c y,rceed
q az Tho Tortugas. Perhaps we HI. $50 COR
q, n,srchasinl a few-some ldSln5
- essouth American repubnC- a-.-o,ya,. ran
q r}e va riors ways in which a oesstio ratrsf
nt;Iized in addition TO her WIZ t - ~,
pe IT, boats are to assist IN tne dl.a IIay,
toIPe .I,,. or hostile fleet blockaullss, = tbs
a. a li' t,ockaded ports open py ,.tsp,a drive
tnS Ia and on dark nights lelsill53 xstt,,sy
DlocnaeSs s4oas as she flashes byi pIo1a-
Eer ~ Channels by lying PERU ,,;s,ssA :
haIIo99 oa until the moment LOT nan ss..s.irss
SOME 5osb arrives, and by accompanies
potH aettsse with the fleet. Ia, he of
ara Sn-,rst 7onafly the destroyer VAL ..sn,,sb
.,I dyyantaes to our fleet, ana We $3.50
decluesu OF Irownson might secure q 49,
Capttaii.. 80 For us al about S4Oy.VgO ~ ~.
OF tt stroyer can go like the WlIl1' Sna,ts
me 49, sea can stop her, nor can = "a ~
Wig her unless ne IS 55sas,1fches
n lan sbonfing She can carry .s1ee and
wi1S shortest possible space % AVE- shesf
III .nS ,aans of communication - ~. s sbe fs
AZ = 10 n must not be IorsoltSlA 81 ~
iheh, soo sa,ase a cembatant, ana Oh = 800
IN every her holt at SQCAA go