The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-08
DANGERS OF a SEA FIGHT
NO PLACE ON A WAR SHIP WHICH is
EVER REASONABLY SAFE.
Tho Ships Armor Meant to Protect
Guns, Not Men-No. Rigging to Be
Climbed, a la Admiral Farragut.
park BENJAMIN, in the Independent.

message to the men of the fleet, encourage
ing them to emulate the example OF Adj
miral Farragut, since which time several
journals have referred to Farraguts IA
nous ascent of the rigging of the Hartford
during the passage of the forts at Mobile,
as a proceeding which might, with adj
vantage be copied by the commanders of
our present ships. The truth is, that for
any one to expose himself on an open deck
in an action between battle ships or cruisers
is almost certain destruction, and in all
vessels in which the plating of the super
structure is not sufficient to keep out ma
chine gun projectles. the loss Of life will
probably be greater than has ever happened
before in naval conflicts Some vessels,
though by no means all, are provided with
armor; but it is not true, as is generally
supposed, that the armor is there primarily
to shield the men. It's function is to pro-
tect the guns, the motive power and suffl-
cient Of the compartments into which the
ship is divided to keep her afioat, even If all
the others are injured.
In our last war the forts at Mo-
bile and New Orleans used grape
and canister shot with much effect
against our attacking fleets; but this was
at very close range. At long range, shells
and the flying splinters of wooden vessels
were the principal agents of wholesale de-
struction. But now the huge shells will
begin to come on board from the high-power
guns when the contending vessels are nearly
three miles apart The largest guns, twelve
and thirteen-inch caliber, can be loaded and
fired almost once every three minutes. At a
little less than two miles distance the five
and six-inch rapid-fire guns will begin to
pour in their projectiles, and these weapons
can be loaded and fired at the rate of from
seven to fifteen aimed shots per minute.
Then come the six-pounder guns, delivering
forty shots per minute, the one-pounders,
throwing a shot per minute, the machine
one-pounders (Maxirn- NordenfeldD, two
hundred shots per minute, and SO on up to
the Gatlngs, fed automatically by electric
motors and projecting bullets at the rate of
3C00 per minute. A man might brave
storm of grape and bullets with chance
of escape; but the battle of the Yalu river
showed that under the quick fire hail of the
Japanese ships the slaughter on the Chinese
ships was so frightful that the Chinese with
all their stolid contempt for death could
hardly be kept at their posts. SO fierce was
the storm OF steel around the attacked YES
sells that the sea was literally dashed into
foam by it.
NO SPOT IS SAFE.
OF course there is no place on board a war
ship in action which is ever rea sonably safe.
The marines stationed in the military tops
are likely to be quickly swept out by quick
fire hail, and the coal passers down in the
bunkers or the engineers in the tangle of
steam machinery are in as imminent dan
ger of death through injuries to the boilers
and the scalding of escaping steam.
OF all on board, the man who stands in
the greatest peril is the captain. In the
battle ships and cruisers his position is in a
cylindrical box of steel, placed just under
the bridge, well forward, which is called the
coming tower. The armor OF it is thick
enough ordinarily to resist the penetration
of heavy projectiles. 1t contains the speak
ing tubes and electrical wires whereby he
communicates with the guns, engines and
helm. and sometimes apparatus whereby he
is enabled TO ire the guns himself after they
arc laid upon the enemy. His field of vision
is limited to what he can see through a little
horizontal slit on about the level of his eye.
In point of frightful responsibility no situa-
ton in the world can compare with that
which is occupied by the man who stands
in that tower and directs. the movement of
his ship. After the conLlct once begins the
din about him will be something Internal
Upon him the fire of the enemy will be con-
centrated, and upon the exterior of that
steel drum in which he is shut UP there will
be a continuous hail of iron and steel Shells
will burst everywhere around it, and to that
DdDel Will D6 dQQ6u the roar OF the force
blast under the engines, the tremendous re-
ports of the heavy guns, and the din of the
quick fire and machine guns in chorus. In
such circumstances as this, aided by such
knowledge as he can get by looking out
through the little peep hole in front of him
as well as the smoke will let him the captain
must control the tremendous forces under
his command, and his decisions are matters
of seconds.
THE CAPTAINS PLACE.
Nobody now believes that a captain who
finds his vision through the Sits of the
tower cut off by smoke will stay thus shut
up. 1t is extremely doubtful If it will be
physically possible for him to remain there
after the shells commence to hammer its
sides and burst against it; and, in any
event, the intense anxiety to see and know
clearly what the enemy is doing will in
evitably lead him to take his chances in
the open. Coming tower or no coming
tower, his duty is to place himself at what
best advantage, and this he will certainly
do. Lord Charles Beresford. with grim
humor. has suggested that the captains
safest place is not in, but behind his con-
ning-tower, because then he has two thick
nesses of steel between himself and the
enemy, don't you see?'' but while coming
no means certain that the whole structure
will not be swept away by the first heavy
projectile which squarely hits it.
AS for the admiral. there is nowadays no
riggings for him to ascend and he would
be promptly blown out of it If there were.
In fact, after a fleet engagement has begun
there is no place for him at all. He has no
business in the conning-toWer, no business
at the guns He cannot very consistently
go below, and he cannot stay on deck. 1t
has been proposed to build a separate ar
mored tower for him. or to take him off the
flag ship and put him on a SMALL swift YES
sell so that he could choose his position
and conveniently give his orders by signals.
The difficulty with this would be that the
enemy would concentrate his fire on that
tower or ship, with the certainty of sinking
the latter and rendering the former unin-
habitable. The problem, therefore, is still
unsolved.
A TORPEDOS FORCE.
Against the effect of a torpedo If 1t
gets to the hull, there is no safe
guard. The heaviest battle ship is just
as vulnerable as the lightest gunboat.
The best that can be hoped is that
the destruction will be limited to a few
compartments so that those remaining in
tact will be sufficient to keep the ship afioat
But this only puts off the evil hour. AS the
vessel becomes water-logged, her speed falls
off and her maneuvering capacity is re-
duced, so that the enemy may then pick his
position of advantage and shatter her with
his guns or administer coup de grace with
another torpedo.
Altogether the prospects of ones coming