Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-12

torpedo will descend after being shot from
the tube is regulated by the mechanism
In the torpedo TO which IT Is set.
Moreover. it was intended originally
that a torpedo-boat should not go very
far from its base Of operations to de-
liver an attack Either it would confine
It's service to harbor defence, or else keep
in the neighborhood of the feet to which
1t was attached. 1t might always remain
ahoat, or il could be carried on the deck
of a battleship or cruiser, being lowered
for service when the latter came TO an
Choir in distant waters. For this reason
and others the torpedo-boat proper was,
and still is, small and rather fragile
craft. And. inasmuch as it was intended
10 carry on its work stealthily, and not
enter a general engagement, its launch
ing tubes and torpedoes were its only
armament at one time.
But after a little while two other styles
of vessels, making use Of the same style
of projectile. came into existence. One
IS the torpedo gunboat" and the other
the Observation-Disclosures" or "catch
err" The gunboat is primarily a small
man-of-war, being nearly or quite as
large as a third-class cruiser. Torpedo
tubes are added TO her other armament,
as q secondary or incidental feature, very
Of modern fast cruisers. The torpedo
gunbOat is a type Of vessel very rarely
heard Of even on the other side of the
Atlantic. and her speed seldom exceeds
twenty knots.
The destroyer" or Catcher" how
ever, is not only bigger and more sea-
worthy than the torpedo-boat, but she is
much swifter She carries expulsion
tubes and torpedoes and has also in addi-
ton a strong battery of small calibre
Tapd-fring guns and tremendously pow
erful engines. The speed Of this class Of
boat is from thirty TO thirty-fve knots
The destroyer usually has well-armored
I coming tower, surmounted by a search
light These two features of this type
of vessel are Of the utmost Importance
inasmuch as destroyers and catchers are
designed TO catch and destroy much
smaller craft. They usually operate under
! cover of darkness and also employ
| the concealment OF paint of such a hue
as to render them almost invisible. This
| type OF boat is sometimes called sea
| going torpedo-boat," and is really what
her name implies. Her tonnage is seldom,
| II ever, less than 200 tons.
TOrpedo-bOats proper show a speed
| varying from IS to p knots. and are di-
! vided into three classes. A first-elass
/ boat has displacement Of about so or
! 100 tons; second-class, 80 or GO tons, while
\ a third-class torpedo-boat is scarcely
more than a launch and IS usually car
RED on the deck Of q big ship. The
! modern cruiser though, usually has three
! or four torpedo tubes of her own, open
| ing above the water line, and, therefore,
| does not need to carry special boaSs to
| assist in launching her Whiteheads or
| IfoWells.
For several years the British admiralty
| has pursued the policy of building no
| torpedo-boats that cannot go to sea in
rough weather, although they already
| had on hand number OF such craft.
Referring TO their naval manoeuyres Of
| 1856. the London Times made the follow
| ing comment:
"a further result. of the utmost i'm
portance and significance, is the complete
ascendency which appears to have been
established by the destroyer over the tor
pedo-boat Practically, wrote our cor
respondent with the reserve feet, the
| torpedo-boats dared not venture out OF
! port because OF the destroyers. which
waited outside and kept the seas. even
! when a gale was blowing