The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-01
THAT TORPEDO FLOTILLA.
What Il Is and Why II Is Considered
Dangerous by Expert Naval
Authorities.
From the Times-Herald,

From the Times-Herald.
When Spain's fiotilla, now on it's way
to American waters, reaches it's des-
tination that country will have about
forty odd fine torpedo boats and three
torpedo boat destroyers within twenty
four hours of Key West. If these hor-
nets should slip over to that vicinity on
some dark night and attack our fleet
where it lies it might very well hap
pen that the latter should be utterly
destroyed and Spain left in command
of the seas. If we should lose even
the Massachusetts and the Iowa 1t
would leave Spain with the preponder-
ance at sea and with full power to raw
age our coasts at her will. The navy
department has the following list of
the Spanish torpedo flotilla now on it's
way to Porto Rico Torpedo boat de-
stroyers: Terror, Furor and Pluton
each of $50 tons and a speed of twen-
ty-eight knots. Torpedo boats: Azor
127 tons, twenty-five knots; Ragor, 100
tons, twenty-five knots; Ariste, 1913
tons, twenty-five knots, and Ciudad de
Cadiz, 120 tons and twenty-five knots
Besides these, there are thirty or forty
torpedo boats already in Cuban wat
ers.
DESCRIPTION OF A DESTROYER
A torpedo boat destroyer is nothing
more or less than very large torpedo
boat. The ordinary torpedo boat can
not travel in the open sea with safety
A destroyer is between 210 and 225 feet
in length. 1t draws only four or five
feet of water, which is about the same
that torpedo boat draws. 1t has a
coal carrying capacity sufficient to en-
able it to cross the ocean, and it has
twin screws and triple expansion en-
gnes, capable of developing 6,OOO-horse
power, which insures n speed of thirty
knots or more an hour. This is con-
siderably faster than the ordinary tor
pedo boats travel. Torpedo boat de-
stroyers cost between 5000, 900 and S40O, =
OO0 They are built to carry five or
six six-pound guns and one thirteen
pound quick-fire gun. These guns are
sufficient to destroy any torpedo boat
or to sink an ordinary unprotected gun
boat. They also carry two torpedo
tubes. The United States now has
twenty-one torpedo craft of this char
acter, either built or under construc.
tion. These vessels range from forty
six tons upward OF 300 tons, the large
ones partaking Of the character of tor
pedo boat destroyers.
HARBOR DEFENSE.
The smaller boats are intended main
ly for use in harbor defenses, as their
dimensions will permit of their rapid
ingress and egress from narrow and
contracted channels, and also their
navigation through rivers in order 10
reach inland points. Besides these, the
United States has several improvised
torpedo boats.
The Spanish fotilla is excessively
dangerous. Discussing the matter a
naval officer said: This fleet of hor-
nets are sea green in color and almost
Invisible at a distance of two miles
even in daytime. At night time they
cannot be certainly distinguished at
half that distance. They travel at a
speed of twenty or thirty knots, and
thus the extreme interval of time be-
tween their discovery by a battleship
and the discharge of their torpedoes
can hardly be more than five minutes
Given two minutes for the machine
guns crews to get to quarters, only
three remain. Given enough hornets
with reasonable skill in handling them
and one seems certain to plant its sting
in a mortal spot, The probable de-
fense against these would be an outer
circle of torpedo boats to act as scouts
and give warning of their approach
and intercept them. But the Key West
fleet is at present very insufficiently
supplied with these, and in any case
they are not safe preventive against
attack.
WOULD CHANGE TACTICS.
"Of course, in war times, no fleet
would lie at anchor in an exposed con
dition, but would either remain in a
sheltered harbor or steam silently along
without lights, and if these destroyers
succeeded in reaching Cuba some such
plan will probably he adopted by Com
modore Sampson. But at present he Is
handicapped by the fact that war has
not been declared, and while unceas-
ingly vigilant, will naturally hesitate
longer to open fire on suspicious craft
than he would in war times. Yet II
would be just like the Spanish to at
tack first and declare war afterwards
Most wars begin in this way. For in
stance, the British destroyed a Turk
ish fleet at Sinope some years age