The San Francisco call., 1903-09-21


~ Va British naval maneuvers was
81 s. to establish beyond a doubt
"a ~ the great value of swift ar
%eM@ mored cruisers. One of these,
the Good Hope, it is claimed,
made an average speed of 221a knots for
several hours far exceeding that of the
fastest cruiser in the fleet. 1t enabled
her to overhaul any vessel or escape from
any batteship too powerful to engage.
AS to the lighter cruisers, a naval expert
asserts that they were often more or
hindrance than help, and expresses the
opinion that in actual warfare 1T would
often be necessary to sacrifice them by
wholesale. The safest plan, he maintains,
would be to keep all of them, excepting
scouts and dispatch vessels, within reach
of fortified harbors until the heavier yes
sells have been disposed of in pitched bat
ties when they would be of Importance as
a reserve force.
The latest torpedo experiments on the
old Belleisle were chiefly to test the value
of American cellulose as a water-exclud-
ing material. compartment was fitted
on the outside of the hull, twenty feet
long three feet deep and projecting two
feet from the side. This cofferdam was
located ten feet below the waterline and
packed tight with cellulose. When the
torpedo-lashed to this compartment-ex-
ploded, the top of the cofferdam blew off,
scattering much of the cellulose into
space and the test was therefore hardly
to be considered conclusive. A large hole
was blown through the vessel and the
Bellisle settled down in shallow water.
The ship is again to be patched up and
subjected to further tests.
Four gunboats for the Chinese navy are
being built by contract at Kobe, Japan.
de- ,frHae
but none We're as low as the offer of the
Japanese. The boats are intended for
service on the Yangtse River and are $50
feet in length 28 feet beam and displace
525 tons on Z feet draught. The engines
are of $50 horsepower calculated to give
a speed of 13 knots.
The results of firing the Pinch guns
of the French battleship Massena against
the turret of the Suffren are not yet suf-
ficiently known to establish the value of
the experiment. nor has the object OF the
trial been given out. The probable OBJ
iect was to ascertain whether the impact
of shell against the turret would be
disastrous to the crew and If the turning
machinery would be damaged. The first
shell or armor-piercing projectile. weigh
ing 644 pounds or $50 pounds according to
its designation, was fired at short range
with a reduced charged which would give
latter range with full charge. The tur-
ret of the Suffren, 10 inches thick, was
further reinforced by an additional plate
in wake of the locality to be hit and the
projectile struck the spot fairly with no
visible damage to either the turret or the
sheep within it. The second shot, fired
with an increased charge, iammed the
turret slightly, broke several electric light
wires within the turret and wounded two
of the sheep. Pieces of the shell flew back
on the Massena without however, hurt
ing anyone. This trial is by no means the
first of it's kind for a similar one took
place in the British navy IN 1865 with the
turret ship Royal Sovereign, and again
In July. 1872, when the Pinch guns of the
Hotspur were fired against the turret of
the Glatton. The results then, as now
prove that a well aimed shot is likely to
disable the turret either by disabling the
turning gear or by forcing the turret off
It's center.
The naval vessels comprising the fleet
in the recent German maneuvers con-
sisted of seven battIeshps four coast
defense ships, one armored cruiser. ten
cruisers and twenty-three torpedo divis-
ion boats. The latter, in four divisions.
consisted of five boats, S. 81 and 96 built
in 1899. which were rated at 2612 knots,
five boats at 27 knots and thirteen boats,
Just out of the builders hands. having
sea speed of 80 knots.
An interesting case has been decided in
the court martial of Captain Jacobson of
the German gunnery ship Freya. In No
vember last the ship with the tender
Drummer was practicing at sea and a
collision was narrowly averted through
the captains ORDER to shift the helm.
Through this order the responsibility of the
watch officer, previously in command of
the ship, ceased, and shortly after when a
Ii.
Freya Captain jacobson and the watch