New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-27
TORPEDO MANOEUVRES.
p,oc.icql Tests Of Submarines at
Portsmouth and Portland.

- q. torpedo warfare have been ace
-, tested IN the battle for sea power IN
-. r.- East. They assert, first. that the Rus
-. nave not made any use q their fotila TOT
-, sssar-e OF either Vladivostok or Port At
-. ss-0-d that the japanese TORPEDO de-
- have been employed less systernatlca-ly
:, ,oe-eive operations than Is ordinarily sup
- and shat not outstanding tho vigor o.
-, e-st attack. when the Russian admiral was
-..,~4+ mapping. the damages sustained ny 'he
.seeti-s and cruisers were less serious IMAM
~. cs-ry dispatches indicated; and, third, that
-,.bs- oornbataut has been armed with the
.+ destructive weapons-the submarine boals.
-, .-esa conclusions cannot be controverted
=. 4, certain that the results or torpedo warfare
-. teen sufficiently effective TO command the
...e-.tor o, The British Admiralty and the naval
.,o-fties I'D Germany. italy and France. The
- has already inspected the new submarines
:. po-.er7orth and the Prince OF Wales IS 20
-,.~.ss early next week a sham fight between
-. formidable engines OF war and a squad
= ~ battleships. and a series or important
.-.-pgvres has been in progress for the last
= DAYS. and viii be continued for another
mel These nanuovres are designed TO demon
s.-ste tho value OF submarines in both defensive
and offensive warfare. and have been watched
--ftb exceptional Interest by the naval attaches
n, foreign powers and by marine engineers. No
official report on these trials has been made
ana publicity has been avoided as FAR as posi-
he: but The Daily Mail" and The Daily
chronicle" have obtained from experts some IN
feres,ing and apparently accurate details.
One OF these sham sights resulted theoretically
IN she destruction OF four battleships. which.
with -Four other vessels OF the same class and
I've cruisers. made an early morning attack upon
H1-- 9aar -T-1 gra~r
light out was dimIy deserted by the torpedo TO
lila consisting OF a cruiser. a gUnboat several
destroyers and FIVE submarines. there was a
signal for a general cannonade from the FORTH
cations protecting the entrance OF the barber.
Under cover Of the drifts OF smoke four de-
stroye-s shot out toward the battleships at high
speed and there was submarine alongside OF
each boat Before the destroyers were disoov-
cred from the feet they reached the appointed
distance and the submarines were turned loose
10 prey upon the battleships Back into the har-
for went the destroyers at high pressure. and
forward shot the submarines. Giving below the
surface OF the sea and coming out under the
bottoms n the battleships. The officers Of the
torpedo dotilla claimed a decisive victory over
the attacking feet. and asserted that they could
easily have blown four battleships out OF the
water. The umplres have sanctioned the claim.
There have been no defensive operations Of this
KIND AZ Port Arthur, since the Russians have not
known how 70 use their fotiIla. II Captain
Bacon had been there with his torpedo craft Il
IS highly probable that every japanese battle
ship and cruiser bombardlng the harbor forti-
hcauons would have been destroyed.
Some of the veterans On the fleet decline 70
admit that the submarines on this occasion &C
coupl,she8 anything which could rot have been
done with the Brennan torpedoes OF blockade
mines az lower cost They do not deny that the
submarines were 1ngeniously concealed. but con-
tend that the two torpedo destroyers could have
done the work at night without assistance, and
thar IN actual warfare they would have been
blown 10 pieces IN an attack by daylight, and
that their submerged tenders would then have
!. been helpless. The umpires Go not seem to
have supported this view. for they have en-
couraged the captain of the hotiua by verdict
ir his favor. The success OF the japanese in
their night attacks at Port Arthur has demon
Ftrated the efficiency Of torpedoes discharged
from dostroyers: but the neglect OF the Rus
SLAMS 70 make use OF their otilla does not prove
that harbors are incapable Of defence by
mechanism OF this kind The submarines are
TOO slow 10 be effective II they are discovered
IN time for battleshi0s and cruisers alike can
sun away from them. and the earlier boats OF
the Holland type cannot be directed against a
Portsmouth seem 10 indicate that they may be
most serziceable for harbor defence by day
light. The tvelve-knot submarine which broke
down fn this trial had a higher coming tower
than the ten-knot craft. and there were in
creased facilities for enabling the navigator 70
sight the enemy The test Of the improved
craft was fnconclusive; but on the whole there
was much corro5orative proof o. the theory
that destroyers by night and submarines by
dav form. when combined and operated by well
disciplined crews. a most useful and valuable
Resource for harbor defence.
In a fresh series Of tests the conditions are TO
b, reversed and the efficiency OF submarines
sn attacking home feet is to be proved The
squadron Of eight battleships and five cruisers
As 10 anchor IN Portland Harbor. and the sub
,-s-iues with tie destroyers. are TO creep IN
ma a--er1rt TO put as many vessels as possible
out OF action before they can be discovered
within the radius Of adequate defence These
experiments VIII reproduce the conditions Of
japanese torpedo attack upon the Russian
squadron ~ Port Arthur. but submarine boats
VIII be substituted for the improved torpedoes
operated by cyroscope. The manoeuvres. while
highly instructive. VIII not be decisive. since
no attempt is made TO Dit torpedo destroyeTs
against one another IN offensive and defensive
operations II the Russian feet had been IN
Eedu4less for 0etence al EoIN Al blel tA41 JOY
Rnese squadron would have been met on equal
terms IN the first instance. and the results would
have been OF far reaching importance in naval
warfare. The British Admiralty is evidently
greatly impressed with the performance OF the
submarines. There are already nineteen either
Il service or under construction. and ten more
ere 10 be added tbs year; and these represent
not only the ordinary ten-Enot submarine Of
20 tons. but also the newer larger and faster
tvpe The Admiralty Is favorably Impressed
win the tests - Portsmouth and Portland. and
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