Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-18
THE TORPEDO ATTACK.
What the Work of the Japanese Navy
| Shows.

| From the Independent.
| No navy has more persstently devoted
| itself to tine offensive uses of the sef-pro-
pelling torpedo than that of Japan. It's
drills have been constant. Its torpedo craft
| are of the best. If not the best, in the
| world. 1t has bought them from such
| builders as Thorneycroft, Yarrow and Schi-
| chau, sometimes in pieces, which were put
| together in its own establishments.
! large number have been designed and punt
wholly in Japan 1t has boats which can
make thirty-one knots an hour. 1t mas
eighty-six OF them of ali classes, with
eighteen more building. They are fitted
with from three TO six torpedo tubes each.
The practice maneuvers for years have
taken place often with the entire japanese
fleet modified and during these every
kind of torpedo attack has been rehearsed
again and again with oriental minuteness.
Over all rigid censorship has been main
tanned, whereby, despite lynX-eyed naval
attaches and the keen watchfulness of
newspaper correspondents. Japan has Kept
her secrets to herself and merely let 1t be
known that the efficiency of the torpedo
fiotilla has been keyed up to the last limit
and would be kept there
Exactly how the japanese torpedo attack
was made seems still to be somewhat in
question. The Russians, however, have
been maintaining certain formation-three
lines of ships in the harbor behind the So
called Tigers tair'-with two battleships
and a cruiser guard just outside. AS
the Czarevitch. the Retzvan and the Pal
lada answer this last description, it is al
together probable that they were suddenly
pounced upon by the Japanese torpedo
boats, which restricted their attention to
them without endeavoring to get at the
vessels in the inner harbor.
The torpedoes used by the Japanese were
of the Whitehead type. The inclosing case
80. NF thf s,fa IN, hn fa, Nf I,.xrA nj
gar, about fifteen feet long by eighteen
inches in diameter rather blunt rounded
at the forward end. At the very extremity
is the primer which may be caused to eX
plode by percussion when the fish strikes
its mark and so to ignite the mass of 200
pounds of gun cotton which is packed i'm
mediately behind. Abaft the explosive is
strong steel chamber containing air COM
! pressed to 1850 pounds a square inch, and
| this escaping under control furnishes the
motive power for the propellers which drive
the machine through the water. The most
wonderfully ingenious thing about it is the
| gyroscopic controlling device for the rud-
| der. which with more than human certain
| ty not only accurately keeps the torpedo
| pointed at the target, but promptly cor
| reefs any accidental deviation. This is one
| of the few great inventions made by the
| naval officers of the United States, and the
| credit of it is due to Rear Admiral John
| Adams Howell, now retired, although by
| a not uncommon fate II is better known by
/ .
| ly adapted 1t, than by that Of its actual in
ventor
The torpedo is elected from a pivoted
tube, of which there are usually three on
the deck of the torpedo boat, the driving
mechanism being set in motion at the in
slant of discharge 1t dives into the water
like porpoiSe. adjusts itself to the desired
depth, and then at speed of 80 miles an
hour goes straight at its prey. Its effective
range at the present time is about LEO
yards, but experiments in our own navy
have proved that torpedo boats can creep
as near as 400 yards to a ship before he
! ing revealed by searchlights After the
torpedo has once started there is no known
defense which attacked vessel can in
terpose. Nets have been long obsolete and
in fact, cannot be used when ship is I'M
der way. The only possible safeguard other
than the attacked vessels quick fire guns
winch. or course, assumes a discovery of
the advancing torpedo boats. is Gordon
| or torpedo boat destroyers maintained
around battle ship at such a distance ~
will enable them to drive OFF or destroy the
torpedo boats before these can launch their
torDedoes.
The reports of the other naval actions
between the japanese and Russians have
been so contrary that 1t is difficult to de-
termine exactly what has happened 1t an
pears, however, that in a second attack on
the Russian vessels in Port Arthur the
japanese have seriously injured one battle
| snip ana three cruisers, while at Chemulpo
they nave destroyed the fine cruiser Va
rag anu q gunDcat. This, although an as
| tonishing showing for the beginning of the
war, simply indicates that the whole SUBJ
| ject of offensive attack had been elaborate
| ly studied and worked out before HOSTILE
| Ties began. No more impressive argument
In support of general staff for the navy
| has ever been adduced. The Japanese have
| such general staff, and have had it for
/ some years. Its functions are not different
! from those which il is proposed our own
! stan shall have. 1t has controlled and pre-
| scribed all the maneuvers to which allu-
| sion has here been made. 1t has determined
the character of the ships. how they shall
| be built. where obtained. and on the whole
| the japanese navy as 1t stands today is
| the product and outcome of the established
| general staff.