The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-06-12
CRUISER VESUVIlS WANTED DESTROYER,
TO BECOME HARMLESS TRAINING SHIP
Eighteen Years Ago, She
Was to OVerturn Bat
tie PrecedentS.
Experience Showed Her
More Dreaded by
Friend Than Foe.

An order has been issued to transfer
the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius into a
torpedo training ship. and the old craft
seems likely to begin her first real use
fulness to the navy. Her construction
marked the height Of a fad that was
to end ell wars with dynamite. Her
building was authorized in 1856. in the
days when Americans had suddenly
awakened to the realization Of the fact
that the old navy had been allowed to
decay after the civil war, and no new
one existed to take fits place. It was a
time when the first of the modern steel
ships for war purposes were being laid
down in American yards. when second
class cruisers, and wooden gunboats
comprised the effective flghting force I'M
der the American flag, and Chile felt
qualified 70 threaten the United States
with war. Almost any South American
county with one good warship would
have made the threat good.
Thereupon the man with the dynamite
gun arrived on the scene. He found
ready listeners. "Of what use" he ar
gued, ito spend great sums OF money
In building battleships that will take
years to complete, and when completed
can be destroyed with a sigle dynamite
shell? Build any little craft that will
hold dynamite gun. I'LL her hold with
the stun. and send her out. She can
destroy the combined navies of the
world"
Inc argument has familiar sound IN
the present day. when laymen are con-
yinced that all future naval construc-
don should be confined to torpedo boats
because torpedo boats have DESTROYED
oattleships in the neighborhood of Port
Arthur. No dynamite guns had de-
stroyed anything at the time referred
to- but IL was known that some South
American revolutionists had fitted IN
battered old ocean liner with a dyna
mite gun and dispatched her to sink
the feet Of the government against
which this particular revolution was
aimed Much was hoped from this ex-
pertinent. which did not materialize in
any results. because other complications
prevented the dynamite boat from hav-
ing an opportunity to try her new
weapon. But the laymen in Congress
were as ready to decide all naval prob
lens offhand then as now, and the
dynamite gun proposition appealed TO
them So they directed the building OF
the Vesuvius.
Firing From Airguns.
She vas TO be armed with dynamite
guns. glaced side by side near her bow.
They protruded but a short distance
froH. her neck, and were fixed in their
positions. Consequently II was neces-
sary TO move the whole ship to aim her
guns. Dynamite was then the most
powerful explosive developed to any ex-
tent
But It was such an unstable COM
pound that Il was impossible TO fire a
dynamite shell with n powder charge.
Compressed air was the propeliing ener-
gy provided for the dynamite guns. Am
munltion for the Vesuvius comprised
dynamite for her projectiles and COM
pressed air to FIRE them. The tanks
took up almost as much space as the
magazines.
The Vesuvius was OF 90 tons displace-
merit. a steel ship with ans horsepower
engines. Three small guns were mount
ed as a secondary battery. although
there was some question whether IL
would be safe TO fire them with all the
dynamite that belonged to the ship
aboard IL was conceded that IL a shell
from an eneny's gun ever nlt the We
suvius there would probably remain few
fragments of sufficient size to identify
the vessel. But she was supposed TO
plant her dynamite projectiles against
the side of a hostile ship before a shot
should strike and annihilate her. Just
how she could do this was difficult to
explain because the extreme range OF
her smallest projectile driven by COM
pressed air was limited TO something
much less than the range of q present
day field gun. A modern small caliber
infantry rife has an extreme range
beyond the best the Vesuvius was
planned 20 do with her larger dynamite
projectiles.
IL was explained, however, that she
possessed great value for coast defense,
that no hostile ship would dare attack
a port which was supposed TO shelter
her. At that stage in the building OF
the modern American navy there was
much talk of coast defense. Many
monitors were being hastily built with
that single end In view. Some of these
ships were the ones on which Admiral
Sampson reported. after dragging them
from Key West to Cuba, that his feet
would have been in much better shape
TO meet the enemy with the monitors
safe in port. But the theory of those
days I'm general was to have a few ships
TO plant in every port that should wait
there until the enemys feet came 20
attack wi7n they would offer a de-
Tense
This was before Captain Mahan ven
tured I'm theory and the Spanish and
Chinese-Japanese wars demonstrated In
fact that the best coast defense was a
powerful battleship feet sweeping the
seas in search OF the enemy and able 70
destroy him when found. It was before
the army had fortified every American
harbor and fights between ships and
land batteries had demonstrated the in
adequacy of the former against the lat
ter. But IL was at a time when Chile
was thres tsning TO lombard San Fran
cisco and Congress decided that IL want
ed protection, wanted IL badly and