The sun., 1908-08-14
TORPEDOTHAT CARRIES A GUN
LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER DAVIS
TALKS OF HIS INVENTION.


The Idea Is That the Torpedo, After Hittlng
ship, wan Send shell Inside to Raise
Ructious-Its success Due Largely
to yanadium steei-Tests Promising.
Lieutenant Commander Cleland Davis,
u. 8. N, short account Of whose combina-
tion torpedo and gun was telegraphed
from Boston on Wednesday night. was at
the Waldorf Astoria yesterday on his way
to Washington to resume his duties as
assistant chief Of the Bureau Of Equipment
Of the Navy Department. Lieutenant
Commander Davis 10 the inventor OF the
tested successfully In Hull Bay, near Boston.
At the Waldorf yesterday he was
with s. g. Wales Of the Carnegie Steel
Company, whose success In making plates
OF steel with vanadium fux has been
OF great assistance to Lieutenant-Com
mander Davis in perfecting his own in
vention. Commander Davis talked about
his invention and the experiments which
he has been making up to certain point
Beyond that point there seemed to be a
naval secret, which Of course he did not
discuss,
However, as the layman listening to his
talk understood, the new invention seems
to be combination Of the familiar sub
marine torpedo and gun firing heavily
charged explosive shell. The cheerful
stunt which this instrument Ia expected TO
do, and according to reports from wash
ington has demonstrated that 1t will DO,
is first by means Of the torpedo fired In the
ordinary way from torpedo tube or boat
to break hole in the side Of ship under
water, and second to project through the
hole a shell from the gun. The shell ex-
ploding in the vitals Of q ship will 1t is ex-
pected put ship out Of business.
This invention marks a new and radical
advance in the long contest between pro-
jectiles and armor plate. AL the projectiles
are now fired Of course at ship above
water, and up to date II has been about an
even contest between the foroe Of the pro-
jectile and the resistance OF the plate.
The new under water gun reaches a ship
where she is not armored and hence has
the best Of the fight as II looks.
MFR. Davis left Washington Wednesday
evening and only upon his arrival at the
waldorf-Astoria heard the official report
Of the result OF his last experiment, A
caisson representing q compartment OF
warahip had been sunk In the bay and the
Davis torpedo gun had gone to work upon
it. It was found that the torpedo had
torn a hole In the side Of the caisson. the
resistance being equal TO that OF battle
ship below water line, and then through
that hole the shell had entered and passed
through the caisson on the opposite side
and beyond for some distance.
II the caisson had been equipped with
engines, coal bunkers, oroes-sections and
such like interference as 1t would meet In
the interior OF a ship. the progress OF the
shall would have been retarded until 1t
had exploded.
-Our experiments this week. said Com
mander Davis, "have shown that IL will be
necessary for the battleship Of the future
to be armored to the keel to escape destruc-
ton from torpedoes Of the new eort. T he
torpedo and tube which have invented
carries the old battle between the pro-
joctile and the armor plate. whloh has
bean so long and costly, TO similar battle
under water. What have endeavored to
perfect is not an arrnor piercing projectile
to be used above the water but rather q
combined weapon which will fifst reach the
ship below the armor and then strike
second blow to the vitals OF the ship. !
don't want to be overconident, but and
NV friends and the officers who have
watched the tests agree that II has been
demonstrated that what have tried to do
can be done.
sIt Is pretty generally known. l suppose.
because Of the torpedo tests made against
the monitor Florida recently, that even
when the torpedo reaches the vessel IL
Sses Ss hSs ns' saTuef ao sesn and so On shns
is because, with our present day ships,
there are so many compartments that
the worst the familiar torpedo can do is
to open up one or two compartments l,1a and 70
the ship. As the Florida's experiments
showed, the torpedo explodes outside the
ship and most OF its force is expended in
the water. The natural defences OF
vessel are enough to ward on any great
my pro3ectile Is aimed to produce an
explosion inside the ship, attacking its
vitals, the boiler room, the magazine, the
engines or the steering gear. 4 SUCCESSFUL
attack on any Of them would probably
the vessel. The target used In the test at
Fort Strong represented a section OF battles
ship with watertight compartments, DO.
and We endeavored to get through that
target, and, as learn since arriving here.
the tests furtksr, as we had already demon
strated that we could produce the desired
second explosion after getting inside the
vessel and reaching our objective point.
"The projeotile 10 In two parts. torpedo
gun, to carry the high explosive necessary
| TO drive the shell into battleship. Both
the tuoe and the torpedo are fired from the
| ordinary torpedo tube. Its effective range
is that Of the regular Whitehead torpedo.
travel a mile, but the captain Of q torpedo
| boat knows that his aim at that distance 10
! not likely to be accurate. 90 he would natur-
| ally try TO get nearcr his target. However.
| II the torpedos moss comes In contact with