Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-07-11
TORPEDO FLOT|LLA
Ships That Compose Important
Division OF Atlantic Fleet
THE METHOD OF ATTACK
w i'll Come Up Behind Enemy's Shin A
Distance OF One Thousand Yards
Then Fire TOrpedO

The first division of the Atlantic
Torpedo Flotilla. under command OF
Lieut.. c. A. Blakely, consisting of the
flagship Macdonough, Stringham anc
Bailey, that has been here for two
weeks practicing in the bay, left
today for Norfolk The Mac
donough carries seven 6-pound rifles
with range of 1000 to 1900 yards
and two torpedo tubes, crew of 75 and
has speed of 80 knots an hour.
Ensign T. Broshekm is in charge
of the Macdonough. The other tor
pedo boats on nthe division, the String
ham and Bailey, are equipped with
four 6-pound guns and two torpedo
tubes. Each have tonnage of from
300 To 400 pounds and are driven by
triple expansion engines of from five
to seven thousand horsepower, built
by the Fore River Boat l:uilding
Company, of Quincy, Mas The
Eeels were laid in 1S9S-'9). The
speed of the Stringham and liailey is
80 knots an hour. In command of the
former is Ensign b. A. Strait and
Ensign II. w. Boynton The latter
is in charge of Ensign B. A. ilathews
and Ensign A. NJ. r. Allen, the
medical officer being Passed Assistant
Surgeon w. H. Short. The chic
gunner on the Macdonough is S. Don
ley.
These ships, whose home station is
Charleston, S. c., are on practice
cruise to keep the trophies for the
best work 'on this coast They have
had target practice with the 6-pound
guns, but have not had torpedo prac-
tee as the bay is so muddy there is
danger of losing the torpedoes. After
leaving Norfolk the boats will go to
Newport r. L., where they will have
torpedo practice. the waters there be-
ing clearer.
The type of torpedoes generally used
is the Bliss-Leaveth, made at the
Bliss Works, in Brooklyn, N. Y. They
consists of three sections, one the ex-
plosive head, which does the damage
to the enemy's ships, but in the target
pactice it is a dummy head which
does not explode.
The contradiction is the compressed
air chamber, which furnishes the
power to drive the torpedo 1t has an
air pressure of 1900 pounds to the
square inch. The other section con-
aims the machinery, propellers, etc.
In discharging the torpedo from the
tube, only enough powder is used to
drive it over the side of the ship, for
as soon as it reaches the water it is
uudar itS aun nouar The mach a N . IN
is set before the dischage so it will
take a depth of about five feet below
the surface and will continue at that
depth at about a speed of about forty
knots until il reaches the target, or
rate travelling as far as it can be
set, it comes to the surface and is
recovered. If it becomes disabled
and goes to the bottom,it will cause
smoke to issue from the water above
it, and divers are sent down to re-
cover them.
In attacking the enemy's ship the
torpedo boat will come up behind il
and take a distance of about a
| thousand yards from the enemy,
and, after ascertainng the speed of
the ship which is sought to be hit
by the torpedo, the proper adjust
ments are made and the torpedo is
discharged and will travel, after
reaching the water, in two direc-
tions, one toward the enemy's ship,
and the other obliquely at the same
/ speed as that ship until it reaches the
mark and explode by contact with the
/ shin