Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-09-24
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pII ~ TT Al II EDITOR
EDITOR
SUBMARINES PROVE THEIR VALUE


: The three British cruisers reported sunk by
q German submarines in the North Sea repre-
sent the older type of armored cruisers, built
I lsiuring the years of 1899 1900 and 1901. when
British naval experts began to build vessels
combl''ling high speed with. heavy armament
Built eAp the same principle are the later
types OF the Drake, Kent, Carnarvon and
shannon class, with somewhat lighter guns
! but mgher speed han battleships With the
construction OF the ssps of the InvincibIe class
the era OF the presenat modern armored battle
cruiser began These ships and the later
classes carry the same calsIhre guns as battle
i ships, only fewer in number,S while their speed
exceeds that Of the dreadnoas4ght and super
ldreadnought.
The ships of the Cressy class fbave dis
placement Of 10000 tons, greatest Esnpth 44o
feet, engines developing 21,000 horst enower
designed speed q knots The Greasy, lailtncbed
| in 1899, was followed in quick succession h,
FIVE sister ships, the Aboukir, Bacchante, f1Sn-
ryalus, Hogue and Sutlei They are four-furN
neled ships with two masts, a feature favoreds
since the construction of the protected cruisers
Powerful and Terrible in 1895. The ships of
the Greasy type were built at an initial cost
of 749, 324 pounds EACH but later improvements
have increased this amount considerably. The
armament consists of two 81 inch breech- load
ing guns, twelve 6-ineh quick firing guns and
nineteen smaller guns. The coal capacity of
the bunkers is 1000 tons.
As to the fighting craft that accomplished
the destruction of the British cruisers, it is
| for the first time that submarine ships proved
| their value. In the opinion of many naval ex-
their usefulness in actual warfare and this
opinion was expressed by the construction of
battleships of enormous size, armed with guns
ever increasing in number and calibre for the
last few years.
The torpedo had proved its dangerousness
during the Russo Japanese war when single
successful attack by the japanese torpedo
IHotila paralyzed Russia S naval power IN the,
| far East from the very start, and again this
weapon has been used with such deadly effect
lbv the German submarines in the North Sea.
/ Two sizes of torpe0oes are in use now, the
I1s inch and 21-inch torpedoes. Cigar shaped,
Its head contains charge of 800 pounds OF
guncotton, one Of the Most powerful explosives
known; which is fired By contact. Next to the
lhead is the air chamber filed with compressed
lair at q pressure of usually over 1000 pounds
lper square inch The mechanism for working
THE horizontal rudders is in the so-called bal
Iance chamber These horizontal rudders keep
1.-THE torpedo at a desired depth and are set be-
for the torpedo is launched. Very powerful
air engines drive torpedo at speed of 43
KNOTS an hour towards a hostile vessel. The
Ibuoyancy chamber contains the gyroscope, a
Ispinning wheel to keep the torpedo from
lchanging its course and the two propelers at
1.-THE tail are rotating in opposite directions, the
Ilobject of this being to counter-balance each
!!other and SO to prevent sideway deviation
from the original course.
TO launch torpedoes submerged tubes are
fused as well as tubes above the water line In
the first case compressed air sends the torpedo
lon its voyage while for tubes on deck a small
lcharge of powder is used, just sufficient to
throw the torpedo clear of the ships side.
CONTRIBUTED.
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