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


The three British cruisers reported sunk BIZ
German submarines in the North Sea repre-
sent the older type, of armored cruisers, built
during the years of 1899. 1900 and 1901, wher
British naval experts began to build vessels
combining high speed with heavy armament
Built on the same principle are the later
types Of the Drake, Kent, Carnarvon and
Shannon class, with somewhat lighter guns
but higher speed than battleships. With the
construction OF the ships of the InvincibIe class
the era of the present modern armored battle,
cruiser began. These ships and the later
classes carry the same calihre guns as battle
ships, only fewer in number, while their speed
exceeds that of the dreadnonght and super.
dreadnought.
The ships of the Cressy class have dis
placement of 10000 tons, greatest length 440
feet, engines developing y 900 horsepower
designed speed q knots. The Greasy. launched
in 1892 was followed in quick succession by
five sister ships, the Aboukir, Bacchante, Eu-
ryalus, Hogue and Sutlei. They are four-fun-
neled ships with two masts, feature favored
since the construction of the protected cruisers
Powerful and Terrible in 1895. The ships Of
the Cressy 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 9. pinch breecllAload-
ing guns, twelve 6-inch quiclrfring 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-
perts submarines have been overrated as to
their usefulness in actual warfare and this
opinion was expressed by the construction of
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 usso-Japanese war when a single
successful attack by the Japanese torpedo
iIotfiIa par wed Russia's naval power IN the
Ear East from the very start, and again this
weapon has been used with such deadly effect
BY the German submarines in the North Sea.
4 Two sizes of torpedoes are in use now, the
IS-inch and 21-inch torpedoes. Cigar-shaped,
it's head contains charge Of 500 pounds of
guhcotton, one OF the most powerful explosives
known, which is fired BY contact Next to the
head is the air chamber, filed with compressed
airsat pressure of usually over 1000 pounds
per square inch. The mechanism for working
the horizontal rndders is in the so-called bal
ance chamber. These horizontal rudders keep
the torpedo at 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 hostile vessel. The
buoyancy chamber contains the gvroscope, a
spinning. wheel to keep the torpedo from
its course and the two propeliers at
the tail are rotating in opposite directions, the
object Of this being to counter-balance each
other and 40 to prevent sideway deviation
from the original course.
To launch torpedoes submerged tubes are
used as we'll as tubes above the water line. In
the first case compressed air sends the torpedo
on its voyage while for tubes on deck small.
charge of powder is used, just sufficient to-
throw the torpedo clear Of the ships side.
CONTRIBUTED.
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