The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-03-08
naval PROBLEMS.
How to Protect Warships From
Mines and Torpedoes.
CAN BOTTOMS BE ARMoRED?

This is a Question That Can 30 An
swersd Only by Experiment and May
Involve Radical Changes In con.,
struction Abovs the Wster Line.
The next departure in the constitute
ton OF war vessels will be armorlng
their bottoms. The mines and the
submarines have demonstrated that
side armor and impenetrable turrets
are OF very small account when the.
bottom of ship can he so easily
pierced.
The problem of protecting the bot
tom may look insoluble. but it cannot
lopk more hopeless than the protection
of the sides did fifty or sixty years
ago The idea Of getting enough ar
NOR upon tile sides OF Il ship 10 afiorG
substantial protection looked impossl
bic TO naval architects of two genera
lions ago But hold inventors and con
strnctors tried the experiment. and II
succeeded
Then the guns were Increased III SIZE
in order 10 penetrate the thin arinol
OF the day. and the naval constructors
found it. possible 10 adj greatly 10 the
thickness OF the plat and successive
improvements in the quality Of the
plates We're effected.
The next step WAS TO attack the
decks of war vessels by vertical FIRE,
ard the constructors introduced pro
tcctive decks. Then the mine and the
torpedo were perfected. and the sub
marine vessel was invented, and now
the problem Is to protect war vessels
below the water line.
1t may or it may not be possible 10
do this, but the experiment will be
made. and 1t is-as likely 10 succeed az
some of the earlier experiments, OF
course, bottom armor would add great
ly to the weight OF vessel. but the
displacement can be increased enough
TO give the necessary buoyaney.
Besides. 1t may be worth while 10
take off some of the turret and side
armor 10 save weight OF course the
stability OF the ship would be increa sed
IL the heaviest plates were below the
water line Instead offabove. The sides
OF n vessel do not present very large
target. and the protection OF the bot
tom may be important enough to jus
tify a reduction in the protection OF the
sides.
When the naval architects found II
necessary TO increase the thickness OF
the side armor they reduced the area
to be protected TO the ritals of SHIP.
the engine room aud the principal bat
terry. The bow and stern could be shot |
to pieces and We. leave the central part
Of the ship intact, with the motive
power and the biggest guns.
This principle may be carried still
farther. Still less protection may be
given the sides and top OF the citadel"
IN order to give more to the bottom.
which can be attacked by an invisible |
eneluy. The turrets are very heavy |
and being placed high above the water,
they are where they have the greatest
effect IN impairing the vessels stabil |
fty.
At the distances at which vessels |
usually fight nov the platforms of the
big guns present a very. minute target, |
the chances of their being hit is small; |
for the sake Of protecting the bottom
II may be worth while TO replace the |
massive turrets with light shields de. |
signed only to protect the gun crews
from small, rapid fire guns and frag, |
ments OF shells. and put the weight |
where 1t VIII resist torpedoes and
mines.
1t may be that no bottom VIII stand |
the explosion Of II mine or torpedo.
but the next departure in hattleship |
construction will test this. The efficacy |
OF the submarine has been demonstrat
ed. and the present task OF naval con.
structors is 10 devise protection from
it, Philadelphia Record.