Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-09-23
NAVAL iTii0lRP ] S
Mechanism Of These ' Fearful Sub.
marine Missiles. 4.
DEATH IN THEIR WAR HEADS.


ton 10 carEied and How IL ,ls Ex-
pIoded- Speed With Which Thess
Tubes of Terror Are Props!lsd.
There is missile about seventeen
feet long, cylindrical in shape and
eighteen inches in diameter, that con-
tains within the small space Of Its
head the power to destroy thousands
Of lives and sink the. greatest Of ships.
That missile is the torpedo Such Is
the weapon OF the submarine.
In times Of peace, its exercise head
filed with water, the torpedo is harm
less enough. But in the tube Of sub
marine, ready for action, its bronze
war head containing about 200 pounds
of guncotton, it becomes the most fear
ed and most destructive weapon in ma.
val. warfare.
In Europe the Whitehead torpedo Is
almost universally used. Invented by
an Austrian, Britain quickly adopted
it for her own and the largest factory
is now at Weymouth, England.
The United States has also been an
extensive user Of the Whitehead tor
pedo. obtaining the right to manu-
facture it ut the torpedo station in
Newport, L. l., We are, however,
abandoning the manufacture OF the
whitehead in favor of the Bliss
Leavitt, IN American torpedo which Is
rapidly developing into the best torpedo
in the world.
So that you may appreciate The .aer'
It's of each aud understand the various
functions Of these torpedoeas l Wis
briefly describe them.
Torpedoes are divided into three prin'
cipal parts. the head. the air fiask ana
the aftcrbody. The war head IS made
OF bronze and carries charge OF about
200 pounds of guncotton- There Is tit.
ted into the war head e small mechan.
ism called the war nose, the function
Of which Is to fire the guncotton charge
when the torpedo strikes the object.
The war nose has generally three or
four arms, which aid the torpedo in
cutting through nets or fire the charge
in case the torpedo should strike
glancing blow. In times Of peace steel
exercise heads are carried for the pur'
pose of practice and as they are filled
with water. are entirely harmless.
The head Is fitted by screws to The
air flask. Il hollow cylindrical tube
about eleven feet long and used for
STORM. compressed air. the motive
power Of the torpedo. Every ship and
destroyer carries machines for com.
pressing air. but submarines usually
have their TASKS charged alongside a
parent ship or at q base.
The TASKS are charged to about ., 100
pounds pressure per square, inch, and
this is reduced by Il valve to IN engine
working pressure OF about 500 pounds.
depending. Of course. upon the speed.
In order TO get the greatest possible
range with the limited supply of com
pressed air. the air after being reduced
to Il given pressure is Snperheated tC
give greater expansion and consequent.
ly greater speed.
The afterbody Of "a torpedo contains
the working echaniSm-cnglnc> gy.
roscopic steering" apparatus and the at.
tacheu engines which control the rud
ders. All these are OF Very delicate
adjustment. and in order to have eff
cicnt torpedo men the navy department
maintains Il school ut the torpedo sta.
tion in Narra=anSett bay.
T0rpcdorS can he adjusted before
firin" tn run any desired number Of
cSt RlisS-Ieavitt torpedocs II range Of
10000 yards has been attained. The
speed Of the torpedo depends on the
distance IL Is Ia run The Whitehead
torpedo runs - knots per hour for
1000 yards and 10 knots per hour for
the 1000 yard srtiin" Our Submarines
are hcin: supplied with 4 EllSs.Leavitti
torpedo capable OF running 1000 5ar'1
ut about - knots IN hour.
The torpedo can also be adjusted Pre-. /,
viouS to firing In run ut any desired
depth beneath the surface OF the Wa.
ter. The arinor belt Of most battle.
ships extends about six 0r eight feet
below the wafer line. ana the torpcdo"s
are generally adjusted H. run Mt 4
depth which would strike the enemy
ship just below the arIiIor belt.
Before Il torpedo Is placed completely
in its tube nil adjustments are made so
that Il will run as desired. The torpedo
il expelled from the tube Ivy CON.
pressed mir. and tx II passes ont n
"starting lever" Is thrown back. whth
allows the compressed air within the
mir flask to pass through the valves. re-.
duciDg it to the engine working pres.
sure ana then 80 the engines
The torpedo now takes full control
of Itself and runs Al the desired depth.
speed and distance to the target
EuSh VI. Il0a. IN Leslic's Week..