Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

WARSHIPS. 393 than the battleship Dreadnought; and have a designed speed of 25 knots. The armament consists of eight 12-inch guns, sixteen 4-inch Q.F. anti-torpedo weapons, and three 18-incli submerged torpedo tubes ; while their armour belt is 7 inches thick amidships, so that they well merit the title of “ cruiser-battleship ” sometimes applied to them. Only a passing reference need be made here to the smaller British cruisers, intended mainly for the protection of our interests in distant parts of the world. Scouts. T _ iii In order to enable them to remain afloat for long periods without dry docking, cruisers built for .this purpose are sheathed with wood and copper. Since the advent of powerful armoured cruisers, the building of large protected vessels has to a large extent ceased. It is, however, interest- ing to record that there has arisen a demand for small but very swift cruisers for scout duty. This requirement was met a few years ago by the British Admiralty ordering eight special scouts similar to the Adventure. These vessels displace about 3,000 tons, and, with their reciprocating or piston engines, attain a speed of 25 knots. Only light guns are carried, and two 14-inch Whitehead torpedo tubes. Still more recently, the United States completed the building of three somewhat larger vessels of the Scout class, named the Birmingham, Chester, and Salem. The first-named was fitted with piston engines, the second with Parsons turbines, and the third with Curtis turbines. The performances of both the tur- bine-driven vessels surpassed that of the Birmingham, the Chester attaining 26’5 knots on a four hours’ trial, while the Salem steamed 25'95 knots. The Boadicea and the five cruisers ordered by the British Admiralty at the end of 1908 may also be termed scout- cruisers, as they will combine high speed with better sea-going qualities' than those of the Adventure class. Regarding sloops and gunboats, little need be said. In the sloops of the British Navy, usually of about 1,000 tons no attempt is made at pro- tection, except in the arrange- ment of the coal bunkers. displacement, Sloops and Gunboats. Like many second-class cruisers, they are frequently sheathed with wood and copper, as they are chiefly employed in foreign waters, and have often to remain afloat for long periods without dry-docking. They are mostly fitted as sailing vessels as well as having steam power. Vessels spoken of as gunboats include numerous small ships intended in times of peace for patrolling rivers and round islands, protecting fisheries, and the other numerous duties allotted to the smaller warships. Those intended for river work sometimes draw very little water, to enable them to proceed up shallow waterways, and a few are propelled by stern-wheels. After the battleships, the most interesting units of a fighting fleet to the man in the street are the torpedo craft, and no other type of warship has been more closely studied by\ ex- Torpedo perts. The torpedo boat, which dates back to about 1876, is armed only with torpedo tubes and very small guns, the essential feature being high speed. Intended solely as a weapon of offence, she is practically without any protection, if we exclude that afforded by her small size and high speed. A well-aimed shot from a battle- ship or cruiser would work disaster in a lightly constructed torpedo boat ; but the swift and deadly nature of her attack, and the difficulty of meeting it in the ship at- tacked, make her a force to be carefully reckoned with. To meet the torpedo boat, torpedo-boat destroyers were brought into existence. Their larger size, heavier arma- ment, higher speed, and greater fuel capa- city enabled them to overtake the torpedo boats before they could launch their torpedoes