Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

396 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. lance) beaten the best record of her sister on trial last week by '2 of a knot, and are we not for the moment “ cock of the walk ” ? In naval warfare the submarine is expected to prove thoroughly efficient for the following purposes:—(1) For coastal defence, (2) to prevent bombardment of har- The hours and to render a blockade Submarine. . , impossible, (3) to prevent the landing of troops, (4) in narrow waters to take the offensive on the enemy’s shore and to torpedo their ironclads whenever they leave port, and (5) to render insecure all routes of navigation in European waters. Sub- marines have usually a cigar-shaped form. In many submarines electricity is the power employed, but in the later types internal- combustion engines have been adopted for propulsion while navigating on the surface, and also for recharging the accumulators which supply the propulsive power for naviga- tion below the surface. In the later vessels the radius of action, both while submerged and on the surface, has been greatly in- creased ; but compared with that of sur- face craft it is, of course, limited, hence the “ parent ” ship is a necessity for the sus- tained manoeuvres of a submarine flotilla. As regards offensive power, the submarine proper (unlike the larger submersible adopted in the French Navy) is armed only with torpedoes. It is interesting to note that the operation of Offensive n . , P T Power, firing a torpedo irom a sub- marine is attended with greater accuracy than in the case of an ordinary torpedo boat or destroyer, as the latter is more subject to surface disturbances. How far the submarine is destined to modify or displace other fighting vessels forms an interesting subject for speculation. The technical authorities of all the great naval powers are earnestly studying th© numerous problems associated with submarine navigation and attack, and the secrecy observed in connection with their experiments unmistakably proves the im- portance attached to these new instruments of warfare. Future of the Submarine. H.M. TORPEDO BOAT “ GADFLY ” BEFORE LAUNCHING.