Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

THE DEVELOPMENT OF TORPEDO CRAFT. BY ALAN H. BURGOYNE. WHEN, just over forty years ago, Captain Luppis of the Austrian Navy and his mechanic, Mr. White- head, completed the first automobile torpedo, probably not one man living realized to what extent its development would affect the evolu- tion of the fighting ship. As a weapon it at first proved erratic, untrustworthy, and im- mature ; but each month, saw its mechanism improved, while each rebuff by incredulous naval committees augmented the enthusiasm of its inventors. The necessity for approaching close to the ship to be torpedoed limited temporarily the size of the attacking boat carrying the new projectile, which in those early days had a range of but a few hundred yards ; and then, as now, the smaller the distance at the moment of discharge, the better chance would there be of making a hit. Launches had already been utilized for work with spar torpedoes—mere bundles of explosives, cun- ningly fixed upon the end of a pole, the length of which was the limit of range—so what more natural than that slings should be fitted upon either side of such launches for drop- ping the new automobile torpedoes ? These craft were small, speedy (for their day), and handy. They employed few men, and cost little. Meanwhile the torpedo itself was develop- ing. Its speed had been doubled, and its erratic characteristics checked by internal balancing mechanism of im- proved type. The Norwegians first emphasized the impor- Boats tance of the new weapon by ordering in 1873 from Messrs. Thornycroft and Company, then of Chiswick, a bpat de- signed solely for torpedo work. With a dis- placement of 7 j tons and a length of 57 feet, she steamed 14’97 knots on the measured mile. In 1877, however, a spurt in specialized craft became evident both at home and abroad; for we then built our Lightning (also at Messrs. Thornycroft’s yard), and the Russian Government ordered no fewer than a hundred similar vessels, many from German firms. The Lightning made 19 knots on trial, in place of the 18 knots contracted for ; and, gratified by this excellent result, the Government placed orders in 1877 and 1878 for twelve further boats to steam 18’5 knots on trial. Messrs. Yarrow had by now entered the lists, and this firm, like Messrs. Thorny - croft, took a first place in developing torpedo craft. In 1879 Messrs. Yarrow sent Russia the 100-foot Batoum, which, with 500 had reached over 22 knots. Progress was rapidly being made.