Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

440 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. TORPEDO INSTRUCTION ON H.M.S “ VERNON.” {Photo, Gale and Polden.) of the signal lamps separately or both to- gether ; (5) discharge the Whitehead torpedo carried. A Mr. John Gardner of Fleetwood has built a most efficient little crewless submarine weigh- ing a ton and a quarter. It is 16 feet in length, and is-meant to protect harbours or roadsteads against large submarines. Its main feature is that cessation of the aerial current brings the boat to rest, so that if it gets beyond range, or if any part of the mechanism goes wrong, it comes to a standstill automatically. Lastly, we hear of a torpedo which, after hitting its mark, fires a high-explosive shell from an internal gun into the unfortunate enemy. Experiments have already proved upper cylinder, which acts as a float, is 28 that the effects of a shell so discharged are feet 6 inches in length, and has a diameter of 18 inches. On this cylinder are mounted two masts for supporting the receiving aerial wire at a height of about 10 feet; also to each mast is attached a coloured electric lamp for indicating the direction of the vessel at night. The lower cylinder is 36 feet in length, and just over a yard in diameter. It carries, besides the accumulator battery for furnishing electrical energy to the motors which propel and steer the boat, a launching frame for discharging a Whitehead torpedo. The re- ceiving apparatus is placed in the super- structure of the boat. On oscillations being set up in the aerial wires, the receiving appara- tus brings into action the motors for steering the boat, and for carrying out, through a small distributing switchboard, the various other duties that in a submarine with a crew would be done by hand. It is impossible to describe here in detail the technical features appertaining to this invention. It is suffi- cient to state that a single operator on shore was able to (1) start the propelling motor in the forward or reverse direction ; (2) stop the motor ; (3) steer the submarine in any direc- tion around the compass ; (4) light up either very great indeed, and the gun-containing torpedo seems well worthy of development. A torpedo exploding outside a hull may have its effect practically negatived by the pres- ence of the double - bottom or the close subdivision of the hull into water-tight com- partments. If, however, a shell could be fired from a torpedo striking the thin skin-plating close to the engines or boiler compartments, the damage that such a projectile might do on penetration is almost incalculable. The best defence for ships against attacks by torpedo craft is, of course, the gun. Torpedo nets for harbour work are almost essential, and the belief .... , Torpedo Nets. amongst certain foreign naval authorities that they are an encumbrance has been given the lie by the events of the recent Russo-Japanese War. The wisdom of their retention by our Admiralty was amply demon- strated by the negative results the Japanese obtained in more than one attack upon Rus- sian ships protected with this form of defence. These nets are laid along a shelf around the ship’s side, but as a rule do not extend right forward or aft. When it is desired to put them into position, they are swung outboard