GIFT TO BRITISH NAVY

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 104, 26 January 1939, Page 15

GIFT TO BRITISH NAVY

French Torpedo-Boat DRIVEN BY AERO ENGINES A most interesting French vessel is to be presented to the British Admiralty. This is one of the latest type of "vedette,” or motor-torpedo boat, states Lieut.-Connuauder Kenneth Edwards, R.N., "Sunday Times" naval correspondent. Though the vessel is entirely or French design, it is being built In England by Aero-Mtrrine Engines, Ltd., in Close co-operation with the Lorraine company of France. The idea of presenting one ol these new boats to the British Admiralty is that experiments aud trials with the latest type; of high-speed French motortorpedo boats may be carried out under the conditions most favoured by British naval opinion. The new Lorraine boat is of approximately the same size as the British boats now being built. She is 20 metres long and has a normal displacement of 23 tons. She has a crew of two officers and six men and an armament consisting of two torpedoes and one 37ihilllmetre automatic gun mounted in a light turret on the forecastle. This gnu fires small shells at the rate of 100 a minute, with an effective range of 4000 yards. It is mounted so that it can be used with equal ease against aircraft and targets on the surface of the sea. Six 50-kllogramme depth charges are also carried. The great feature of the new 1) reach boats is the machinery. They are engined entirely with Lorraine aero engines, which give a high performance coupled with a low power-weight ratio. The French Type 40K, which is to be (presented to the British Admiralty, Is fitted with four GOO horse-power engines in two pairs running in tandem on the two shafts.

This arrangement has allowed an interesting innovation —auxiliary propulsion. These high-powered craft make a considerable noise when running at full speed, aud produce a wash which is visible at a Considerable distance, even at night. In the Lorraine boats the auxiliary propulsion will drive the boats at 10j knots very silently, and little wash is made. This would enable them to approach quite close to an enemy without being seen or heard, deliver their attack, and then use their highest speed to escape. This method of attack was recently developed by the French Navy at Cherbourg. During these exercises two motor-torpedo boats, fitted with auxiliary silent propulsion, carried out successful unseen attacks at a range of 500 metres. The provision of auxiliary propulsion also gives the vessels a higher operational radius at economical speeds. In trials, the new Lorraine boats were found. to be capable of maintaining a speed of 45 knots under service conditions in the open sea with a swell of seven to eight feet.