TORPEDO EXPERIMENTS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7696, 19 March 1887, Page 3

TORPEDO EXPERIMENTS.

Tho Portsmouth correspondent of The Times gives the following account of ilio torpedo experiments which took place on , # November 2 :— " The torpedo experiments against the Resistance, armorj. plated ship, moored fore and aft'" in Fareham Creek, Portsmouth, reached the culminating point this afternoon, the attack having suddenly approached/ at ft bound fw>M n. ran^e of D" feel, lo .iV.lii.il | contact with the shi(i. The interest amused i ' {>>' Hid experiment, was greater than on any other occasion, ns nothing Jess wtos b expected than that tlie veteran ironclad 0 would receive its qnietns, and be cither 0 blown to pieces ov sunk. It was also [J the first time that a real "Whitehead had been exploded in actual contact with a real ship of war, and it was hoped that j much information would result, not only j as regarded the destructive elVeels of iho "> engines fired at close quarters, but with j respect to the value of double bottoms [ and coal bunkers in circumventing the ) effects of the burst, and the importance 1 of watertight bulkheads in localising the inrush of water. Tho result proved J another disappointment for tho attack, I in spite of the considerable injury that I was indicted. As a matter of' fact, the I ship was placed under every disadvantage, | while everything was done to add to and aggravate the power of the assault. The Resistance was placed in chancery, so to speak. She was deprived of her net defences, and moored in shallow water, while a 16 inch torpedo, charged with 531 b of gun-cotton, was lashed to a boom and placed longitudinally fore-and-aft in contact with the port side of the hulk amidships. The submersion was about 8 feel, which brought the torpedo immediately above the bilge keel, it was not, however, supposed that there would be any overhang or bulge of the ship beyond 18 inches. At 20 minutes past 3 the torpedo was exploded . upon a falling tide. The shock was not greater . than in previous experiments, and ■ the amount of water thrown up not i unusual. So far ns sensation was con- . cerned the efl'ect was tame and disap- 1 pointing, for the simple reason that something extraordinary was counted on. The ship was thrown slightly to the starboard . by the energy of theexplosion, after which she slowly listed to port, but not much. It was evident that her bottom had been damaged, and that, notwithstanding the application of a collision mat, water was finding ingress— in fact, the mat was useless, as there was no rush of water to force it into the rents. As an observation of the water line showed that Hie ship, after heeling over to a definite angle, remained stable, it was supposed that she had touched bottom, and that she would inevitably have sunk had she been moored in deep water, but subsequent investigation proved that she was still afloat, and could have been brought into harbor had such been required. The bilge keel bad been shaken off and broken to the extent of 20 feet, while the plating below was very much indented. Above the bilge keel three or four strakes of the skin j. plating extending up to the armor belt, had also been forced inwards where they crossed the longitudinal frames. They -i had parted in the middle for the length i of 8 feet, while some of the butts had been opened so that gashes two and three inches wide appeared at the junction. There were also a few holes observable in other parts. Internally the skylights had been smashed and the ! contents of the bunkers bad beer, scattered in all directions. The exact amount, of the damage done inside will only be r accurately 'known after the ship has been docked. Hut what is of greatest import- n ance is the fact that the watertight bulkheads remained intact, and, by confining the water to one compartment, sufficed to keep the Kesislmicc afloat and capable of fighting her guns. Indeed, there is no resisting the impression from these experiments that the value of the Whitehead has been greatly exaggerated. Tho J torpedo cannot get through the steel pro- ii tective nets, and when it dashes itself oj against them and explodes the consequence is nil at a distance of 25 feefc. It s< also remains to be mentioned that the tc test was scarcely a practical one, as the Ul fixity of the missle against the side of the shin did not allow for its rebound before bursting. The comparative effect of the rebound of n Whitehead striking at a great speed ought to be determined, and also the consequence of the burst upon the boilers and steam pipes of tho Resistance under a working pressure of steam." r .