THE TORPEDO SCARE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7383, 18 July 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE TORPEDO SCARE.

HOB ART PASHA'B OPINION OF IT. The June number of Blackwood's Magazine contains an article by Hobart Pasha on the efficacy of the iish-torpedo as a weapon of maritime warfare. Ho maintains that the power of the torpedo as a weapon of offence as well as of defence is enormously exaggerated. Dealing first with the means of defence against torpedoes, he mentions a plan of dofence he adopted during the RussoTurkieh War—the course to be adopted for the safety of ships of war while blockading an enemy's port, while lying at anchor near an enemy's coast, or while cruising in the neighbourhood of hostile ships blockading. Ho thinks that the ships should be always, when convenient, under way, and with their torpedo-nets out, constantly changing their positions so as not to bo easily found by the enemy's torpedo-boats; no lights whatever should be shown. Should it be necessary to anchor, the ships should be anchored in small detachments, each detachment to be guarded by heists placed round it at a distance of 400 or 500 yards, the boats to be connected by wire ropes immersed about two feet in the water and buoyed in the ceutre. The object of the wire is to catch the screw of any attacking torpedo • boat; it having been proved that common rope, used for want of anything better, has effectually checked the career and capsized an attacking torpedo-boat in her attempt to destroy a Turkish ship in the Black Sea during the last war. As to lying at anchor near an enemy's coast, Hobart Pasha mentions his plan of defence while his fleet was lying at Batoum. The port and town of Batouui were kept in darkness, and a breakwater of trees and spars was placed across the harbour outside tbe fleet. To these trees thin planks were nailed in such a way asto form alineof planks, which projected about twelve feet into the water. The proof of the eflicaoy of this defenco was shown one morning by the discovery of a hole in the planks, and a torpedo, di?erged from its course, lying on the beach. "On several other occasions attacks were made by torpedo-boats on the ships in the port of Batouin, without any result beyond a loss to the Russians of three or four torpedoos, whioh were landed on different parts of the beach, near to which the Turkish men of-war were lying at; auchor. Some of these torpedoes were in such a state of perfection, that Mr. Whitehead, the iuveutor, knowing that we had, by their capture, become the possessor of his secret, made a special contract with the Turkish Government, whereby he was bound to give twenty-five torpedoes at cost price, and wherein it was agreed that the Ottoman Admiralty were to "pay nothing for the secret (for which other Governments were paying from £12,000 to £15,000) so long as they kept it." Hobart Pasha then mentions an incident which happened in an attack by a Russian torpedo-boat on a Turki«h squadron which was lying at anchor, protected by guard-boats in the manner described :—" One of the torpedo - boats, in disobedience of orders, made a dash at the Turkish squadron. This particular boat was annod with the pole torpedo. The officer in command made a gallant charge at the first Turkish vessel he could discern through the darkness. As he approached her he found that something all of a sudden stopped his way ; and he saw goveral black objects approaching him. Nothing daunted, he struggled to get alongside the veaael under her bows finding that ho could not succeed in getting close, he, in despair, discharged his torpedo, but without doini» auy harm whatever to the Turkish ship at which he directed it. Scarcely had he done so when (as he described his own sensations afterwards) he found himself in the water without knowing by what process he had got thero, or how in the world it had all happened ; the real facts beiug that the black objects he saw were ihe gnard-boata, which were being drawn closer and closer to him by the ropes that connected them together, which ropes, foulinehisscrew, had been the cause of the disaster. His boat wascapsized and went to the bottom, whither he would have gone too if he had not been fished out by the crow of one of the Turkish guard-boats and taken prisoner. The greater part of hie crew were drowned. The name of this daring young officer was Putskin, and his cool courage was very amusing : for when brought before the commanding officer of the Turkish squadron in a half • drowned condition, he could only exclaim, in excellent English, ' Why the devil didn't I blow up that ship !' " Hobart Pasha considers that the perfected Whitehead or Swartzkoff torpedo is the only weapon for active service at sea ; but his opinion is that for atuck they are of very doubtful efficacy:—"l hear it said that during a naval engagemeat torpedoes can be utilised to » vory great extent. In this lam inclined to agree. It torpedoes can nccompauy squadrons and act independently either against disabled ships or even against ships which might be approached unperceived, there can be no doubt that they would play an important part in a. naval engagement. But the difficulty seems to be their remaining coustautly at sea in company with a fleet. Tbo French already are dnljiug their torpedoboats to accompany a eea-going squadron ; but I have a suspicion that, f<>r different reanons, these boats are constantly obliged to return to port. It must be remembered that a torpedo-boat is buih of the lightest matorial and is of the finest workmanship ; very little would, therefore, tend to put her out of ordor. I have seen a torpedo-boat before a gale, in a gale, and after a gale at sea ; and although I should be sorry to discourage those who have put faith in her capacity a sea-boat, still, 1 must say that in the last stato the boat presented a very dilapidated appearance." it is admitted that torpedo-boats can be sent from*blockading squadrons into an enemy's port, and if the enemy's ships are unprepared could do a vaat amount of injury ; but further than this Hobart Pasha is at a loss to perceive how they can be utilised. He concludes with the following : — "I would ask my naval friends how they would judge distances at night when firing their torpedoes, and how they propose to approach ships guarded with nets and boats ? Keruember, also, that ships can cruise with their nets down. The face is that what frightens people is the great speed at which they see the deviliah - looking torpodo-boat dashiug by thorn. They do not take into consideration tho damago that groat speed would cause to the torpedo-boat iteelf, in the event of its meoting any obstacle, or being obliged to stop suddenly. For example, a curious caee occurred lately on this coast. A torpedo-boat was obliged to stop suddenly, the result being that her machinery came to utter griof, and three men were killed by the tiros being thrown out of tho furnaces aud on to them ; and I repeat that a boat fouling a wire rope was capsi/od and sunk, through the sudden check to her great impetus through the water. Taking into consideration all tho experiences that I have narrated in this paper, I think that I am justified in saying that fish-torpedo warfare is to a great exteuc a bugbear, and though not to be entirely despised, may be designated as the ' naval scare of the day.'"