TESTING DESTROYERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9639, 14 January 1903, Page 4

TESTING DESTROYERS.

NOVEL EXPERIMENTS AT POUTSMOUTH. LONDON, December 6. Since the loss of the destroyer Cobra m the North Sea, which was attributed by the Court of Enquiry (o the fact that she was not strong enough to withstand the stress of wave action, the greater number of these vessels have been strengthened m their hulls. In order to accurately determine their power of resistance the comniittee recently appointed for the purpose conducted yesterday at Portsmouth a series of experiments with the Wolf, a 30-knot destroyer. Fixed on specially*constructed cradles m wet dock, the Wolf was first placed so that she hung by bow and stem, and the water being lowered she was m .the position of being over a wavehollow, the amidships being free from support. Next slie was made to rest amidships, with bow and stern unsupported, to represent, the strain imposed when. a ship is lifted on the crest of a wave. In neither case was any buckling or tearing of the <leek apparent. If after these tests the Wolf is still m a sea-going condition, she will be tested m a rougli sea, vessels -standing by m case, of accident.