Fleet Battle Tactics lectures, 1886 Apr-May

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the torpedo is 25 knots which equals 42 feet per second. The mussle velocity of the gun may be conceded as 1800 to 2000 feet. A range of 1000 yards will be crossed with this velocity inside of two seconds in which time no large ship can move her own length across the line of fire.

As for the difficulty of hitting a ship which possesses equal speed with one's own, a telling reference may perhaps be made to a professional audience to the difficuly experienced at times by new hands in picking up a floating target moved by the wind and sea. We are all inexperienced in the handling of rams.

The lateral errors so far considered are those due to the moving of the target for which it may be claimed that allowances can be made on the sight bars by sliding scales or otherwise. I shall concede the claim partially, alluding only to the confusion incident to frequent changes by which alone such corrections can be maintained.

There is another source of lateral error due to the medium through which the projectile moves in the one case through the air, in the other water.

The currents of air to which a projectile is exposed, differ not only from day to day, but in an action they will be continually changed relatively to the line of flight, according as the positions of the combatants change.

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The water through which a torpedo moves at the depth to which it is set should ordinarily be quiet and currentless. If in a tideway, or other current, both projectile and target will be equally affected, and no error ensue.

To such sources of error as do obtain, however, the torpedo opposes a comparatively low momentum, due to its low speed, and the same slowness exposes it longer to the action of deflecting causes.

Another element affecting certainty or inflicting injury is found in the facility of taking up a position from which you can fire at all or with advantage.

To take up such a position, there is needed not only range of projectile which, by enlarging the area of action, increases the facility of choosing a position; there is also needed such disposition of the weapons in the ship as enables them to be discharged without undue reference to the way she heads. This comes under the head of Installation.

With the gun we have now secured "all around" fire and that for a respectable proportion of the entire battery. The torpedo as [y] yet is less fortunate; both beam and stern fire for it are encompassed with difficulties not yet wholly overcome, and there is for them under all circumstances of installation considerable dead angle.

The inferiority of the ram to the gun in this respect is evi-

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dent. Not only is her target one that moves rapidly but there is alos only one spot in the field of battle where the ramming ship can be to act efficiently, and that is precisely the point where her adversary is; and there only open bearings of the keel which are efficacious and that is directly towards the enemy, within a limited angle of impact.

This facility for firing is undoubtedly an element of accuracy though it affects of course the frequency of firing as well. In fact the division which I have indicated under heads, though convenient if not necessary to a logical discussion, does not obtain rigidly in practise, the different elements crossing and affecting one another.

My own conclusions are that the gun is superior in accuracy of result, due to the greater number of positions of the ship from which it can be efficiently used; and to the greater velocity of the projectile by which its momentum is greatly increased, so rendering it less liable to deflection, and the time during which it is exposed to deflecting influences is minimized.

The torpedo boat or cruiser bringing up its torpedo alongside therefore may in my opinion be put in the same category as the ram in the point of certainty. Now the ram has but one blow; if it extricates itself uninjured it will begin again and have another; but as regards any moment of the action it may be regarded as hav-

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ing one blow in its pocket, and it is not likely that it can make many thrusts good or bad in any one battle, without serious injury to its prow.

Upon the whole I conclude that for range and certainty of execution, including in the latter the possibilities due to frequent repetition, the fun has decided advantage over the torpedo and the ram.

I would here venture on a parallel; for a parallel is sometimes useful in developing a thought. The auto-mobile torpedo in its present state of development has some resemblance to the carronade in shortness of range and smashing effect. When the carronade first appeared it seemed about to revolutionize naval war, and it did seriously modify it. A navy that had a large proportion of carronades had to seek close quarters.

As between the torpedo cruiser and the ram, both of which are designed to act at close quarters, or nearly in contact, the torpedo will have more blows in its hand and should not run the same risk of injury from the use of its own weapon; but I incline to think the ram more certain of execution.

So much for the certainty of doing some injury. Now for the character of the injury done. The modern gun aims at penetration; for the moment crushing or smashing effect is laid aside by those who are directing modern armaments. The parts of the enemy's ship

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open to the shot from the gun, are wholly above the water line, except those, which though usually submerged, may be temporarily exposed by the movement of the sea, or by injuries on one side admitting water, and such cannot be looked upon as normally part of the target for the gun; moreover these, as well as all other parts of the hull, near the water line, are heavily clad. When you add to these considerations the fact, that vessels for many reasons will probably prefer to bring the bow and not the broadside to bear on the enemy, and that the shape of the bow greatly favors the glancing of a shot, the chances of penetrating the hull near the water line are seen to be very small, until within, or at any rate not far without the torpedo range. If this last assertion is valid, the question may be raised whether it is well wholly to abandon the hope of racking with the gun. To debate such a question is hardly within my present province which is to reason upon facts as they now actually are; but it is certainly not amiss to point out that racking is now committed to the torpedo nad the ram and attempted under water only, while the gun is confined to penetration. Now penetration means comparatively small injury to the hull, much injury to the inside; and then chiefly to the personnel.

Above the armored belt, the target for the gun is larger and fairer. Under its least favorable presentation, i.e., end on, it may be taken as being in length equal to the beam of the ship, with a