Description of the French Towing Torpedo.—The towing torpedo used by the French is represented in section and plan at [Fig. 118].
a is the body of the torpedo, formed of wood enclosed in a thin steel case; b is the head made of cork; c is the case containing the charge, which is generally 33 lbs. of dynamite, this case is supported by the bolt d resting on the plate e; f, f are whiskers, which are connected to the plate e; g and h are hollow tubes, one end of g being attached to the case e, and one end of h to the rear end of the body of the torpedo a, and they are so arranged that when the case c is released, its weight will draw out the tube g, which slides along the tube h to nearly the full extent of the latter; k, k are bolts, to which the towing sling is attached; l is the fuze, and n is a small gun used for firing the torpedo at will. The hole in the plate e through which the bolt d passes is larger than the latter, so that when the plate is moved backwards by pressure being applied to the whiskers the bolt is freed from support, and case c attached to it falls.
The modes of firing are as follows:—
1.—The automatic plan of firing is effected by the tube h, after it has fallen a certain distance, corresponding to a depth of 9 feet for the case c, drawing down by means of a line attached to it a plug contained in the body a, which completes the circuit of the firing battery.
2.—The plan of releasing the charge at will is effected by means of the small gun n, which is fired by electricity, and by its firing forces back the plate e, thus releasing the charge, which is then exploded, as previously explained.
Locomotive Torpedoes.—By "Locomotive" torpedoes are meant those that possess within themselves the power to move through the water, when once started in a given direction.
Of this species of submarine weapons, the following are the most efficient and are the ones most generally used:—
- 1.—The Whitehead fish torpedo.
- 2.—The Lay torpedo.
Invention and Adoption of the Fish Torpedo.—The idea developed by the fish torpedo is due to an Austrian marine artillery officer, who is now dead. In 1864, Mr. Robert Whitehead, then superintendent of iron works at Fiume, acting upon the suggestions of a Captain Lupuis of the Austrian army, commenced a series of experiments to ascertain the practical value of the above idea, the result being a fish torpedo, commonly called "The Whitehead," which though far inferior to the fish torpedo of the present day, was then considered to be a fearful and wonderful weapon.
The Austrians were the first to purchase this weapon, and two years later, in 1870, Mr. Whitehead came to England, and prosecuted numerous experiments with his fish torpedo under the supervision of several English officers, and on the 8th of October of the same year he succeeded in completely destroying an old hulk moored at the mouth of the Medway. The fairly successful results of these experiments induced the English government to purchase the secret and several of Mr. Whitehead's fish torpedoes, under the following conditions:—