The effect of explosion on a ship's pinnace, which had been placed 16 feet from and at right angles to the front face of the target, with steam up, and canopy and shield in position, was that a large quantity of water was thrown back in the boat, putting the fires out, and filling the boat up to her thwarts, but otherwise the boat was uninjured.
Experiments at Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1874.—The object of these experiments was to ascertain if a ship's armoured side would be seriously injured by a torpedo exploded in contact with it.
1st Experiment.
Target:—1" thick, and 2' × 2', supported in a horizontal position on a substructure consisting of 8" timber resting on two pieces of 6" timber under two sides, and completely supported by earth up to lower edge of substructure.
Torpedo:—33 lbs. of dynamite, enclosed in a square wooden case 2-1/4" high, and 5·5" × 5·5"; it was placed on the middle of the earth with 8" of earth tamping; this tamping representing the resistance of a thin stratum of water.
Effect of explosion:—The plate was broken into four pieces, and substructure crushed.
2nd Experiment.
Target:—2" thick, and 2' × 2-1/2', supported in a horizontal position on a substructure as above, but resting on four piles of 6" x 6" timber.
Torpedo:—8·9 lbs. of dynamite, enclosed in a wooden case 4" high, and 5" × 10". It was laid with one edge on the plate, the other edge 3" above the plate; same tamping as above.
Effect of explosion:—The plate broken into three pieces, and substructure crushed.