In submitting this article on the Naval Torpedo Station, it is not my intention to deal with the full details of the several departments here, but to consider the station, and the various duties connected with it, as a whole, in order to give the officers of the service, many of whom have never seen the Torpedo Station, a general idea of the work carried on, and its importance to the profession of a naval officer.
The Torpedo Station was established on Goat Island, in the harbor of Newport, in the summer of 1869, occupation of the island by the Navy Department being authorized by the Secretary of War on July 29 of that year. This island, the Indian name of which is "Nanti-Sinonk," was purchased from the Indians May 22, 1658, and was subsequently sold to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations by Benedict Arnold.
In 1701, the Assembly voted 150 pounds for the building of a fort on the island, naming the work Fort Anne. In 1730, it became Fort George, to accord with the change of reign in England. In 1774, the Assembly ordered Fort George dismantled and the guns sent to Providence for safety. During the War of the Revolution, it was called Fort Liberty by the Americans, although the English, during their occupation of Newport, retained the old name of Fort George. In 1784, it was named Fort Washington, and in 1798, Fort Wolcott, to commemorate the Revolutionary service of Governor Oliver Wolcott.
During the War of the Rebellion Goat Island was occupied by the Naval Academy. Two frigates, the Constitution and the Santee, were moored near the shore, and were used as quarters for midshipmen.
At the time of the founding of the Torpedo Station, there were on Goat Island, a one-story building, formerly the army barracks, and a number of small wooden structures, which had been erected for the Naval Academy. The barracks building was utilized for class rooms for officers and for laboratories. What is known as Storehouse No. 2, built of the material obtained from the temporary buildings first mentioned, was used as a storehouse and machine shop. Between 1871 and 1874, the station experienced its greatest material expansion, the storehouses, the machine shop, the cottages for officers, the chemical laboratory, and the electrical laboratory being erected, and the old barracks rebuilt into quarters and offices for the inspector in charge. In 1881, the first gun-cotton factory was built, consisting then of but two small buildings, and a wing was added to the electrical laboratory. The manufacture of explosives required a more extensive magazine, and in 1883, the Navy Department secured a lease of Rose Island from the War Department, paying $130 yearly for it. All the high explosives manufactured at the station are at present kept in the magazines on Rose Island. The powder factory having burned down, in 1896 the new factory, consisting of six buildings, was erected and the manufacture of gun-cotton and smokeless powder is now going on in these buildings. In 1901 the new administration building was completed, the lower floor being used as a storeroom for torpedoes, with offices and a lecture room on the second floor.
The Torpedo Station was instituted with a view of training a number of officers and men (to be called the Torpedo Corps) in the use of torpedoes of all kinds and the necessary accessories. It was the intention that to this place, as headquarters, should be confined the defense by torpedoes of our entire coast. Two years later, by an act of Congress, the general subject of torpedoes was divided, and that part relating to stationary torpedoes (called submarine mines) was assigned to the Engineer Corps of the army. From the moment of its inception, however, the Torpedo Station has been occupied with the experimental solution of a great variety of technical problems affecting naval warfare.
At the present day there are the following departments at the Torpedo Station, each of which will be considered in its turn; executive department, torpedo department, electric department, explosive department, and the department of boats.
The commandant, or inspector in charge, has general supervision of all departments, and of the work going on at the station.
The executive department includes the charge of all the enlisted men of the island with their papers, and the enlistment of all recruits. It also includes the care and preservation of grounds, wharves, buildings, etc., the sanitary condition of the island, the superintending of the laborers' gang, and the directing of all island work. In addition, the executive is senior member of the Torpedo Board and the Board of Inspection. The small duties of the executive of the island are many and varied, and from a professional standpoint his position is probably the least desirable at the station.
The torpedo department is in many respects the most important of the station. Under it comes, first, the repair and overhauling, care and preservation of all torpedoes in the service; second, the preparation of all torpedo outfits for vessels in commission; and, third, the adjusting, testing and running of all torpedoes before issue, and all experimental torpedo work. To perform this duty in a satisfactory manner, it is necessary that the officer in charge familiarize himself with all the details and parts of a torpedo. To do this requires no small amount of labor and time, but once done, the knowledge gained is Invaluable from a professional standpoint.
The work of torpedoes and torpedo boats is becoming more and more a factor in modern warfare, and each year is bringing forth some new and important step ahead in the development of each. When the Mark III 3.55 meter torpedo, fitted with the Obry gear, first came into use, it was considered that the torpedo had nearly reached perfection; but when compared with the new 5 meter Mark II, fitted with the superheater and the modified gyroscope, it is as an old-time frigate compared with a modern battleship.
A word as to this latest type of torpedo. Although 5 meters long, and similar to the Mark I in many respects, the new type is fitted with guide studs for both above deck and submerged tubes. The long war-head of the Mark I's has been discarded and the old Ogival head restored, which puts the center of the explosive charge nearer the object struck, and allows an increase in the capacity of the air flask. Aside from the superheater fitted to the engine, which is as yet in an experimental stage, the new 5 meter torpedoes are being fitted with the modified gyroscope which replaces the old Obry gear. Too much cannot be said in praise of this new gyroscope, which is the result of the joint efforts of Lieut.-Comdr. W. I. Chambers, U. S. N., and Quarterman Machinist Moore of this station. The old spring impulse of the Obry has been done away with, and has been replaced by an air impulse, with pipe connection direct to the air flask. But in addition to keeping the torpedo in a straight course which was done by the Obry, the gyroscope permits of being set for any angle from o° to 1400 to right or left, locking the rudder over until the torpedo has turned through the required angle, after which it directs the torpedo in a straight line. It is an improvement on the Kazelowsky gear, in that once the torpedo is running in a straight line, the control valve has a neutral point, and the rudder is stationary, only moving when the torpedo is deflected, to bring it back to its original course. This alone places the gear ahead of the Kazelowsky, whose rudder is always hard over one way or the other, causing the torpedo to steer a zig-zag course, even though the mean is a straight line. The new gyroscope is well beyond the experimental stage, and its success and general adoption is assured. Experiments are now being conducted at this station to determine the tactical diameter of the 5 meter torpedoes due to the rudder effect of this gear. Once found its importance is seen at a glance, for by setting the three gyroscopes at different determined angles, and firing at the same time by means of the electric attachments, the three torpedoes can be made to approach the enemy—running parallel courses, at ship's length apart, so that escape from all is practically impossible.
The electrical department owes its importance to the fact that at present it is supplying the entire service with new electric firing attachments. This is a combination battery box, with attachments for firing and electric night sights from the same battery. This department furnishes electric attachments, terminals, firing keys, battery boxes and plugs to all vessels in commission. Under it is the primer and fuze room, manufacturing about 2500 combination primers per week. A close inspection of the new Tobin bronze combination electric and percussion primer now manufactured at this station will repay those who are interested in ordnance improvement.
The manufacture of mines, countermines and dummy mine outfits also comes under the electrical department. Dummy mine outfits, consisting of the mine case, exploder, pattern "D" torpedo (not loaded), releasing detonator, patent any depth anchor, battery and wiring, are furnished to all the larger ships of the service. All buildings of the station are lighted by electricity, and in the dynamo room are four dynamos of different type, and two new Rand electric air compressors. The running of these machines is a part of the electrical education given at the station. The wireless telegraphy plant is at present in an experimental stage. Messages have been sent, across the room of the electrical laboratory, but experiments are at a standstill, pending the erection of a wireless plant on Montauk Points
The explosive department consists of the powder factory and the magazines on Rose Island. The powder factory is composed of six buildings, situated on the water front in rear of the chemical laboratory, and both gun-cotton and smokeless powder are manufactured. When made, the gun-cotton is pressed into square blocks, and these are taken to Rose Island Where they are kept stored at the navy standard of 25 per cent moisture. When needed for filling war-heads, the necessary amount of cotton is brought to the station, and when a warhead is filled it is stamped with its weight and sent back to Rose Island, where it is kept until the torpedo is issued to the service.
In brief, smokeless powder, of which gun-cotton is practically the base, is made as follows: The cotton is carefully picked and dried, then nitrated for 30 minutes in a mixture of sulphuric and nitric acids. It is then washed and boiled for six hours at 100° C., changing the water every two hours. The cotton is then removed to the pulper, where it is chopped and shredded between knife blades for a period of from five to fifteen hours, depending upon the texture of the cotton. It is then poached, or boiled, for a period of twelve hours, with frequent washings and changing of water, while a paddle wheel constantly stirs the pulpy mass, after which it is run off, and, if it stands the heat test, it is wrung dry in a centrifugal wringer. After the cotton has been dehydrated it is thoroughly treated with a mixture of ether and alcohol; strained; pressed; run through the proper die; cut; and is ready for drying. After removal from the dry house the powder is tested ballistically, on Rose Island, and if satisfactory it is stored in air-tight receptacles in the magazines until sufficient quantity is on hand for a blend, when it is sent to the Naval Magazines, Iona Island, by public conveyance.
In the development of Navy smokeless powder several officers have devoted much attention, especial credit being due Lieut.- Comdr. J. B. Bernadou, U. S. N., for his untiring efforts in that direction.
The following boats are assigned regularly to the station for torpedo work and instruction: Dahlgren, Craven, Morris, McKee, Stiletto and Nos. i and 2 auxiliary boats of the old Maine. The Morris has been used constantly for experimental torpedo work, and her excellent condition at present is a good proof of the advisability of keeping the torpedo boats in running condition to preserve them. There is at present at this station an engineers' class of instruction, consisting of coal passers and 2d class machinists, and this class is taken out on the different boats for instruction in water tube boilers and high powered engines. The increase in the number of torpedo boats afloat makes such a class of instruction indispensable to the efficiency of the torpedo service.
In addition to the class of coal passers and machinists just mentioned, there is a class of seamen gunners at the station for instruction in torpedoes, electricity and diving. A gunner has charge of this class and they are given a routine course in torpedoes, practical work in the dynamo room, and practice in diving. Once graduated from the seamen gunners class the men are eligible for gunners-mate's ratings, and also add the sum of two dollars a month to their regular pay.
By far the most important of the classes for instruction is the class for the instruction of officers in torpedoes and electricity. This course of instruction is of necessity varied with the number of officers sent for instruction and the duration of their stay.
Officers coming here for a regular summer course are taken lip with the following schedule of work, the first part consisting of lectures, and the second part of practical work:
Day | Sec. | Topic. | Sec. | Topic. |
1 | 1, 2 | Whitehead Torpedo | 3, 4 | Dynamos, Motors, etc. |
2 | 1, 2 | do do | 3, 4 | Electrical Instruments |
3 | 1, 2 | do do | 3, 4 | 3. Wire System |
4 | 1, 2 | do do | 3, 4 | Wireless Telegraphy |
5 | 1, 2 | do do | 3, 4 | Naval Defense Mine |
6 | 1, 2 | Howell do | 3, 4 | Countermines |
7 | 1, 2 | do do | 3, 4 | Air Compressors, etc. |
8 | 1, 2 | do do | 3, 4 | Means of Firing |
9 | 1, 2 | Gun-cotton | 3, 4 | Gun-cotton |
10 | 1, 2 | Smokeless Powder | 3, 4 | Smokeless Powder |
11 | 1, 2 | Practical: Factories | 3, 4 | Library Work |
12 | 1, 2 | Lectures: Explosives | 3, 4 | Lectures: Explosives |
In the afternoon the two sections exchange order of work.
PRACTICAL.
Five days shop work with Whitehead torpedoes; assembling: war-nose; immersion gear; engine; valve group; steering engine; Obry gear; making adjustments, etc.
Fifteen days torpedo boat work; handling boats; firing torpedoes; working air compressors; torpedo target practice; use of director.
Ten days practical electricity: care of dynamos; locating faults; practice with instruments; running motors; 3-wire system; wireless telegraphy.
Four days naval defense mines: assembling and planting.
Two days Howell torpedo.
Two days Schwartzkoff torpedo.
However, during the recent summer, the station has been badly crippled with lack of officers, and the demand for more Officers for sea duty has been such that only three or four were sent here for instruction during the entire summer. Last fall a number of officers reported from the North Atlantic squadron, and they were given a course of instruction according to the following schedule:
Section A.—Those who have had torpedoes before.
Sections B and C.—Those who have never had torpedo instruction.
SECTION "A" (6 WEEKS).
General review of all marks of torpedoes (shop work) 1week.
Obry gear; new steering device; installing same 1 week
Running 3.55 Mark III, and torpedo work (McKee) 1 week.
5 meter Mark I with new gyroscope (Morris) 1 week.
Air compressors, electric attachments, and mines 1 week
Explosives, powder factory and review 1 week
SECTIONS "B" AND "C" (6 WEEKS).
Assembling, overhauling and adjusting all marks of torpedoes 2 weeks.
Other weeks to take up the course as above 4 weeks.
The extent of knowledge gained here in the study of torpedoes and electricity depends entirely upon the amount of interest taken in the work; for with every facility for practical work here at the station, an officer has every opportunity to acquire the most minute details of torpedo work and electricity.
The importance of the work done at the Naval Torpedo Station since its establishment is most evident. The development of the automobile torpedo has been done here entirely, and the work of developing the new steering device has progressed from experiment to assured success through the efforts of the various officers assigned to the work.
The navy smokeless powder, developed by certain naval officers in the face of opposition, is another achievement, and the station's usefulness to the service is beyond description.
The torpedo boat and the torpedo boat destroyer are becoming more and more a factor in modern warfare. The command of these smaller craft has been given to the younger officers of the service, and no finer training can be had than the responsibility, self-reliance and confidence that comes from the handling of a boat that is tearing through the water at the rate of from 25 to 30 knots per hour. Unfortunately the progress of torpedo boats has been hampered by a peculiar condition of affairs. The older officers in the service, who have the rank and experience necessary to gain influence in their behalf, are usually so far above the command of one of these small craft that it is difficult to secure their attention and enthusiasm in that direction.
The younger officers, who are all energy and zeal in behalf of the torpedo boats, unfortunately lack the rank and experience necessary to gain for the boats their just deserts.
Then, too, the boats have been badly crippled by being limited in their operations by time and directions.
During the torpedo boat manoeuvres, the boats are sent out to sea with instructions to attack on a specified night, and within certain hours. Then the big battleships, with searchlights going, and all hands lined along the rail, proudly proclaim that no torpedo boat could creep into range and escape their vigilance. Let the squadron be off a port, and let the torpedo boats put to sea with liberty to attack at any time within a five day limit, and a different story will result.
Not only will the suspense and nervous strain for those on board the big ships be far greater, but also more than one of the battleships will be put out of action before the little fellows are all destroyed. Those who were in the Santiago blockade can testify as to the constant vigilance and watch required, with the knowledge that two of the enemy's torpedo boats were in the harbor waiting a chance to attack.
The development of the dirigible torpedo and the submarine, and the increase of speed in the torpedo boats, will make the position of a blockading fleet very uncomfortable, if not untenable, in the days of future warfare.
The actual amount of work accomplished by the Naval Torpedo Station has been so great, and of such vast importance to the naval service, that we can but hope that the present plans for still further enlarging and improving the station will be met with every encouragement from the entire service; and that the torpedo work of the future will vie with that of the past in reflecting credit and glory upon all officers of the navy, who, by their energy and devotion to duty, have made the Naval Torpedo Station what it is to-day.