NEW NAVAL WEAPONS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 195, 16 May 1944, Page 5

NEW NAVAL WEAPONS

Human Torpedo And Midget Submarine Inspected (British Official Wireless.; RUGBY, May 14. During a visit to a northern base Press correspondents were able to see for themselves th e training of the intrepid naval volunteers who man. Britain, s two latest naval arms, the midget submarines and the human torpedoes. Ihey also inspected the craft. The human torpedo is exactly like an ordinary torpedo except for three humps on its back. Tfie first two are a water shield to prevent the riders being washed off bv underwater pressure, and the third is the gear locker. Number one of the crew sits in the first saddle and steers with a rubber-handled joystick, below which is a dashboard of dials of pressure and depth gauges.. The dials are luminous and can be easily read under water. The torpedo is electrically operated from batteries. The warhead contains a weight of explosive equal to that of an ordinary torpedo. It can be detached easily by No. 1 by means of a handle. Number two slides off into the sea to fix it to the bottom of the hull of the victim ship. Not all the men who have .earned out attacks with this weapon have failed to return. Provided they have sufficient electricity left, they can get back, and all that can be done to arrange-pick-ups for them is done. By means of a clockwork arrangement in the warhead, the charge can be set to go off. It is quick and easy to fix to the ship. The torpedo has four ahead speeds and one astern, but is very slow, speed being of no importance, as it is designed purely for attacks on anchored harbour shipping. Supplied With Oxygen.

The correspondents watched a crew being strapped ahd laced into suits similar to divers’ suits except that in place of the cumbersome circular helmet the men wear a hood with a thick glass visor Screwed down with steel bolts. Across their backs are two large iron cylinders which contain 1 enough pure oxygen for many hours. They breathe through a mouthpiece and wear a clamp which tightly closes the "nostrils. The men breathe oxygen the whole time' they are'astride the craft. Even on the surface' they sit low in the water, and itais inadvisable to unscrew the visor. The whole outfit has a weight of 401 b. When the men were astride the torpedo the correspondents could see only their heads and shoulders, and then they slipped below the surface. No air bubbles rose to betray their positions. The carbon dioxide they breathe out is purified and rebreathed. The training takes four and a half months, and includes a course on the mechanics of the torpedo. Only minor adjustments are possible once the men are afloat. If the engines cease to function below the surface the crew can easily rise. By increasing t|ie flow of oxygen and allowing it to escape through the mouthpiece the helmet becomes inflated and brings them above water. The men are issued with specially thick white woollen sweaters and pants’ for extra warmth. No Conning Tower. One correspondent described the midget submarine as an exact repljca of a normal submarine except that it has no conning tower. The only superstructure is a guard rail for two periscope tubes ancj a mastlike air vent. To this is attached a steel arm with a strong leather belt to which the captain straps himself when on deck for observation purposes. With the deck a bare two feet above the surface, he needs a special waterproof suit. A man of normal size can stand up with comfort in one place inside the hull. One volunteer said : “It is a rather Spartan life. We live on tinned food because of the lack of space.” The midgets are not two-men affairs. They carry a crew of four —three officers and one rating. The captain handles the controls and periscopes. another officer looks after the steering, the third operates the motor switches, and the rating looks after the engines. Though the men know the dangers ateridant on this work, there is no dearth of volunteers.