SUBMARINE WARFARE.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 776, 7 January 1871, Page 2

SUBMARINE WARFARE.

[LONDON TIMES.] In Sheerness Harbor, an interesting experiment was made with a new kind of torpedo, which is the joint invention, as we are informed, of a Mr Wightman and an Austrian gentleman. It is a " submarine flight torpedo," the construction and principle of which have hitherto been kept* a profound secret, and in a very great degree still remain so. The expert^ ment under notice was made by airec'iojpL^ of the Lords of the Admiralfcy.__jand although the torpedo had been lying in one of the storehouses iv Sheerness Dockyard for some; days, no one, except those employed by the inventors, had been permitted to -inspect it. From what we can glean, however, it appears that the torpedo itself is a fish-shaped construction, of zinc, having a revolving " tail " at one end. it is necessary that a ship intended to discharge the torpedo should befitted with an apparatus (also newly invented) for the purpose of compressing air within a sort of cylinder, and to this is fixed a long tube for the reception of the torpedo. The tube, which is • similar to a rocket tube, is carried from the interior of the ship, through a hole ■' in the bows, eight or ten feet below the surface of the water. The orifice of the tube next the water is covered with a cap, to which a line is attached and carried up to the forecastle for the purpose of removing it when all-is ready to discharge the torpedo, the latter being filled with gun cotton and other detonating and powerfully explosive substances. The cylinder being filled with air, the torpedo is placed in the tube in the same manner as a congreve rocket. The vessel is then steered to within suitable distance of the vessel to be destroyed, and the cap removed by means of the line abovementioned. The compressed ajr is then forced into the tube, and the torpedo ia launched with a sufficient submarine momentum to strike and destroy any ship within a range of from 100 to 1800 yards. For +he experiment of Saturday last, her Majesty's steam sloop of war 7 Oberon had been expressly fitted with all the apparatus above described. She was steered (so as to avoid danger to the other craftiutheharbor)towithinabout2ooyards of L'Aigle, an old wooden frigate of great ,#rergth, and lately used as a coal hulk, which had been lent by the Admiralty for the purpose. This vessel was moored head and stern on what is called the west shore of the Isle of Grain, in a sufficient depth of water to cause the effect of the explosion of the torpedo to be seen hj the ship sinking some ten or twelve feet, the object in view being that the destruction of the ship's bottom might be visible at low tide, and also that the vessel might be temporarily repaired so as to be floated for further probable experiments. About one o'clock on Saturday, the tide being nearly flood, the Oberou was placed bowg on to L'Aigle, and a striped flag hoisted on board. Shortly afterwards this flag was lowered as a signal that the torpedo had been sent on its errand of destruction. Expectation was now on tip-toe, for it had been anticipated that the explosion would be instantaneous, but it was not so ; and after a few seconds had elapsed, whispers began to be heard that the experiment was a failure, or that the torpedo had taken a wrong direction. In about thirty seconds, however, frotn '■ th« lowering of the flag an explosion occurred, under the counter of L'Aigle, and a mountain of water, blackened with, coal dust from the refuse in the hulk thrown up. The stern of the ship rose bodily with it, aud now was heard a report resembling the dull boom of a heavy piece of ordnance heard at the dis-

tance of a mile or so. L'Aigle, immediately on falling back into the water, sank by the stern uutil she took the bottom, but had there been sufficient deptli of water she^would have totally disappeared. As it was, the ship speedily filled from stem to stern, and in about a minute from the time of the explosion had sunk her entire length, and lay on the bottom, with only about seven or eight feet of her upper works and bulwarks above the surface. She has not yet been officially examined, but it is believed the hole made in her counter and under her bilge must be of enormous dimensions, from her going down so quickly.