



Produced by Chris Curnow, Emmy and the Online Distributed
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[Transcriber's Notes: Mathematical problems could not be represented as
in the original as we cannot stack numbers. The following rules were
used:

Parentheses added to groupings of numbers.

Bracket and "rt" square roots. [3rt]

Carets and curly brackets indicate a superscripted number, letter or
symbol. 4^{3}

An underscore and curly brackets indicate a subscript. H_{2}O

Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and italic text is surrounded
by _underscores_.]


[Illustration: _The "Suna" before the Explosion._]

[Illustration: _The Torpedo._]

[Illustration: _The "Suna" after the Explosion._]


    Griffin & C^{o.} Portsmouth.    W.F. Mitchell del.




    TORPEDOES

    AND

    TORPEDO WARFARE:

    CONTAINING A

    COMPLETE AND CONCISE ACCOUNT OF THE

    RISE AND PROGRESS OF SUBMARINE WARFARE;

    ALSO A

    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ALL MATTERS APPERTAINING THERETO,
    INCLUDING THE LATEST IMPROVEMENTS.

    BY
    C. W. SLEEMAN, ESQ.,
    LATE LIEUT. R.N., AND LATE COMMANDER IMPERIAL OTTOMAN NAVY.


    _WITH FIFTY-SEVEN FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, DIAGRAMS,
    WOODCUTS, &c._


    PORTSMOUTH:
    GRIFFIN & CO., 2, THE HARD,
    (_Publishers by Appointment to H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh._)
    LONDON AGENTS: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO.
    1880.

    _All Rights reserved._]




PREFACE.


IN the following pages the Author has endeavoured to supply a want,
viz. a comprehensive work on Torpedo Warfare, brought down to the
latest date.

The information has been obtained while practically engaged in torpedo
work at home and abroad, and from the study of the principal books
which have already appeared on the subject, and to the authors of which
he would now beg to express his acknowledgments, viz.: "Submarine
Warfare," by Lieut.-Commander Barnes, U.S.N.; "Notes on Torpedoes," by
Major Stotherd, R.E.; "Art of War in Europe," by General Delafield,
U.S.A.; "Life of Fulton," by C. D. Colden; "Torpedo War," by R.
Fulton; "Armsmear," by H. Barnard; "Treatise on Coast Defence," by
Colonel Von Scheliha; Professional Papers of the Royal Engineers; "The
Engineering"; "The Engineer"; "Scientific American"; "Iron"; &c., &c.

The Author is also desirous of thanking the following gentlemen, to
whom he is indebted for much of the valuable information contained
herein:--

Messrs. Siemens Brothers, Messrs. Thornycroft and Co., Messrs. Yarrow
and Co., Captain C. A. McEvoy, 18 Adam Street, W.C., Mr. L. Lay,
Messrs. J. Vavaseur and Co.

LONDON, 1879.




CONTENTS.


                                                                PAGE
  Preface                                                        iii

  CHAPTER I.

  The early History of the Torpedo--Remarks on the existing
    State of Torpedo Warfare                                       1


  CHAPTER II.

  Defensive Torpedo Warfare--Mechanical Submarine
    Mines--Mechanical Fuzes--Mooring Mechanical Mines             13


  CHAPTER III.

  Defensive Torpedo Warfare (_continued_)--Electrical
    Submarine Mines--Electrical Fuzes--Insulated Electric
    Cables--Electric Cable Joints--Junction Boxes--Mooring
    Electrical Submarine Mines                                    27


  CHAPTER IV.

  Defensive Torpedo Warfare (_continued_)--Circuit
    Closers--Firing by Observation--Voltaic
    Batteries--Electrical Machines--Firing Keys and Shutter
    Apparatus--Testing Submarine Mines--Clearing a Passage
    through Torpedo Defences                                      60


  CHAPTER V.

  Offensive Torpedo Warfare--Drifting Torpedoes--Towing
    Torpedoes--Locomotive Torpedoes--Spar Torpedoes--General
    Remarks on Offensive Torpedoes                               115


  CHAPTER VI.

  Torpedo Vessels and Boats--The _Uhlan_--The _Alarm_--The
    _Destroyer_--Thornycroft's Torpedo Boats--Yarrow's
    Torpedo Boats--Schibau's Torpedo Boats--Herreshoff's
    Torpedo Boats--Torpedo Boat Attacks--Submarine Boats         158


  CHAPTER VII.

  Torpedo Operations--The Crimean War (1854-56)--The
    Austro-Italian War (1859)--The American Civil War
    (1861-65)--The Paraguayan War (1864-68)--The Austrian
    War (1866)--The Franco-German War (1870-71)--The
    Russo-Turkish War (1877-78)                                  187


  CHAPTER VIII.

  On Explosives--Definitions--Experiments--Gunpowder--Picric
    Powder--Nitro-Glycerine--Dynamite--Gun-cotton--Fulminate
    of Mercury--Dualin--Lithofracteur--Horsley's
    Powder--Torpedo Explosive Agents--Torpedo Explosions         204


  CHAPTER IX.

  Torpedo Experiments--Chatham, England,
    1865--Austria--Carlscrona, Sweden, 1868--Kiel,
    Prussia--England, 1874--Copenhagen, Denmark,
    1874--Carlscrona