Chapter VI: The U.s.s. Warren

What is now the torpedo boat destroyer is only the old torpedo boat grown bigger, stauncher, speedier and far more powerful. This country no longer makes the torpedo boat, for the destroyer does all that it could ever do and a hundred per cent beyond. It was Great Britain who launched the first torpedo boat back about 1878. Those early examples of the craft were diminutive affairs, some sixty feet long by seven wide and displaced not over twenty tons. Their armament was usually two torpedo tubes and their speed never higher than sixteen knots. For shallow water operations, however, they proved successful, and gradually they developed until in 1890 they were displacing eighty tons and had a speed of from eighteen to twenty-two knots.

In our own Navy the craft did not appear until 1886, when the _Stiletto_ slid down the ways at the Herreshoff Yard at Bristol, Rhode Island. The _Stiletto_ made quite a sensation then, even though she was only eighty-eight and a half feet in length, had a displacement of thirty tons and did eighteen knots. But the _Stiletto_ proved the entering wedge, for five years later we had torpedo boats of one hundred and twenty tons and, in 1901 of two hundred and eighty tons displacement. The next step was the destroyer, as she was called for brevity, and at the time of the war between Russia and Japan these ships――no longer “boats,” if you please――had attained a speed of thirty knots and were of five hundred tons displacement. In that war the Japanese used their torpedo craft to excellent advantage, even though their policy was to take no unnecessary risks with them, and the destroyer’s place in naval warfare was clearly established. The construction of destroyers had a boom everywhere, and in this country we were turning out ships of four hundred and twenty tons like the _Bainbridge_, _Decatur_, _Chauncey_ and _Paul Jones_. These ships were two hundred and fifty feet in length, could make twenty-eight knots and for armament carried two eighteen-inch torpedo tubes and seven small rapid-fire guns. Whereas the old torpedo boat was designed to attack larger ships, acting in flotilla strength and under cover of darkness, the new destroyer was intended primarily to run down the torpedo boat and sink it with rapid-fire guns. But torpedo tubes were also provided so that the destroyer might likewise take the place of the torpedo boat in attacking larger ships. For a while the smaller craft was retained as a defensive weapon and the larger craft built as an offensive weapon, although neither was limited to its specialty. The torpedo boat, because of light draft and low visibility, readily became a weapon of offence, darting out from shallow waters to attack enemy cruisers and battleships with its torpedoes and, with good fortune, returning unscathed. On the other hand, the offensive destroyer became a weapon of defence when it stood by the attacking fleet and guarded it from the depredations of the smaller boats.

Finally, however, the development of the torpedo did away with the torpedo boat entirely, or, I should say, with the building of them, for most navies still have and make some use of torpedo boats turned out from ten to twenty years ago. (Our own _Dupont_, launched in 1897, was in commission in reserve at the beginning of the war and, doubtless, is doing its bit bravely enough somewhere today.) As the accuracy and range of the modern automobile torpedo increased the necessity for small boats decreased, since the torpedo could be fired at a far greater distance. Consequently the torpedo boat’s tonnage grew and the destroyer’s tonnage was forced to keep its relative advantage. In our Navy the jump was from two hundred and eighty tons to four hundred and twenty, and with that jump the torpedo boat ceased and the destroyer appeared.

At present time our larger destroyers are of about eleven hundred tons displacement――although we hear rumours of still larger ships being built. The destroyer must be able to cruise for weeks at a time without return to base, and for that reason must be sufficiently large to carry immense quantities of fuel and stores. Today one of our newer destroyers can take on enough oil on this side to make the run to England and back without replenishing her tanks. As to speed, the _Jacob Jones_, the latest destroyer of which specifications have been made public, made thirty knots an hour, developing about seventeen thousand horse power. Others, however, laid down after the _Jacob Jones_, are said to be able to steam at thirty-five knots and a fraction.

The activity of the submarine in the present war has had its influence on the destroyer. The torpedo as a weapon against the submarine is of no consequence. The destroyer trusts to the fire of its small guns or to ramming, when the submarine is on the surface, and to depth-charges when the submarine is submerged. As the all-important task of the American Navy at present is to combat the German U-boat, our destroyers, which, with light cruisers and “chasers,” are best adapted for such warfare, comprise the bulk of our offensive fleet. In consequence of the duty they have to perform the tendency is toward an increase of gun power, and the destroyers now being turned out carry many more rapid-fire rifles. Seaworthiness, speed and a large range of action are also requisites, and these features, too, are receiving attention.

The present day automobile torpedo is an outcome of the spar torpedo of Civil War times. The spar, or outrigger torpedo, was fixed at the end of a pole and exploded by contact with the hull of an enemy ship or by use of a firing battery at will. It was by such a contrivance that the _Housatonic_ was sent to the bottom off Charleston by a Confederate submarine boat, with the accompanying loss of the submarine’s crew. Other successful uses of the spar torpedo were made during the Civil War and later. Robert Whitehead invented the “fish” torpedo which, in improved shape, still bears his name. It has played a prominent part in the present war. Another torpedo, used by our Navy, is the Bliss-Leavitt. The diameter of the automobile torpedo varies from eighteen to twenty-two inches, with an extreme length of twenty-one feet. Essentially it is a submarine boat self-propelled. It consists of five parts: warhead, air-flask, depth control mechanism, steering gear and engines. In the warhead is a charge of high explosive, from two hundred to five hundred pounds, according to type or size, which is detonated by a firing mechanism. The explosive may be either gun-cotton, which is ordinary cotton treated with nitric and sulphuric acids, or trinitrotoluol, familiarly known as TNT, which is formed of hydrogen and carbon treated with nitric acid. The detonating mechanism is merely a firing pin which goes through the centre of the explosive charge from front to rear and is seated in a percussion cap located back of the charge. At the nose of the warhead the firing pin terminates in a safety device known as a butterfly nut. A second safety appliance reaches through half the diameter of the warhead and holds the firing pin in place so that it cannot strike against the percussion cap.

The air-flask is a strongly constructed steel tank which is filled with compressed air used to operate the engine and all other mechanism of the torpedo. The depth control mechanism is worked by water pressure and is adjustable by a spring before launching. It allows the torpedo to be run at any desired depth. Its principal parts are a pendulum and a hydrostatic piston controlling horizontal rudders. The steering gear consists of a gyroscopic compass which influences vertical rudders and keeps the torpedo on its course. The engine is operated by compressed air which takes the place of steam. A reducing valve decreases the pressure of the air to that required. An alcohol flame heats the air as it enters the cylinders and also produces steam from the water in a combustion flask. The air and steam are mixed and the resulting expansion provides the force to drive the engine. In several types of torpedoes the engines are reciprocating, but in the Bliss-Leavitt, or Bliss, as it is frequently called, are placed turbines that drive two propellers.

The torpedo is forced from the torpedo tube by means of compressed air. On a destroyer these tubes are set up much like a gun, and singly, in twos or in threes. Before the torpedo is placed in the tube the safety pin is removed and the butterfly nut is loosened. The breach-block of the tube is closed and compressed air is turned into the tube behind the torpedo, which, however, is kept from being forced out at the muzzle by a lock. When the catch of the lock is released the torpedo is forced from the tube. At the same time the interior mechanism of the torpedo begins its work and, at about forty knots an hour, the missile flies toward the target. On striking the target the firing pin, from the tip of which the butterfly nut has now dropped off, is forced back against the percussion cap and the high explosive charge is detonated and the ship is sunk or crippled. Since, however, the speed of the ship, its course and the speed of the torpedo itself all enter into marksmanship, the torpedo is not counted an accurate weapon at long ranges, and even at short ranges misses frequently occur.

The boys had frequently debated the possibility of assignment to a destroyer, but, since it was a recognised rule in time of peace that only service men should man such ships, they had ultimately decided that their ditty boxes were not likely to be stowed on one. A chaser, or, possibly, a light cruiser would probably be their fate. But now, having as Steve phrased it, “made” the _Warren_, they weren’t certain whether to be pleased or not. They had heard weird yarns about life on a destroyer, and Joe, haunted by the fear of seasickness, was filled with disturbing thoughts as they hurried off through one of the soft, warm showers of the south of Ireland to the landing. Half a dozen whale boats, dingeys and launches were clustered there, but inquiry developed the fact that there was no boat from the _Warren_ amongst them. They were discussing the chance of finding a boat to hire when a petty officer in the stern sheets of a launch hailed them.

“Where do you boys want to go?” he asked.

“The _Warren_, sir.”

“Jump in. I’ll drop you.”

They thanked him and entered the little launch which held four seamen and so much dunnage that there was scarcely place for their feet. They waited there in the soft rain for a few minutes longer, during which time other tenders departed or arrived, and during which Steve and Joe vainly sought to determine which of the long grey shapes seen dimly through the mist was the _Warren_. Finally a brisk young ensign hurried up, jumped aboard and the launch wheeled about and plunged gayly into the haze. They heard the petty officer explaining that he had offered to put the two boys aboard the _Warren_, and saw the ensign nod and view them appraisingly. Then one of the grey shapes loomed up before them and a moment later they were clambering up the side. They reported to the officer of the deck and were sent below. Going below puzzled them at first, for nothing looking in the least like a companion-way was in sight. Fortunately a white cap appeared above the surface of the main deck at that moment and they discovered a round hatch.

“A fat man would have a peach of a time getting through this,” remarked Steve as he led the way to the second deck.

Ten minutes later they had had their names entered on the ship’s roster, had been assigned to their bunks――for there are no hammocks on a destroyer――had stowed their belongings, and, in charge of a good-natured and informative youth of twenty-one or -two years of age, whose single chevron was topped by the crossed cannons of a gunner’s mate, and whose name they later discovered to be Hearn, were learning the ship. Many of the men, Hearn explained, were still absent on leave and wouldn’t be back until the next day.

“You see, it’s generally six days on patrol and three in port, and the Old Man’s fine about granting liberty. Last time another fellow and I got three whole days and pretty nearly saw this little island from top to bottom. And, say, it’s all right, too. I’ve been hearing all my life about the beauties of Ireland, but I never believed in ’em much. Well, say, it’s all true, fellows. You want to take a trip up to County Clare the first chance you get. It’s as pretty as a picture, believe me.”

Their knowledge of warships was confined largely to that gathered from infrequent visits to battleships and cruisers lying flag-bedecked in the North River. The present ship was something far different. There were no flags, save the jack fluttering at the fore, nor anything else that could be termed the least bit ornamental, for the _Warren_ had been stripped before leaving on her voyage across and only the absolutely essential things remained. Gone were boats and davits, awnings and stanchions, and in most cases the steel ventilators were now mere canvas funnels. What struck the boys most of all was the intensely business-like appearance of the destroyer, and after that her look of power and seaworthiness.