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Title
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Submarine Mines
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Description
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West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 - 1930), Tuesday 16 August 1898, page 6
SUBVMARINE MINEvS. WHAT COUNTER-MINING MEANS. JIETHODS DESCPIBm). A SUBIIARINE BOAT. Mr ft. G. Skerett Twrites to an American paper as follows:Aside from the navigable or autornobile torpedo, the passive torpedoes or mines that guard the entrance of ports against unwelcome visitors are the most dreaded of all present perfected miens of subaquatic warfare. .There are two kinds of mines used generally for this purpose, and they are, first, the ,Iser-vation mine, which is exploded by an observer when he sees that the foe's vessel is over that threatening mass of ,00 pounds of gun-cotton; and second, the electro-contact mine, which, containing about seventy-pounds of the sante explosuve, bursts when touching tlre bottom of -an enemy's craft, and, because of actual contact, needs a smaller charge to accomplish its dread purios,. This electro-contact mine is r'e'ally the most dangerous to cope with, for but a slight tilting causes the electrie circuit to be fired. A sudden jerk lupon its cable might work that havoc. That Spain has blocked the passes to her Cuban and Porto Rico ports in this manner we already know by one frightful example: and the question now is, "flow shall we protect ourselves from subIimarine attack even after the heavy guns of her batteries are silenced and the paths seem free for the safe entrance of our victorious vessels?" COUNTER MINING. Witit us, the work of laying or planting defensive mine fields falls to the army, and upon the navy of a foe is placed the very questionable distinction of destroying them. Captain-General Bllanco has planted some fateful fields, and upon our navy will lie the lburtdent of evading the harvest by skilful countermining. Briefly. "countermininri con-ists in the destructiorn of an enemy's rine-, tired by laying across that ieldl other mines,. which, by intentiornal explosion. destroy the mines plantedl by ithe foe. There are several n ays of accomnplishirng the same end, and it is thIe Ipurpose of this article to suggest onte whichl native skill has mnade thoroughly practicable and. unprecedetitly saf".A A LTNE OF COUNTERMINES. .\At ordlinary line of countermines consitis of ten or a dozen 500-pound mines of the obs: rvation type. These mines or,- fastened at Intervals of about ISO feet -apart to a long electric cable, and eachl mine has a branch cable of perhaps or CI' feet--d-ependinrg, of course, upon 1the1 deptlh of water in which they are to --li-rate. Th se minres are secured to one Sf i hit heavy launches or cutters. the sinkirs. cables, and buoys being so arrang1 ito drop overboard at the propir time 1., ing lash-ld in place only by light rope ya rtt which is intended to part at tlhe trim-nt -tra:in is brought to bear. The linews. i.,-.. tie iparts containing the detr:natinrg c,-arae. are turned towards the stern :,f tin- hlnt. where they will be ilast exl-psedI to ithe tire of the enemny's iI iii ir- guns---tlhe ones usually rele,itted tI tl- ,irotecti-in of mine fields, arn th.l- inns still likely to be available for sir- h di-f-ni- i tven after the heavy gunlls arii siltnrh it. 'I'hre art- thre-e buoys -t:.nhed to -*.It line If erutntertnines, on.- :it eai-ch e-d:l tnt -ir,- in the middle, -t-Ih r- -a m- lis-attire' f-rom the mines, and tiny .-r:r," ehtr-,-l with tihbsphlide of calCillr for ni;ht aork. wanter igniiting Itb-rin. Tlit-ir i urto Is is to mark the liie .if tnt pla:rntetl mintis andt the channti1l abroush t piitii tIhe cournterminrng b~:t can reeIni it aft r- tihe explosion. After the miini's are pilanted they are exIilodil.d try trhe joint action of the officer in cinurge of thie cable end on shipboard iir on tn.- battery tieat anti the officer at tihe othert ernr in the tub-boat rowing the cutter fiull Of minIs. They complete atn -lectrtie irc- it. \tOiEt OF TI-IE DETAIL. h'l-I cutter ibeing ready. the 510e:111 Intnch start-s off with thie tmirne bort anrri tvi hatter} b::t in trjw. 1'r-arhal-s ti1: en-mr s scrarch-lights are sweepint titi minte field and the :lapproaches to it. anti everything [iust ibe done it) keept it the shot;:ens.md to ce al as nlear as ipos ible to tnl t goat lieforei crowding on sIt-red. Thrn evryi iting depencds upotirn tle o -lcrite anti coitte ss of tIire op- :rtoris. Itn the- f ele. rhatps. if scatti triing tir: andi drit irg bullets frtomt tic- ,rick-lirling inlet-s. tt the titm launch Sr c-ps learrssly foirwa: it in t pr--ar-trang-d directilon. Tihe Attvry boatt tiltois astern rttrln ahrinlors, wirile oltilg its er olf t- tnInto. Orn 5te:ttm5 tlte cittttr. A few itt meits later- a tug n h- thein fr-oin the hattery btalt crlta-ises the litfst of thrnitint's. tail iivcr-biirt ii inr-5--Aia in, ril ainnderr. d inlrmrlg it tr is lipos. till all tt-n or ailtiint-n Ira e- br-Oi titroppt-i ov-romrdthe att tiretini buoys ittrltz with thin-t torcs of nfsnutterinrg tight anrt ir-cket frorti the tw twroat lell -mf its rcatlirln55. Then tine il-ing tts bltttertsarc joined trp. A Si i-ind rocket, rirr thre OttO it is rlosetiStd tltt sirtimtltanonufl-s r-essing of the keys it toth enrs. ltr tr- triefest frnctitn of a morm-en-r there is att expetanitl Iut. their fn-rom the depths butst great tnasses of lunrinnirus, thund-ring clumrns of water wilt all the frightful dettniton of pierhapri three tons of gun-crttonrur mines ant tlit enemy's as welt. If still allest atri unhalred by the fra-'s guns, lire ste.untaurtit turns tack through thr yet rgitated channel-waiy rind sutoeds ottn u--art thc- btintery boni, anti tire sheltering lht-hoc of tire ship beyond. GOOD. COOL 111EN. No one need be in tire counternminittg launelt, for thne mines nt-c arrangid to drop oiverhoard automaticrtily by tire strain upon the table at intrer-als; hut good, cootlatr men ust tie in the atter-y boat and the stenam cutter slpeeding on itt the face of threatening destruction and the sinking of that cutter means certain failure to the expedition. That Mlorro Castle Iras powerful seare-hlights we already know; and it is an easy thing.
to mount easily rnai in a short while enough r::rpid lit-guns to sweep with dangerous frequtency the narrow cntrance into H2avana harbor. So eoUfn- ermining in the way described 'Aould itarily lt iealtthfutil r successful. [ ; otly other t Nel - oin mn thitl of tta-kivin afn tnemy's nmiies is byv "creridfn;, 1^, und i*,: ,bj'ect is to catch the cir - itic cati,!cs running t: the mines. ianl. by utting the-n, pire ernt the foe's ctntlrol of them. TTi is s done by towing two g'ajnee. - one containig an Spilsivx charge of sometlhing over two teols of guIn-cotton and the other a yim '' -ianel coming on behind at a -isc n e of thlirty or forty feet. The exhegi rapntl first picks up the cable, ir~. n; a tug is felt upon the grapnel li,-e t ! charge is exploded electrically. I-is miay not completely sever the (ilei'. so the other grapnnel picks up the r iir yý d cable and the whole thing. is Iullid up to the boat and either severed or underrun till a junction box of serer-] mines is reaclihed, and the whole lot ;:-Ploded at will. To meet this possiUnlity. it is a common thing to plant ti:ntaty mines and dead cables to deeii ran enemy. and it is quite common to screw the neighboring bottom with chain and steel rope to catch the enermy's creeps, and false buoys are always plna"ed so that they may purposely misle:nd a countermining attack. THIE SU-iBMARINE BOAT. Ag;in, the approaches to either Havxntt. or Matanzas are too .well gualrded to inmaie either ordinary countermining ior creeping reasonably safe or successful. andi tlhere is oiut little chance. indetld. of minies being found near enough to rho surface to he destroyed by the shell attack or the fire from machine guns. TWhether or not the Vesuvius could accompllsh that end at long range :i :nltetr for soeculation, but there - nr d1uht whaitever that it thi lake ti t atrinE boat rot Argonaut we have a _ i et:m practicable means of reaching dti Sounis-h mines, and that without uspicaien of her presence. WHAT SI-HE IS. The Argonaut is a cigar-shaped structure of steel, thirty-six feet long and gith aL greatest diameter of nine feet.It has a total weight or displacmnent, when submerged, of nearly sixty tons, and is anmply stout enough to resist the pressure of water at a depth of 150 feet. The body of the boat is divided into three principal compartments-the largest one, which occupies about twothirds of the length of the craft, contains the propelling engines, the air and water pumps, and the dynamo. The forward compartment is the pilot house, so to speak, and the compartment immediately next and aft is the air-lock and diver's room. From this room the diver can pass through a manhole in the - floor and out upon the bottom of the sea. To accomplish this the airlock is closed to the other parts of the boat, the pilot being shut up in his compartment, and the rest of the force being confined to the great chamber DIVER PASSES OUT. The diver and his attendant now turn on the air from the reservoir, and allow it to gather pressure in the air-lock till that pressure exactly equals that of the water outside. This is determined by a small cock In the manhole plate, which, If it does not admit water when turned on in connection with the water outside. indicates that the balance of pressure has been attained. Then the manhole plate is dropped, and,. upon the ladderlike rungs fastened to it, the diver passes right out into the water about the craft-the water stopping at the threshold of the compartment as though bidden to halt by some supreme power. With the glow of the searchlight at the bow and the small lamp borne in his own suit, he is able to see for a considerable distance about him, and. being in constant telephonic communication with the pilot, he is able to direct the movement of the boat. Once In touch with the cables of the mines-and he can readily distinguish the dummy from the real thing-it is an easy thing either to sever them or to connect them with a battery on board the boat, and then, when at a safe distance, fire them at will. The Argonaut is propelled along the surface by a gasoline engine, and when going along on the bottom by storage batteries charged by the gasoline engine. When not submerged. air Is taken In from without, either through the dome on toll or through a hose leading to a small float. WVhen submerged, the air supply will come down through the hose to the float, and an ingenious arrangement prevents the admission of water, should the tioat be sunk or flooded. The air tanks are charged to a high pressure, and air enough is carried in them to supply a cevw of four or six persons for quite two days. THE VESSEL RFEADY. In practical hands wonders could be accomplished with this little vessel, and Mr Lake is thoroughly fitted to clear the harbor of Havana or any other place of torpedoes, and to do It with that guarantee of thosoughness and immunity impossible to any other existing vessel, or by any other conventiondl means of countermnninng. It is not a long trip front Baltimore, where the little craft now Is, to the Cuban coast, and it would not be a difficult task to tow her there at a good, round speed, and to have her ready to do her service in a few days, her work to be well-done when the Spaniards again press those fateful keys only to find them responseless. The remarkable thing is that, although the above was written weeks ago. the Argonaut has not apparently yet figtred in the warlike operations.
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Date Issued
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1898-08-16
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Creator
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R. G. Skerett
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Publisher
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West Gippsland Gazette
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Location State Territory
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Victoria
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Location Town City
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Warragul
