The spar torpedo required the two vessels to be in extremely close proximity which posed considerable danger to the attacking vessel. To overcome this problem, British Engineer Robert Whitehead developed the self-propelled torpedo in 1866. Most navies of the world took great interest in the new weapon, however, the United States Navy did not.
When the U.S. Navy commissioned its first torpedo boat almost twenty-five years later, in 1890, the other navies of the world already had nearly one thousand of the vessels in operation. Over nine hundred were in use among the five major navies of the world alone.
In 1891, the British Royal Navy vessel HMS LYNCH torpedoed and sank the Chilean armored vessel BIANCO ENCALADA with a 14" Whitehead torpedo at the close range of one hundred yards. The world, including the U.S., took notice, in spite of the impractically and unusually close range.
In 1896, the Austrian naval officer Ludwig Obry invented the gyroscope, making the torpedo a reliably stable weapon.
The torpedo was a new, highly feared weapon system which saw very little use during the war. In spite of all of the amazing claims of its abilities, the Spanish American War saw no vessels sunk through the use of the torpedo.
The launching mechanisms used for torpedoes aboard torpedo boats, as well as on larger vessels such as the USS OLYMPIA and USS OREGON were not generally directional. With some exceptions, the launchers used, had to aimed by aiming the entire vessel within certain operational limits. Otherwise, the vessel basically had to wait for the enemy to cross into its line of fire. For this reason, the USS OLYMPIA carried six torpedo tubes in various locations. Some torpedo boats carried some trainable launchers. The torpedoes themselves had no instrumentation that would allow them to home in on an enemy ship.
The torpedo, however, did have two advantages. First, had a torpedo
actually hit its target, its charge would have created great damage. Secondly,
and more importantly, was the threat the weapon created. Though the torpedo
did not inflict any major damage during the war, the sheer threat of its
existence was a weapon in itself. Even large armored vessels had to be
ever vigilant to prevent night attacks by torpedo boats and their deadly
torpedoes, creating an additional strain on the ships' crews. The torpedo
required the development of counter-measures, caused an alteration of tactics,
and was useful as a weapon of terror. Both sides in the Spanish American
War were equipped with torpedoes, and the Spanish torpedo boats were one
of the most feared wings of the Spanish Navy.
| Length: | 11 feet | |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter: | 18 inches | |
| Weight: | 836 pounds | |
| Speed: | 26 knots | |
| Maximum Range: | 1000 yards | |
| Charge: | 110 pounds | |
| Explosive: | Guncotton | |
| Motive Power: | Three cylinder engine, driven by compressed air. | |
| The torpedo was launched by a small powder charge. |
(As a service to our readers, clicking on title in red will take you to that book on Amazon.com)
Alden, Cmdr. John D., USN (Ret.), American Steel Navy , (Annapolis: United States Naval Institute Press, 1972).Alden, John D., Cmdr., USN, (Ret.), American Steel Navy. (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1972).
Clerk of Joint Comittee on Printing, The Abridgement of Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899). 4 vols.
Harris, Lt. Cmdr. Brayton, The Age of the Battleship. (New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1965).
Howser, Doug (image of torpedo pistol)
Naval History Department, Navy Department, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1959).
Sternlicht, Sanford, McKinley's Bulldog, the Battleship Oregon . (Chicago: Nelson-Hall, Inc., 1977).
