Page:The Next Naval War - Eardley-Wilmot - 1894.djvu/47

 the line of ships time to have everything in readiness to meet the attack. At the first intimation of the presence of an enemy the admiral quickened his speed, and as the boats, now reduced to six, swept past, they were greeted with a tremendous fire from the machine and quick-firing guns. The leading boats suffered most, and were disabled before they had reached a position to discharge their torpedoes. Those following, swerving outwards to avoid their companions, did not come under such a heavy fire, but two of them had their torpedo tubes so injured by the hail of shot that their contents stuck fast. The last two boats, partly enveloped in smoke, each managed to get off a torpedo at the third ship. This was the Revenge.

There are two causes which, in firing torpedoes from the side of a torpedo boat against a ship in motion, may produce a miss. One is, that the torpedo is deflected on entering the water to an angle dependent on the speed of the boat; the other is, that the object, if moving rapidly, may have passed before the torpedo reaches it. An allowance for each has to be made. The speed of the boat being known, experiment easily demonstrates the necessary allowance in this case; but the speed may be altered at the last moment, when a readjustment of the torpedo is impossible. Similarly, the rate of the object has to be assumed, and may alter, or be estimated incorrectly. Partly owing to one cause and partly to the other, of