Naval what is it?

[Rick W]

Its pre WW2 and its got an engine so it belongs here. No prizes for nationality, but can anyone tell me what type of craft it is, a rough date, for bonus points what its name is?

[Rick W]

Ok, scrub the date question, Ive just seen the givaway clue...:n00b:

[David Ives]

by the look of it a early russian sub prototype

[Snapper]

It's a torpedo boat of some sort. Russian, obviously.......

[gritineye]

Far fetched I know, but it looks to me like it is a torpedo boat and the torpedo used the firework rocket on a stick principal of guidance, with the prop on the nose.

[Snapper]

Agreed.

[Tony B]

I belive her name to be TURBINIA. She was the first turbine powered ship, caused a sensation by racing down the line at a fleet review and nothing the RN had could catch her. Yes turbines were later used in torpedo boats. the Russiands had a great fear of the Japanese boats following the battle at Port Arthur. To the point where when Russian ships were in the english Cahannel they opned foire and sunk some Hull trawlers, beliving them to be torpedo boats. The result was new class of warship the Torpedo boat Destroyer, commonly reffered to as Destroyers.

[Rick W]

Im very impressed! It is a torpedo boat although not the TURBINIA. The ship above predates TURBINIA by some 17 years. Although they do look similar I will grant you.

 

TURBINIA

 

[Tony B]

Comes of growing up on an Island 5 miles wide by 11 miles long. 2 ways off fly or swim. Flapping arms never got me off the ground and swimming got a bit tiring so learnt about planes and boats instead.:-D

 

I do notice she has a 'Spar torpedo' on the front so that would make her a 'Motor Ram' though I thought they were bigger. It is a US (Which probably means half Irish) Admiral who is credited with the phrase'Dammn the torpedos' though to clarify, naval mines at the time were called Torpedos. For those that know Belmarsh Prision and the old East Arsenal, walk on the pavement from the old Arsenal gate towards the prision. you will see the other side of the fence a brick channel, apparently for drainage. It was built to test the propeelant system of the Whithead Torpedo. Incidentally, Who paid for the development of the design of the first British Submarine?

Answer in a while.:cool2:

 

Right after checking up, drop the Irish bit with apolaogies. The Admiral was David Glasgow Farragut, and he was half Spanish on his Farther's side. the remark is atributed to him when abaorad his Flagship USS Hartford at the capture of Fort Morgan,Alabama on 23rd August 1864, he saw other ships withdrawing. When he asked why he wa stold Torpedos (mines) had been sighted. He is then supposed to have said to the Captain of Hartford 'Full ahead and Dam the torpedoes'.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Tony B

[radiomike7]

Judging by the smoke stack and ventilator, it is a steam powered submarinski, similar in concept to the K class that the RN had.

 

Mike

[Tony B]

There were a number of 'semi submersable' designs about at the time, not to mention cicular, square and other bizzare designs. Can't see her as a true submarine, to much deck clutter, mind you the K's and the M's were a real dogs breackfast.

[Rick W]

Does have a very submarine shape Mike, I suppose a sub classes as a torpedo boat as well...interesting....:coffee:

[Tony B]

Incedentally Holland was funded for his submarine designs by Sinn Fien, when they refused to pay for building it he sold the design to the Royal navy, I think there was a Russian connection as well, I'll check.

Yes. the Neva Shipbuilding company in Russia started building some Holland designs in Febuary 1904.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Tony B

[radiomike7]

There were a number of 'semi submersable' designs about at the time, not to mention cicular, square and other bizzare designs. Can't see her as a true submarine, to much deck clutter, mind you the K's and the M's were a real dogs breackfast.

 

 

The semi makes more sense, although it seems to have some form of stern plane above the rudder.

 

The thought of diving in a coal fired sub is beyond belief.:shocked:

[Tony B]

K class to quote'My ends diving, what the hell is your end doin?

 

http://submariners.co.uk/Dits/Articles/kclass.php

So who is she Rik?

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

K class to quote'My ends diving, what the hell is your end doin?

 

http://submariners.co.uk/Dits/Articles/kclass.php

So who is she Rik?

interesting site,cheers,shouldnt this thread be moved to the SEnior Service allocation.:whistle::captain:

[Rick W]

Dont ask me where these gems come from, comes from wasted hours trawling the interweb! Ive been looking for a photo but cant find one as yet. There were 2 made in St Petersburg, this one is called Bychok. A very crude early MTB. 16Tons 220BHP 11.5 knots top speed, crewed by 9 men. Armed with 2 basic torpedoes and a 37mm Hotchkiss gun. They were sold by Russia to Belgium (I think) and were scrapped in 1936. Belgium did rename both boats. Hopelessly outdated by the turn of the century.

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

Not wasted mate kept me interested you never know one of us might turn up the pictures when we least expect it.

[nz2]

There is the remains of a Thornycroft torpedo boat in a small museum near Christchuch, New Zealand. The same style of boat as the one in the question, with a long pole carrying the explosive charge. It would appear the illustrated drawing of the Russian boat has the pole in a transport or loading position, prior to it been moved forward.

This boat was buried in the sand hills for many years at the end of its useful life. More recently retrieved and placed on display.

Doug:coffee:

[gritineye]

The same style of boat as the one in the question, with a long pole carrying the explosive charge. It would appear the illustrated drawing of the Russian boat has the pole in a transport or loading position, prior to it been moved forward.

Doug:coffee:

 

Do you mean the enemy ship was just sort of poked with an explosive stick?:eek: And this was considered to be a good idea? Please tell me there was more to it than that! It seems a bit Kamikaze

almost as daft as a steam submarine! :rolleyes:

[Tony B]

That wa sthe first 'Torpedo' . The first warship sunk by one was during the American Civil War when the US conferderate vessel The Huntley attacked and sank the U.SS Hiusatanic on February 16 1864. The houston was crank proppelled by 8 men and was lost during the attack. She has since been found and raised.

[Snapper]

Which is how, at the Battle of Mobile Bay, we get the classic quote from the Union admiral David Glasgow Farragut..."Damn The Torpedoes" - which is also an album title by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. ..if you go to Ciutadella in Menorca, there is a monument to him there by the lighthouse.

I cannot explain the link.

 

MB

[nz2]

I agree it seems a valiant charge to make up against a larger ship and explode a charge at close range. I have taken the liberty a copied sections from the web site describing the vessel and its history. There are some interesting photos on the site including one of the remains of the vessel on display.

http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/thornycroft.htm

 

Defender

The first modern torpedo boat was built for the British navy in 1877 by the shipyards of Sir John Isaac Thornycroft (1843-1928). Torpedo boats were adopted by most of the world's major navies, but as they increased in size the destroyer was developed as an effective defense against them. They diminished in importance after the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5.

Defender was something of a curiosity. With a length of 63 feet, she was only 7ft 6in in the beam and her displacement was twelve tons. Steam power was provided by a locomotive boiler to a single engine of 173 horsepower. She had two funnels side by side and a conning tower with quarter-inch bulletproof plating to protect the coxswain. Defender was originally capable of steaming at 17½ knots over a measured mile; a high speed for those days. The boat was equipped with a 36 foot spar tipped with a gun cotton charge, which projected over the bow of the vessel and would be exploded on the side of a ship below the water line. A Nordenfelt gun was also fitted.

1882 Ordered by the government in response to the "Russian Scare", the first warships were acquired for New Zealand's external defence at a cost about £4,000 each. These were four second class spar torpedo boats. Yard number 168 was the first and constructed at the Thornycroft Shipyard at Chiswick on the Thames near London.

Doug:coffee:

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

As an owner of a Thorneycroft boat i know quite a lot about Chisick.

[john1950]

Why not post a picture of your boat?