OLYMPIA's Torpedo Room crew
Dewey's Flagship, OLYMPIA needs
your help!! Click here
to learn how you can help!
Contribute Toward the Preservation of OLYMPIA While Expanding
Your Library! Click
here to learn how!
This image shows the cew of the Cruiser OLYMPIA
working to maintain its Whitehead torpedoes.
The OLYMPIA had six torpedo
tubes: one in the bow, one in the stern, and two on either side of the
ship. The torpedo was a weapon that was good
in concept, but relatively useless in practice, in spite of the fear and
resulting rapid ship redesign it caused. The torpedo mount on the OLYMPIA,
and similar vessels could not swivel or be similarly aimed. The range was
less than a thousand yards. Basically, the torpedomen had to wait for something
to cross their path at very close range. Of course, if any vessel got within
one thousand yard, all of the main and secondary battery would be directed
at it, and it probably would be destroyed before a torpedo could be launched.
In the the refit of the OLYMPIA beginning in
1899, the torpedo tubes were removed.
Bibliography:
(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)
219.
Support this Site
by Visiting the Website Store! (help us defray
costs!)
We are providing the following
service for our readers. If you are interested in books, videos, CD's etc.
related to the Spanish American War, simply type in "Spanish American War"
(or whatever you are interested in) as the keyword and click on "go" to
get a list of titles available through Amazon.com.
Visit Main Page
for copyright data
