486 
FLOATING DEFENCE. 
they were intended to engage the Federal squadrons during the disorder 
caused by the passage. Although the results were disastrous in both 
cases, the “ general idea”—from the point of view of the Confederacy— 
appears well founded. In 1870, the German Baltic and North Sea ports 
contained small gun-boats 1 which might have found chances of employ¬ 
ment if Admiral Bouet Willaumez had disposed of similar craft; but, as 
under the then existing naval and military conditions, no serious attack 
on a German port was possible, the capabilities of floating defence could 
not have been effectively tested. Since 1871, the great development 
of torpedo-boats and of submarine mines has given a new aspect to the 
question. The torpedo-boat is claimed as a new weapon specially 
adapted for harbour defence; a flotilla is sometimes required—on 
paper—for the protection of the submarine mine. Meanwhile the 
increased effective range of coast artillery and the adoption of quick- 
firing guns have introduced new considerations. 
The possibilities with which floating defence is now vaguely credited 
may be divided into two categories, viz.:— 
A. —Defence of the exterior waters of a port—its sea approaches. 
B. —Defence of interior waters. 
A.—For the defence of exterior waters, block-ships or floating bat¬ 
teries of any form are clearly useless. If moored, they have every 
disadvantage; if capable only of slow movement, they cannot fight on 
equal terms with the vessels of which the enemy—if he attacks at all— 
must necessarily dispose. If of such a class as seems to be proposed 
by Commander Sampson, 2 their proper place is evidently with the 
manoeuvring 1 fleet. Only a Power which could not maintain a fleet 
at sea would thus weaken the fighting line by tethering ships to a 
harbour. If driven into port temporarily or definitively, the fleet 
itself will supply this branch of floating defence. For Great Britain, 
which, as is now beginning to be realised, must command the seas or 
perish of suffocation, the so-called coast defence vessels Gorgon , Cyclops , 
and their hideous sisters are absolutely worthless in exterior waters. 
Launched on some passing wave of misconception, or due to a policy 
borrowed from the foreigner, they are a source of wasteful expenditure 
in peace, and would sensibly weaken the fighting navy if provided with 
crews in war. Unarmoured gun-boats, however fast., are obviously 
unfitted for the protection of exterior waters, since they would be puny 
antagonists for the vessels which they must necessarily be called upon 
to encounter. 
Thus far history is a safe guide; but the torpedo-boat is regarded as 
a new factor lying outside of the experience of the past. Have we here 
a powerful “ ingredient ” to add to the allopathic mixture labelled 
Coast Defence ?” 
Night, thick weather, or powder smoke, combined with moderately 
calm water, appear to be regarded as essential to the effective action of 
torpedo-boats. Given these favouring conditions, it is generally believed 
1 
1 A little gun-boat coming out of Dantzig is stated to Lave attacked the Surveillante on the 
night of the 30th July, but without any result. 
2 See table, p. 483. 
