DEFENCE OF ESTUARIES, ETC., AGAINST TORPEDO-BOAT ATTACK. 525 
ever it may be, for a few 3-prs. or possibly 6-prs. on a platform 
vibrating like the strikes of an electric bell, may be disregarded as 
boding any danger to the defence. They arrive among the shipping, 
those of them which have not run aground at least, they must surely 
slacken speed now, and look about for something worth blowing up, 
for if they continue rushing on at 21 knots their bold enterprise will 
end by crashing into a few colliers or coasting vessels, which will 
hardly repay the cost of the boats lost. However, the port would 
scarcely have been selected for attack unless the enemy had reliable 
information that a valuable battle-ship or cruiser was lying there. The 
torpedo-boats slacken speed then as they come into the harbour and, 
making for their objective, prepare to discharge their torpedoes at her. 
Probably she has her nets down and in any case she will make it pretty 
lively for the boats with quick-firing and machine gun fire. It is un¬ 
likely that a solitary British ship would put into Harwich unless 
disabled in some way; when lying there to refit temporarily, she would 
surely improvise a boom to protect herself from torpedo attack, and 
would organise every arrangement necessary to prevent being sur¬ 
prised. The torpedo-boats have practically no men to land, in order 
to set fire to warehouses, wharves, etc.; a picquet of the local volun¬ 
teers would be sufficient to guard against any thing of this nature. 
And then their return ? It is just getting daylight perhaps, and the 
forts are now all thoroughly aroused, batteries manned, and infantry 
lining the parapet with their magazine rifles. I think neither boats 
nor crews would ever see that continental port again, whence they 
emerged the afternoon before to set out on their forlorn hope. 
There are places, however, where the conditions are extremely favor¬ 
able to torpedo-boat attack; I do not think they are many, but Malta 
is undoubtedly one of them. The means of detection by day-light 
requires no comment; half-an-hour’s warning of their approach is more 
than sufficient in the day-time ; but by night the difficulty is very 
greatly increased. The electric light is our only resource and that, I 
fear, leaves much to be desired. 
I cannot quite follow Captain Wray in his analogy of the field army 
and its requirements in the matter of outposts. It must be remem¬ 
bered that our fleet is the field army and guards its own front and line 
of communications; we are at the base of operations, and our outpost 
line may be proportionately restricted. As Defence Committees have 
drawn up for each of our coaling stations, the best way of meeting 
every probable form of attack, I do not care to discuss the best method 
of employment of the electric light as applied to any particular locality. 
The fixed beams and the broad belt of light proposed by Captain Wray 
seem to me eminently sound, but I am not quite sure that I should 
be very liberal with the search-lights (movable beams) ; these latter 
are two-edged weapons, dangerous to friend as well as foe unless very 
carefully regulated. 
As regards the means to be adopted for defeating these fast torpedo- 
boats, I believe the quick-firing gun is the weapon to rely upon. It 
would be interesting to know upon what foundation Captain Wray 
bases his distrust, or rather disbelief, in the power of this handy little 
gun to deal with fast travelling boats. 
