330. SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1895, 
are powerless to stop ships running past. A fleet so employed would 
- keep as far from the guns of the forts as possible, but the distance, and 
Bombard- 
ment. 
ROWE boat 
ttacks. 
Desultory 
Bombard- 
ment. 
Military 
Attacks. 
formation, of the attack must depend upon local conditions such as, 
state and extent of the channel, &c. There are very few places in the 
world where opportunity is afforded for this kind of attack, which is 
not intended to include such an operation as steaming past the forts at 
the entrance to a harbour only to come under the fire of the inner chain 
of forts. This method of attack therefore can be attempted only very 
occasionally as a definite operation, though to some degree it may enter 
into the operations of acombined Naval and Military attack on a Coast 
Fortress. 
-(3.). For the purpose of ravage and destruction. Attacks of this de- 
scription would take the form of: 
(a.) Bombardment. 
-(b.) Sudden inroads into harbours by small eraft, and torpedo 
boats. 
_ (a.) Bombardment. As the chief object is to inflict damage, not on 
the forts but on the property they defend, the fire must be at long 
range, and accurate, it seems likely therefore that specially constructed 
vessels carrying mortars, or howitzers, or long range ordnance of some 
description, will be employed rather than war vessels, and that they will 
be anchored in positions as far as possible from the forts and clear of 
their fire also, when possible. 
History gives frequent instances of this kind of attack. If ordinary 
war vessels are employed, the attack would be as already explained in 
(La.) 
(0.) The essence of this attack is surprise, and rapidity, torpedo 
boats, two or three together would appear suddenly before a coast fort- 
ress and proceed to run in, as rapidly as possible, past the defences 
into the inner waters, when they would be able to destroy with their 
torpedoes any ships lying at anchor, or in dock. Actual experience of 
this form of attack has necessarily not been extensive, but the little 
already known tends to show the ease with which such attacks can be 
carried out, and their extremely formidable nature. 
_ (4.) ‘To cover other operations, for moral effect ete. We might call 
this kind of attack desultory bombardment. It may be undertaken as 
an operation in itself, for moral effect, or to draw off attention to a 
distant part of the theatre of war, or it may be part of a regular attack, 
the object being to divert the defender’s attention from the main attack; 
but whatever the object, the action of the ships would be very similar 
and would consist of a long range bombardment under weigh. 
Minirary Attacks CoveRED AND Supportep sy SHIPs. 
(1.) With a view to conquest and occupation. These can only be 
conducted against the land defences of a fortress; if these latter are 
weak or badly manned they may be captured by assault, otherwise they 
will have to be beseiged in regular form. The covering Naval force 
would generally assist by bombarding the sea fronts at long ranges. 
