The Herreshoff Brothers and their Torpedo Boats, Part VI: Herreshoff Success- US Navy Purchase of STILETTO, 1886-1895

March 24, 2022

The Herreshoff Brothers and their Torpedo Boats, Part VI: Herreshoff Success- US Navy Purchase of STILETTO, 1886-1895

A series of papers on bringing innovation to the "New Navy"

by John Palmieri

See on-line THE HERRESHOFF CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ for detailed information on HMCo. # vessels including photos, half model images and descriptive documents

Figure 1- The 94-foot yacht STILETTO (HMCo #118) as sailed in 1885 with sail rig, pilot house, and tall raked funnel showing transition to the "large" boiler exposed above deck. (Stebbins photo.)

Introduction: 1886-1895

1886 begins a ten-year period of increased activity for Herreshoff, Admiral Porter, the US Navy, and the Congress. In the first year alone, the Herreshoff brothers convert STILETTO to its torpedo boat configuration, earning Navy support for its purchase; Admiral Porter, fighting for his torpedo cruiser, extolls the merits of the "Herreshoff System of Boilers" and champions blind John Brown Herreshoff as a "man of great genius… gifted with remarkably clear sight as regards the steam engineering of vessels of war."; and Congress finally appropriates funds for the first sea-going torpedo boat. While the three stories run simultaneously through the decade, for clarity, we will present them separately in the order that they generally play out. [1]

● Part 6- Herreshoff Success- US Navy Purchase of STILETTO: 1886-1895

● Part 7- Admiral Porter & Herreshoff- Surprising End to the Torpedo Cruiser Story: 1886-1895

● Part 8- US Navy’s First Sea-Going Torpedo Boat CUSHING- Herreshoff Success and Frustration: 1886-1895

The story of the Herreshoff torpedo boats is occurring against the backdrop of efforts by the US Navy, naval strategists, presidential administrations, and the Congress to develop what Secretary William C. Whitney termed a "creditable new navy". [2] [3] Naval strategists led by Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan postulated that a navy developed for commerce raiding and defense of our coasts was not sufficient. A nation’s greatness was directly related to its naval strength consisting not only of a modern "fleet-in-being", but also an economic infrastructure featuring domestic production, foreign commercial trade, a national steel shipbuilding industry, and colonies- the latter to include the acquisition of strategic bases.[4]

THE ABCD ships contracted with John Roach provided sufficient impetus to foster domestic production of ship’s steel plating. (Up to that time steel plating was imported.) In 1885 Secretary Whitney directed the discontinuance of all purchases of armor and gun steel abroad. Accepting a delay in warship construction, he accumulated in one contract a sufficient quantity of all the requirements, provided the winning bidder erect a domestic plant capable of producing to the highest European standards. Success was achieved in June 1887 in the signing of a contract with the Bethlehem Iron Company.[5] [6] [7] [8]

In the organizational battles the Appropriation Act of March 1885 increased the stature of the Naval Advisory Board by granting it greater control over all decisions relating to building new warships, including authority to award contracts. Secretary Whitney placed the Chief of the Bureau Navigation, a line officer, to lead the Board now consisting of six members: two other line officers, two naval officer constructors and a civilian engineer. He appointed Chief Naval Constructor Theodore Wilson (Chief Bureau of Construction & Repair) to one of the constructor positions. He made the selection because of Wilson's credibility with Congress earned since becoming Chief in March 1882. Wilson would continue to serve as Chief until July 1893 and proved a staunch opponent to Whitney’s plans for Bureau consolidation, as well as a champion for Bureau in-house design of new ships.[9] The Bureaus were further strengthened when in the first session of the 49^th Congress (1885-6) the House Naval Affairs Committee gained control over naval appropriations including the detail structuring of money bills.[10]

By 1895 the ships in commission had more than doubled to over 100. New ships appropriated, under construction, or in commission included some eight battleships (including a smaller, slower coastline type, as well as more capable first-class ships), more than 27 steel cruisers, 15 gunboats, and the eight torpedo boats appropriated by Congress as listed in Table A. As can be seen "Increase of the Navy" did not just mean more ships. It included provisions for increased naval presence in the Pacific and ship construction away from the Atlantic coast because of its vulnerability to foreign blockade.

Table A

Annual Congressional Naval Appropriations for Torpedo Boats 1886-1895

Notes:

(1) Sources

a. Richard V. Simpson, Goat Island and the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station: Guncotton, Smokeless Powder and Torpedoes, (AMERICA THROUGH TIME, Foothills Media LLC. 2016) Appendix E, pp. 182-88.

b. Secretary of the Navy Annual Reports 1886-1895.

(2) Does not include submarine torpedo boats

Table A. Annual Congressional Naval Appropriations for Torpedo Boats 1886-1895

TB #	Date	Congress/Session	TB Appropriation Language
TB-1	Aug. 3, 1886	49^th First	Sea-going, cruising torpedo boat not to exceed $100,000.
WTB-1	Mar. 3. 1887	49^th Second	To enable the Secretary of the Navy to purchase the steamer STILETTO for use as a torpedo boat for experimental purposes, $25,000.
TB-2	June 30, 1890	51^st First	Increase of the Navy: one swift torpedo cruiser of about 750 tons displacement, at a cost, exclusive of armament, not to exceed $350,000, to have a maximum speed of not less than twenty-three knots; and one torpedo boat not to exceed $125,000.
TB-3, 4, & 5	July 26, 1894	53^rd Second	Secretary of the Navy is authorized to use the $450,000 "for the construction of one additional cruiser of the (pneumatic dynamite) Vesuvius type" as appropriated by the Act of Mar 2^nd, 1889, or so much as may be necessary for the construction, armament and equipment of three torpedo boats, to cost, altogether, not more than said $450,000.
TB-6, 7, & 8	Mar. 2, 1895	53^rd Third	Increase of the Navy:… and in each case the contract shall be awarded by the Secretary to the lowest best responsible bidder; and three torpedo boats, at a cost of not exceeding $175,000 each; and subject to the provisions hereinafter made, one seagoing battleship and one of said torpedo boats shall be built on or near the coast of the Pacific Ocean, or in the waters connecting there with, and one torpedo boat on the Mississippi River, and one torpedo boat on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico; and in the construction of all said vessels all of the provisions of the Act of August 3, 1886.

In 1886, and the 10 years to follow, there was something else afoot in Bristol. The beginnings of the HMCo’s unrivaled fame as a designer and builder of fast innovative sailing vessels. That summer Capt. Nat (Age 38) joined the afterguard aboard the Edward Burgess designed America’s Cup Defender, MAYFLOWER, for both the defender trials and the successful Americas Cup defense that followed. A precursor to the brother’s America’s Cup successes beginning in 1893 and new opportunities resulting from Capt. Nat’s first fin-keeler the 1891 DILEMMA (HMCo #491), the complete domination of the NYYC 46-foot class by GLORIANA (HMCo #492) in the same year, and a run of one-design classes beginning in 1894 with the Larchmont Class.

Selling STILETTO to the Navy

The Process

Building STILETTO as a yacht on speculation was the first of four steps required to sell the vessel to the Navy and Congress as a torpedo boat. Second was to document and implement the torpedo boat configuration; third conduct performance trials to the satisfaction of the Navy; and finally, agree on a price.

STILETTO in the Torpedo Boat Configuration

John Brown Herreshoff (in 1886 age 45) kept the yacht STILETTO (Figure 1) in the news through the early fall of 1885. Little news followed until June 1886 when a newly configured STILETTO (Figure 2) burst forth on the front page of the New York Times in a dramatic reporting of the New York Yacht Club’s 41st Regatta.[11]

"A great fleet of vessels gathered in the Bay to see the contest. Conspicuous among them was the little phenomenon the STILETTO. She has had her masts taken out, her pilot house removed, her smokestack cut down, and has been painted lead color, so that she has now a more sinister appearance than ever." Later commenting on the races conducted during threatening weather and heavy rain, "…a great, gray gloom settled upon the ocean… Suddenly there was a vision of flying foam, thrown wildly out in tumbled masses of yeasty spume; a quivering column of oily, black smoke; a lightning streak of dull gray, and something had gone rushing like a mad fiend through the ghastly gloom. It was that incarnation of marine deviltry, the STILETTO, tearing away to the westward, as if the gates of purgatory were yawning behind her. Nothing ever looked more weird than she did then. For a moment she distracted attention from the race, and then she vanished."

Figure 2- STILETTO in torpedo boat configuration as observed at the NYC 41^st Regatta. Photo believed taken June 17, 1886. Source John S. Johnston "Stiletto [Herreshoff #118p]." Photograph, negative number 112. Also available from Collection of the U.S. National Archives negative no. 844: "Stiletto (Wooden Torpedo Boat). Starboard Side." https://catalog.archives.gov/id/512900

Developing the Torpedo Boat Configuration

We believe that sometime in 1885, Capt. Nat prepared the undated drawing, Figure 3, Sea Cruising 94 Feet Torpedo Boat.[12] It shows STILETTO’s arrangement in the torpedo boat configuration without spars; a small conning tower replacing the yacht pilot/deckhouse (Capt. Nat referred to this structure in his trials book as a "deck saloon".); a shorter vertical funnel replacing the taller, raked yacht funnel atop what appears to be a smaller, shorter square boiler contained completely below the main deck; and officer and crew accommodations below, with torpedo storage compartment in the hull aft.

Figure 3- STILETTO Sea Cruising 94 Feet Torpedo Boat Built by Herreshoff MFG. Co. Capt. Nat Herreshoff Drawing HMCo 4-34; HH.5.216 (c. 1885) Showing changes in arrangement from yacht to torpedo boat configuration. Small conning tower and vertical funnel replacing yacht type deckhouse and taller raked funnel. Square boiler of smaller size contained completely below the main deck. Source Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum.

STILETTO's "Smaller Boiler"

In the press there was confusion as to the type and size boiler installed in STILETTO. Most reports in 1885 stated STILETTO was fit with a "coil" boiler. For example, the normally accurate Forest and Stream, reported "a coil boiler 7ft. square".[13] The HMCo Production record and STILETTO drawings are all consistent in listing and showing a square boiler, but not in identifying its size. In June 1886, with STILETTO in the configuration of Figure 2, Capt. Nat recorded STILETTO trials with a "smaller boiler". [14] Research summarized in Table B confirms that STILETTO was built in 1885 with a 7 ft. x 7 ft. square boiler and that as part of the conversion to the torpedo boat configuration it was replaced by a smaller 66 in. x 66 in. square boiler. The table compares an 1885 description of the boiler in the yacht STILETTO with the boiler as found by a Navy trial board of the torpedo boat configured STILETTO in July 1886. (Both descriptions can be found in the HERRESHOFF CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ.)

Table B- Comparison STILETTO Square Boilers- 1885 [15] versus “smaller” 1886 [16]

Boiler	1885	1886	Comment
Outside dimensions	sheet iron box 7ft. square	66 in. square
Inside Fire box dimension/pipe bundle outside dimension	Inside Fire box 6ft-3in square	Pipes- ten flats of pipes 58 in. square	Outside dimension of pipes should be about same as inside firebox dimension.
Vertical arrangement of pipes	Seven "sets" decreasing in diameter from 3½ in. to 1½ in.	Ten "flats" decreasing in diameter from 3 1/2 in. to 1 ½ in. Two flats of each diameter.	1885 boiler unclear whether "sets" are a single row of pipes of each diameter, or two rows as in the 1886 "flats".
Heating surface	615 sq ft	552 sq ft
Grate Surface	?	21 sq ft
Max working pressure	160 psi	During Navy trials averaged steam pressure at full power, fire room not pressurized 143.5 psi. With fire room pressurized (i.e. forced draft) ranged between 149-170 psi.	Max design working pressure probably the same.
Boiler weight	13,637 lbs.	10,343 lbs.

No Herreshoff record of the reason for the change has been found. (At that time the expected life of a well-designed and maintained boiler in torpedo boat

service was about five years.) The change did improve resistance to battle damage by placing the complete boiler under the protection of the main deck and the 3300 pounds saved allowed for increased coal storage or added weight margin for the torpedo outfit. The change was probably made for these reasons. Whatever the reason the change did not last long; the large boiler was reinstalled, and we know this because Capt. Nat ran a new trial with the "large original boiler" on July 25, 1887. [17] That is why the photos taken after delivery to the Navy, such as Figure 4, show a taller funnel than that in Figure 2.

STILETTO Trials of 1886

On June 10 & 12, 1886 Capt. Nat conducted his own trials of STILETTO "Fitted) for Torpedo Boat" with the "smaller boiler". They were more extensive than trials he had conducted, in the "yacht configuration" the preceding year (May 1, 1885). Trials were run at various steam pressures, under forced and normal draft, with soft and hard coal. One generalization that can be made- the smaller boiler did reduce speed.[18]

On June 29, 1886, Secretary of the Navy Whitney appointed a board to assemble on July 2^nd, "to be present at all the trials which the (HMCo) might desire to make with the torpedo boat ‘STILETTO’ … to report the result of the examinations and to express an opinion as to whether the boat embodies the qualities which a modern torpedo boat should possess". The four- member Board led by CDR W. T. Sampson, Inspector of Ordnance- In Charge of the Torpedo Station, included LCDR George Converse, then Assistant Inspector in Ordnance and instructor of high-speed engines, another line officer CDR R. H. McCalla, and Assistant Naval Constructor Lewis Nixon. There was no steam engineer on the Board. [19]

The Board's report of July 10, 1886 included a detail description of STILETTO's construction and equipment, an assessment of key points considered for torpedo boat service, results of several speed trials over a measured mile, a three-hour full power trial and a maneuvering trial all conducted on July 2^nd & 3^rd, plus a run to Block Island in rough seas. The mean speed over the measured mile course was 22.898 knots, requiring an estimated 560 hp. On July 9, while out with a pleasure party, an engine crank pin bolt failed causing the low-pressure piston to be driven through its cylinder; the estimated one month to repair prevented further trials. The Board concluded; [20]

● "The boat appears in all respects quite equal to any foreign built torpedo boat of her size. Although built of wood she shows no signs weakness after considerable hard steaming."

● "…this boat embodies the qualities which a modern torpedo boat should possess. But we are also of the opinion that the defect in the present boiler feeding arrangements should be corrected and in future such boat should have independent feed pumps." (The feed pumps ran off the main engine; difficulty occurred at very high pressures and above 20 knots.)

● "…the type of boiler used in this boat is well adapted to a torpedo boat."

● "Although great care and skill is used in the construction of the hull of Mr. Herreshoff’s boats, and although they have shown strength and lightness combined, we are of the opinion that steel would prove a better material then wood, if the comparison were extended over a considerable number of years."

The press reported the Board as praising STILETTO's performance and comparing favorably with boats built abroad, especially for its 90-foot length and that Herreshoff was "asking about $25,000".[21] In August 1886 Secretary Winslow again visited Bristol and in October John B. Herreshoff stated STILETTO "was going into the service of the United States Government".[22]

Secretary of the Navy Whitney- (1886) "Occurrences of the Year"

In his annual report Secretary Whitney, under the above heading listed two important torpedo boat occurrences of 1886;[23]

1. Other naval powers are successfully applying the technique of using a "squadron of evolution" to advance the study naval warfare. Maneuvers by English and French squadrons of evolution have demonstrated that the 100-110 foot torpedo boats, hitherto thought capable, are too small for open sea and must be restricted to coasts and harbors. Beyond the coastline requires a boat of 130-150 feet and a displacement of 90-150 tons. This affected the requirement for sea-going torpedo boat (TB-1) authorized by Congress in 1886 and to be covered in Part 8 of this series.

2. A board appointed to examine and report adaptability of Herreshoff’s STILETTO for torpedo boat service had found, "the STILETTO embodied the qualities which a modern torpedo boat should possess, although they suggested certain improvements for future boats." (The primary recommendation was steel construction rather than wood.) He then quoted the results of the steam trials, noting "they were "exceedingly satisfactory, and when the small type (but 90 feet length)… is considered they compare most favorably with those of boats built abroad."

In March 1887 Congress appropriated the $25,000 to purchase STILETTO for "experimental purposes". (Table A) She was refitted, painted a dark olive green for stealthy night attack (similar to that used abroad) and re-trialed for acceptance. The Navy required 18 knots at full load displacement; STILETTO made 19. Per Capt. Nat’s diary she was turned over to the Navy on May 28, 1888.[24]

STILETTO (WTB-1) in US Navy Service

Figure 4 Sailors aboard the USS Stiletto (WTB-1) in Newport harbor ca. 1888 with large boiler installed and prior to being fitted in 1890 with a bow torpedo tube for testing the Howell torpedo. Source: Southern Methodist University, DeGolyer Library, George Albert Converse Papers and Photographs, 1861-1897, Box 2, Folder 8a, Mss 00068.

STILETTO (WTB-1) Initial Operations- Torpedo Station Newport

STILETTO (HMCo 118) was the Torpedo Station’s second high-speed torpedo boat; the first delivered 12 years earlier; Herreshoff’s spar torpedo boat LIGHTNING (HMCo #20). STILETTO was immediately put to work through the summer of 1888 supporting the torpedo school’s summer course of instruction and developing tactics such as simulated night attacks from sea on ships at anchor in Newport Harbor. Classroom studies were expanded to include "Herreshoff high speed engines and boilers" and new practical factors to be mastered by student officers included operation of the STILETTO. CDR C. F. Goodrich, President of STILETTO’s trial board and OIC of the Torpedo Station, reported, "STILETTO has been underway a good deal- in smooth water and rough- by night as well as by day. The experience is invaluable. If an automobile torpedo and launching tube were mounted on her deck, she would be as efficient for all the purpose of experiment and instruction as if she were a first-class sea-going torpedo boat."[25] Nice thought, but for the fact that in 1888, unlike the navies of Europe, the U.S. Navy did not have a workable automobile torpedo.

STILETTO (WTB-1) and Development of the Howell Torpedo [26]

In Part 3, "LIGHTNING: A Win for the HERRESHOFF SYSTEM" we covered the founding of the Newport Torpedo Station and the Torpedo Corps of line officers with complete responsibility for the development of the torpedo weapon system including the torpedo boat. In 1886 a Torpedo Board was established at Newport to carry out a congressional mandate of that year to develop torpedoes "of domestic manufacture". Numerous designs were tested including a rocket and an electric torpedo, before selecting the American Howell and the British/European Whitehead for development, qualification and production, with the Howell being first in line.

Figure 5- Howell torpedo on display at the Naval War College Museum (U.S. Navy photo)

The Howell Torpedo

Description

The propeller-driven Howell torpedo, first patented in 1871, was powered by a 110 lb. steel flywheel that was spun up by a shipboard auxiliary steam turbine prior to launch to 10,000 RPM. By 1888 prototypes had demonstrated a range of 600 yards, achieving 24 knots over the first 200 yards and good directional stability due to the gyroscopic action of the flywheel. Eight feet long, with a nominal diameter of 14 inches, and weighing 325 lbs. it carried an explosive charge of 70 lbs. Its advantages over the Whitehead torpedo were a wakeless trajectory, and lighter weight, and greater explosive charge. Its principal disadvantage was that the flywheel had to be kept running at full speed when an enemy was encountered, and this time was limited by oil supply to about 30 minutes.[27]

Production

In March 1888 Howell, a US Navy officer, placed "all business as to manufacture, purchase, trial, etc., … in the hands of the Hotchkiss Ordnance Company" of Providence, RI. In January 1889 the Navy placed a production order with Hotchkiss for 30 Howell torpedoes, 10 to be delivered by July 1890. Production delays, torpedo losses in preliminary trials and redesigns required by early failures mounted. By 1893 only 7 had been presented for official trial. In the following year 21 were ready for the official trials, with only 2 accepted. Eventually 50 were delivered before the decision was made in 1897 to produce only the Whitehead torpedo.

Figure 6- STILETTO configured with bow torpedo tube. Not shown is a trainable torpedo tube mounted on the after deck. Now more than an experimental vessel, "really a torpedo boat, capable of servicing war." Source- E. A. G. Smith Photo 1898. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Box no. HAFH.6.7B, acc. no. HH.6.157.

Figure 7 STILETTO launching a Howell torpedo from the pivot deck mount torpedo tube. Source US Navy photo, undated.

Trials

All Hotchkiss preliminary (company) trials and the official Navy acceptance trials were conducted by STILETTO on a company test range in Tiverton north of the recently removed. railway bridge. A bow launch tube for the Howell torpedo was fitted in STILETTO by Hotchkiss in 1889-90 and a center pivot deck mount launch tube was placed on the deck aft in 1891. Trials tested the torpedo, launching apparatus and handling equipment. STILETTO was in constant use in 1892 conducting tests perfecting the torpedo. Torpedo Board acceptance trials began July 15, 1893 and continued as Howell torpedoes became available. Each torpedo was tested three times for speed, depth control and accuracy for a range of 400 yards, when launched from STILETTO steaming at 18 knots. Special noise tests were run in 1895 to determine whether the noise of the auxiliary turbine and spinning flywheel could be detected before that of STILETTO’s underway noise; it could not.[28]

When not conducting trials or training, STILETTO conducted special missions such as 12-hour high-speed trips delivering 2 tons of smokeless powder at a time to New York ammunition depots. No tests were run in the winter when STILETTO was hauled on the station’s marine railway for maintenance that usually included some boiler tube repairs. Subjected to "unremitting hard service", often under forced draft, her machinery performed well. In 1890 after more than five years’ service (as a yacht and torpedo boat) hull and engines were in excellent condition, but the boiler had to be replaced. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued to provide a water tube boiler similar to the Thornycroft three-drum torpedo boat boiler, then being offered by Herreshoff, but at hopefully lower cost. (Herreshoff first application of the Thornycroft boiler in CUSHING (TB-1) is covered in Part 8.) The new boiler installed in 1891 was built by the Almy Water-Tube Boiler Co. of Providence. Darwin Almy (1848-1916) had entered Herreshoff employment in 1878, rising to superintendent of the boiler shop. He left in 1890 to form his own company, building boilers to newly issued patents. The Almy boiler resembled the Thornycroft but had a lower first cost and was designed for easier parts replacement. The first engine overhaul was accomplished the following winter. [29]

In 1892 the officer in charge of the Torpedo Station confidently wrote that STILETTO was now more than an experimental vessel, but "really a torpedo boat, capable of servicing war." [30] [31]

STILETTO (WTB-1) In Summary

The Herreshoff brothers had done well by the Navy with STILETTO- much more than the Navy could have expected, from a shipbuilder of the day, even in their most optimistic projections.

● Created in an efficient, low resistance hull form, developed by extensive state-of-the-art model testing in 1880, a capability BuC&R’s uniformed naval constructors would not acquire for themselves until Congress funded the Washington Experimental Basin in 1900.

● Built STILETTO at their own expense, demonstrating superior performance and sustained high speed as a yacht, and after conversion to torpedo boat configuration, again at their expense, speed and seakeeping ability at least equal to that of the best in the more advanced navies.

● Continued to work with two boiler sizes to optimize performance.

● Delivered for a price that was reasonable and readily obtainable from Congress.

Herreshoff had delivered to the US Navy, its only high-speed torpedo boats LIGHTNING and STILETTO. Additionally, they had consistently opened the Bristol works to US Navy tests and inspections of their latest innovations. In their eyes they had earned the right to be considered a preferred source for future torpedo boat requirements. And if we believe that is too strong a statement, we can certainly agree they were due a measure of "respect" and continuing consideration in the matter of torpedo boats. Let’s see how well that worked for them.

Next in Part 7 we continue looking at the years 1886- 1895, reintroducing Admiral of the Navy David Dixon Porter (1813-1891), his last attempt for the torpedo cruiser and his support for the "Herreshoff System of Boilers".

[1] Quotes from “Report of the Secretary of The Navy, William C. Whitney Dec. 1, 1886.” P.16. & “App. No. 3 Report of the Admiral of The Navy, David Dixon Porter. November 15, 1886.” P. 57. Annual Report of The Secretary of the Navy with Accompanying Documents for the Year 1886. Washington GPO 1886.

[2] Report of the Secretary of the Navy Dec. 6, 1887, William C. Whitney”, Annual Report of The Secretary of the for the Year 1887. Washington GPO 1887. Pg. iii.

[3] Because of the importance of the activities creating and debating the formation of the “New Navy”, the House of Representatives, Committee on Naval Affairs, published a special record, List of US Public Documents and Reports Relating to the Construction of the NEW NAVY, also References to the Debates in Congress on the Subject; 1880-1901. (Wash DC, GPO, 1902) osu-32435002972008-5-1642619718.pdf

[4] Mahan served as President of the Naval War College from 1886-1889. His books, The influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 published in 1890, and The Influence of Sea Power Upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793–1812, published 1892 were influential in building support for a new navy.

[5] John R. Spears, The History of our Navy; from its origins to the End of the \War with Spain (1775 – 1898); Vol V War with Spain, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York 1902. Pg. 90. Also “Report of the Secretary of the Navy Dec. 6, 1887, William C. Whitney”, Pgs. iii-iv.

[6] “The Building of Warships; Annual Report of Secretary Whitney; The Poor Results Attained by the New Cruisers (i.e., the ABC cruisers)- Broad Plans for Making the Navy Stronger”, New York Times, Dec. 4, 1886.

[7] Sir Edward J. Reed, M.P. (late Chief Constructor of the British Navy) & Edward Simpson RADM USN (Late President US Naval Advisory Board), Modern Ships of War. (Harper & Brothers, New York, 1888) Pgs. 167-8. Provides specifics on John Roach actions to provide domestic steel plating for the ABCD ships.

[8] The purchase of quality domestic steel would remain a major problem for about 15 more years. Paul E. Pedisich, Congress Buys a Navy, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD. 2016. Pg. 62.

[9] Congress Buys a Navy. Pgs. 50-51.

[10] Congress Buys a Navy. Pg. 55.

[11] “Priscilla Wins Again…”, New York Times, June 18, 1886. Frontpage.

[12] Drawing HH.5.00206. Source Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum.

[13] "Stiletto." Forest and Stream, June 18, 1885, p. 418

[14] “STILETTO Trial Run Fitted for torpedo boat.” Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Experiments 1884 to 1889. June 10, 1886. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection, Herreshoff Marine Museum

[15] Source: Anon. "Stiletto." Scientific American, July 2, 1885, p. 459.

[16] Typed copy of Report of torpedo boat STILETTO inspection and trials to the Secretary of the Navy, July 10, 1886. CDR. W. T. Sampson USN, President of Board. Pages 6 & 7. The boiler information was later republished; George P. W. Holman, Lieut./USN “The Torpedo Boat Stiletto”, Scientific American, May 4, 1889. Pgs. 276-7.

[17] “STILETTO Trial Run” July 25, 1887. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Experiments 1884 to 1889. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection, Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE07_03520-31.

[18] “STILETTO Trial Run” May 1, 1885 & “STILETTO Trial Run Fitted for torpedo boat.” June 10 & 12, 1886. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Experiments 1884 to 1889. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection, Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE07_03520.

[19] Typed copy of Report of torpedo boat STILETTO inspection and trials to the Secretary of the Navy, July 10, 1886. CDR. W. T. Sampson USN, President of Board. 18 pages. A draft, 16-page undated handwritten copy of this report is also archived. The information in the two reports is identical, except that typed report contains two pages of tabular data recorded on July 2 & 3, 1886, during ten measured mile runs, and one three-hour full power run. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection, Herreshoff Marine Museum. MRDW02_03530.

[20] Idem

[21] Army Navy Journal Vol 23 July 17, 1886. p. 1047

[22] Newport Mercury Aug. 21, 1886. Secretary Whitney arrived in Newport Thursday Aug. 19 for Aug. 20 visit to Newport Training Station and from here he will go to Bristol. JBH statement, “The STILETTO’s Destiny; Mr. Herreshoff’s Prodigy Going into Government Service”, New York Times, Oct. 5, 1886.

[23] “Report of the Secretary of the Navy Dec. 1, 1886, William C. Whitney”, Annual Report of The Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1886. Washington GPO 1886. Pgs. 15-16.

[24] “The Stiletto." New York Tribune, July 19, 1887, p. 2. and "At the Herreshoffs. Nearly Thirty Miles an Hour Expected from Mr. Munro's Latest." Boston Globe, June 1, 1888, p. 4.

[25] “Torpedo Station Report”, C. F. Goodrich, Oct 27, 1888. Annual Report of The Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1888. Washington GPO 1888. Pgs. 205-6, 208, 211.

[26] Primary sources for this discussion on torpedo development are the Annual Reports of the Secretary of the Navy, 1890-95. Included within the annual compilation, are reports to the Secretary from each Bureau and lesser commands including US Naval Torpedo Station Newport, the Torpedo Board, and Newport’s Naval War College and Torpedo School. For further information see late Bristol historian Richard Simpson’s books Goat Island and the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station (2016) and Building the Mosquito Fleet: U.S. Navy’s First Torpedo Boats (2001), and also official Navy histories of the Torpedo Station.

[27] Thomas Wildenberg & Norman Polmar, Ship Killer: A History of the American Torpedo. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. 2010 pages 20-23. Howell torpedo specifications are for the 1888 prototype. The Howell Mark 1 model purchased 1889-94 was just over 11 feet long, weighed 518 lbs., carried an 82 lbs. explosive charge, and had a maximum range of 800 yards.

[28] STILETTO torpedo launch tube installations. “Naval Torpedo Station and War College Report; Oct 1, 1890 “, Secretary of the Navy Annual Report 1890, P. 267. And “Report of the Secretary of the Navy” Dec 3, 1891, B. F. Tracy P.17. and “Report Chief BuOrd”, Pgs. 218-9. Secretary of the Navy Annual Report 1891. And “Naval Torpedo Station Report “September 15, 1892, Secretary of the Navy Annual Report 1892.Pgs. 276-7.

[29] STILETTO boiler and engine. “Naval Torpedo Station and War College Report; Oct 1, 1890 “, Secretary of the Navy Annual Report 1890, P. 267. And “Report of the Secretary of the Navy” Dec 3, 1891, B. F. Tracy P.17, and “Report Chief BuOrd”, Pgs. 218-9., and “Naval Torpedo Station Report 1891”, Pg. 264. Secretary of the Navy Annual Report 1891. And “Naval Torpedo Station Report “September 15, 1892, Secretary of the Navy Annual Report 1892.Pgs. 276-7. Darwin Almy information from obituary in ASME Journal, 1916, Pg. 484.

[30] “Naval Torpedo Station Report, CDR Theo. F. Jewell, Inspector of Ordnance, In Charge“, September 15, 1892, Secretary of the Navy Annual Report 1892.Pg. 277.

[31] Some British torpedo statistics for comparison. They built 20 torpedo boats of the 84-foot HMS LIGHTNING Class inspected by Capt. Nat in 1879. (See Part 4, Figures 7 and 8) In 1883 the Admiralty requested Thornycroft and Yarrow provide new designs resulting in the four boat 113-foot class of 1884. The Thornycroft design displaced 64 tons and made 20 knots. The Yarrow design displaced 67 tons and made 18.75 knots. They were equipped with 1-2 bow torpedo tubes and one on deck aft. (Source www.dreadnoughtproject.org)

March 24, 2022

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