ENGIN. LIB.
VM
365
.053
1902
B 733,692

li
HEARINGS
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
ON
SUBMARINE BOATS.
3
Transportation
Library
VM
365
153
1902
Transportation
library
No. 123 ad.]
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MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT-STATEMENTS OF CLARENCE W.
DE KNIGHT, ESQ., COUNSEL, AND MR. THOMAS J. MORIARTY,
INVENTOR AND PRESIDENT OF THE NEWPORT MANUFACTUR-
ING COMPANY.
COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Washington, D. C., Thursday, May 22, 1902.
The Committee on Naval Affairs this day met at 10 o'clock a. m.,
Hon. Henry C. Loudenslager in the chair.
There appeared before the committee Mr. Thomas J. Moriarty,
president of the Newport Manufacturing Company, of Newport R. I.,
Mr. John T. Reagan, secretary and treasurer, and Mr. Clarence W.
De Knight, counsel for the company.
STATEMENT OF CLARENCE W. DE KNIGHT, ESQ., COUNSEL FOR
THE NEWPORT MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee,
I beg to invite the attention of the committee to an invention per-
fected and patented by Mr. Thomas J. Moriarty, a citizen of the
United States, and for many years one of the foremost torpedo experts
in the employ of the United States Navy. This invention constitutes
a submarine boat capable of performing effective offensive and defen-
sive work, and operated and controlled by one man. It is a stage
farther in submarine boat development, and gives promise, capable of
performance, of serving as a formidable arm of the Government.
A DISTINCT FIELD FOR SUBMARINE BOATS.
Even by the most hostile of the ultraconservatives of the world's
navies the admission is made that there is a distinct field for the sub-
marine boat. That Great Britain is convinced of the necessity of add-
ing submarine boats to her navy is shown by the construction of a
number of such boats by the British Admiralty. France has a formid-
able fleet of submarine craft. Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, and
Japan have taken measures to equip themselves with this weapon of
the sea.
QUALITIES OF OFFENSE AND DEFENSE.
All nations are participating in the development of submarine con-
struction by encouraging inventors to produce a craft combining the
necessary qualities of safety, endurance, speed, and offense. Mr.
Moriarty came to the conclusion years ago that the torpedo is pri-
5
6
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
marily a submarine boat, and
working upon this theory he has brought
to a state of efficiency what I shall term a “one-man torpedo boat.”
This boat combines the qualities of offense and defense. It is capable
of defending harbors and of operating from a fleet when an enemy
appears. Its weight is less than a ton, and it can therefore be carried
on the deck of any vessel of the United States Navy ranging in size
from a torpedo boat to a battle ship.
ITS DESIGN AND OPERATION.
The boat which Mr. Moriarty has designed is simple, compact,
practically invisible, economical in cost, easy of operation, performs
automatically, and is absolutely safe. It is of such small weight that
it can be readily lowered from the deck of a man-of-war or a collier,
and by means of a conning tower, which just appears above the water,
the man operating it can sight and steer toward the enemy. The boat
is operated either by engine or man power. When near the hostile
craft, if it be necessary, the touching of a lever brings into play some
of the motive power stored in the torpedo. As this torpedo is attached
to the keel of the boat, the temporary operation of the torpedo's pro-
pelling engine will accelerate the boat's speed. When within striking
distance and it is desired to effect the explosion, the torpedo is released.
In order to secure ample power for propulsion the boat is equipped,
in addition to its gasoline engine, with an ingenious bicycle arrange-
ment worked by man power which can propel the boat at a speed of
from four to six miles an hour.
COST AND MR. MORIARTY'S PROPOSAL.
The cost of constructing the boat is so inconsiderable that it is well
worthy the consideration of the committee whether it would not be
advisable to adopt Mr. Moriarty's proposal, which is to authorize the
construction of one of his boats for experimental purposes at an initial
cost of $15,000. Every succeeding boat will, it is estimated, cost from
$5,000 to $7,500.
LEGISLATION REQUESTED.
It is, therefore, respectfully requested that your committee recom-
mend the enactment of substantially the following provision:
“The Secretary of the Navy may, in his discretion, contract with
the Newport Manufacturing Company of Newport, R. I., for the con-
struction of a submarine boat to be built under the patents of Thomas
J. Moriarty, said boat to be constructed under the direction of the
inventor and the supervision of the Navy Department; and for the
purpose of constructing said boat and conducting experiments in con-
nection therewith, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, or so much
thereof as may be necessary is hereby appropriated.”
This provision leaves it entirely within the discretion of the Secre-
tary of the Navy to authorize the building of one of these boats if the
plans of Mr. Moriarty seem to justify such action, in which event the
boat will be built under the direction of the inventor and the super-
vision of the Navy Department.
>
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
7
ENCOURAGEMENT OF INVENTORS.
ors.
It has ever been the policy of the United States to encourage invent-
This policy has made the nation foremost in the industrial world.
It has not, however, been extended so freely to the Navy, perhaps
because conservatism has been an impediment. The submarine field
has at last been entered, and it behooves your committee to take advan-
tage of American development in this branch of naval science.
MR. MORIARTY'S EXPERIENCE AND INVENTIONS.
Mr. Moricrty does not come before your committee as a nonexpert
or as a man without recognition in the Navy. He was employed for
eight years at the torpedo station of the United States Navy at New-
port, R. I., as instrument maker, repairing and adjusting Whitehead,
Howell, and other torpedoes. Since going into business for himself he
has been given numerous orders by the commandants of the Newport
torpedo station, and has invented a torpedo locator, which indicates the
position of a torpedo lost in the water. He has likewise invented a
depth and rolling register, which automatically records on a roll of
paper the movements of a torpedo while beneath the surface. The
Government was so impressed with the value of these inventions that
it has them in use. Mr. Moriarty now appears with a submergible
boat, combining qualities, as I have stated, which should commend it
to your committee.
ADVISABILITY OF BUILDING ONE BOAT.
>
The members of the committee will, I hope, consider that it is advis-
able to build at least one inexpensive and simple boat of the type pro-
posed by Mr. Moriarty, a boat which possesses the ability to operate
at sea as well as from a shore base.
If this appropriation is made, and experts are sent to supervise the
building of the craft, it is believed that progressive developments will
take place which will result in the Government being furnished with a
boat that will be of substantial value not only to every battle ship but
to the defense of our harbors and isolated ports.
Mr. Moriarty will explain the boat in its details.
STATEMENT OF MR. THOMAS J. MORIARTY, PRESIDENT OF THE
NEWPORT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, NEWPORT, R. I.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. In your own way tell the committee about your
invention.
WHAT IS CLAIMED.
Mr. MORIARTY. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, my
object is to produce a small compact submarine boat which, if desira-
ble, can be taken on board ship. I do not claim the whole field for it,
or anything of the kind, but I claim it is a boat which you can use in
a great many fields where you can not use other boats.
8
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
WEIGHT.
This boat, I calculate, will weigh approximately 1,200 pounds. I
simply give this weight as a trial weight, as no matter what weight
is given it will be in the line of an experiment. By trying the weight
submitted we can determine whether it is better to increase or decrease
the size of future boats of this type, which can readily be done, and
not depart from the general spirit and principle of the original plans
submitted. Every appliance in this boat is one that has been used in
one way or another in connection with torpedoes.
DESCRIPTION.
The boat is ellipsoid shaped in form, its two diameters being about
one-fourth and one-half of its length. Since nearly all the auxiliaries
are installed near the bottom of the boat its stability is very great, and
there can be no tendency to roll over.
In order to secure buoyancy for this boat I not only have a drop
keel, but I have a tank of mercury stored carefully in the bottom of
the boat. By means of a small valve, which is at the command of the
man in the boat, a valve can be opened which will permit the mercury
to run into the sea almost instantaneously.
In order to protect the man in charge of the boat from the rubbing
and chafing that is incidental to his work he is provided with a pneu-
matic vest, which might also be used as a life-preserver. This vest
can be inflated at will by the man in the boat.
There is practically an automatic arrangement for opening the con-
ning-tower hatch in times of emergency, so it is practically impossible
to lock a man in the boat, thus insuring his protection from such a
danger.
As in the case of all small boats, the efficiency of this craft will
depend upon the character of the construction employed as well as the
nerve and skill of the operator. Boats of practically this form of hull
construction are used by the United States life-saving stations. They
are launched in the roughest surfs when ships are in distress, and when
the imperiled vessel can not be reached by the breeches buoy or by
any
other type of boat. Throughout my boat is designed on scientific
principles.
A TORPEDO SIMPLY A SUBMARINE BOAT.
I look upon a torpedo as simply a submarine boat. It is one pure
and simple, and nothing more, as it carries on its bow a charge of high
explosive matter. When this explosive comes in contact with or in
collision with a boat or submerged object it is exploded by impact.
The after body and internal mechanism of the torpedo are merely use-
ful as a conveyor of the explosive to the point of contact.
If you will kindly turn to a dictionary you will see that the defini-
tion of a torpedo is an explosive.
If this is true, then in a Whitehead torpedo the war head is the
explosive charge proper, the air chamber is the fuel tank, and the
after body is the motor compartment. The air chamber and after
body comprise the submarine boat, while the fore part is simply the
explosive. When the exercise head is on the Whitehead torpedo you
simply possess a submarine boat having no torpedoes on board.
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
9
TRANSITION FROM A TORPEDO TO A SUBMARINE BOAT.
a
The transition from a Whitehead torpedo to a submarine boat should
not require many stages of development, and I believe that this pro-
gression can be made in fewer steps than would be realized until one
has given much study to the question. The conveying medium of the
Whitehead appliance is the boat, while the explosive is the cargo.
Any naval officer who is familiar with the operation of the White-
head torpedo will upon reflection, see the advantages arising from
putting a man in the afterbody and thereby insuring the working
of the several appliances, instead of depending upon mechanical move-
ments that are presumed to work automatically.
ADVANTAGES OF A MAN TO GUIDE THE TORPEDO.
By having a man in the afterbody he would be able to correct the
deflection and guide it to the nearest point of vantage. Instead of
using automatic features to guide it we use an intelligent man and put
him inside the boat. As I said, the weight of this boat will be about
1,200 pounds and it can run any distance under water required, but
probably it will mostly run on the surface.
WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE.
When somewhere near the possible striking distance of the torpedo
(as it is to be understood that this boat can run very close to the line
and not be seen, as only the air pipe is out of the water) the man can
practically operate awash and be submerged only enough to control his
course without being himself seen at a distance.
The distance of discharge depends greatly on the nerve of the oper-
ator. You can not lay down any distance other than the extreme limit
of the run of the torpedo. The safety of the operator must be pro-
vided for from shock of explosion when the torpedo strikes the ship.
EXPLOSION OF TORPEDO IN CLOSE RANGE.
I would like to say right here that the question of danger to the
operator was raised some years ago when the Holland people were
exploiting their boat.
The question was then raised as to what would happen if this boat
came in close range of the ship and exploded one of her torpedoes.
Seemingly some one claimed that anywhere in the striking range of
the torpedo it would hurt the Holland herself. Now, to determine the
effect of large discharges of explosives under the water on boats of
this kind and its effect on human life, the torpedo authorities at the
Newport Naval Station had constructed a large tank in the shape of a
cigar, and it had many compartments.
In these compartments they placed different kinds of animals-cats,
dogs, and even birds—and sank the tank to the required depth. An
extremely heavy charge of explosive was placed within 500 feet of the
tank and fired. When they raised the tank to the surface they found
that the animals had apparently not suffered in the least. Then they
submerged the tank again and moved it in closer and tried again, and
found the result the same to living objects. They repeated this experi-
ment several times, moving the tank closer in each time, until finally
10
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
the sides of the tank or boat showed a slight depression, and the ani-
mals were stunned, but on coming to the open air all revived again.
At just what distance this took place I can not say, but it was much
closer to the ship than anyone suspected it was possible to go, and it
forever settled the question of how close they could approach an enemy
with boats of the type. I think a full record of this experiment was
kept and forwarded to the Department, and it can be found there at
any time, and also at the torpedo station at Newport, R. I., where the
experiment took place.
a
>
SUBMERGING CHAMBERS.
I would like to speak about these hydrostatic pistons. The sub-
merging chambers are not plainly shown on this drawing. When a
man gets inside of the boat he is supposed to get in [illustrating on
chart] while the boat is on the dock or on the davits or some other
convenient place for such purpose. The hatch cover is drawn over
and it is made tight by means of being forced into place by means of
a special lever installed for this particular purpose.
There are two submersion cylinders, placed tandem, but a short
distance apart. Instead of having covers for the cylinder ends facing
each other, there are two trunk pistons. By means of a toggle joint
these trunk pistons are forced into the cylinders, and in this manner
the water is expelled and the boat rises.
To submerge the boat you simply withdraw the pistons from the
cylinders and water rushes into the space thus obtained. This toggle
joint is worked by an elevating screw and handwheel.
Before the operator enters the boat the submersion chambers should
be emptied, and thus the full buoyancy secured. When these hydro-
static or trunk pistons are most widely separated the submersion
cylinders must necessarily be empty.
HYDROPLANES.
On each bow and on each quarter there is a hydroplane, and these
hydroplanes are all worked by one shaft. When the boat is in motion
you simply throw these hydroplanes down, if you desire to descend.
If the hydroplanes are moved upward there will be a tendency for the
boat to rise.
In order to regulate the working of the hydroplanes so that a desired
depth can be maintained, there is an additional hydrostatic piston whose
movement can be controlled by the man in the boat.
DEPTH OF SUBMERSION.
a
It may be said that the depth of the submersion is regulated in this
boat in practically the same manner as you regulate the submersion
in a Whitehead torpedo—and that is by the amount of tension on the
spring of the hydrostatic piston.
If it is desired to go at various depths and then to rise quickly, you
simply throw all tension upon the spring, and thus temporarily throw
the hydroplane hydrostat out of use.
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
11
NEVER NECESSARY TO UNSHIP VENTILATORS.
In the after part of the boat there is a third hydrostat which is con-
nected by levers to a metal stop valve. This stop valve seats on a
rubber base. The valve moves up and down a cylindrical ventilator.
The valve is both air and water tight, and is worked automatically.
In this boat you therefore never have to ship or unship your ventilators.
HERMETICALLY SEALING VENTILATOR.
Although the conning tower may be under water for a foot or two
the ventilator being still in place will admit fresh air to the man within
the boat. When you submerge to a still lower depth and just before the
ventilator is under water the pressure on the hydrostat hermetically seals
the ventilator by closing the stop valve and forcing it down upon the
rubber seat.
STAYING TIME UNDER WATER.
There is no claim made that the boat can stay down a week or even
a day, for surely some time during the night there would be a chance
to rise, so that it would not be necessary to stay down any such
lengthy period. The boat simply submerges to avoid the enemy.
HAND OR FOOT MOTIVE POWER.
After the boat is submerged we bring into play the mechanical con-
trivance that is operated by the man in the boat. This movement can
be described as one resembling that installed on a bicycle. It may not
be as graceful in appearance, but it is much more powerful and reliable,
and was especially selected to accomplish the specific purpose desired.
TORPEDO PROPULSION AS ADDITIONAL MOTIVE POWER.
In case you are not making sufficient speed by use of this tredle-
power the man in the boat is capable of working a rod mechanism
which at its outer extremity has a guard to cover the starting lever
and prevent any premature movement of same, and is so constructed
as to permit the starting lever to be raised or depressed at the will of
the operator. By moving the trigger or starting lever of the torpedo
you admit air, which has been compressed to a high pressure, to the
propelling engine of the torpedo. In other words, you put the torpedo
in motion. The torpedo, therefore, increases very materially the speed
of the boat instead of retarding her motion by the skin friction of
the hull.
It is possible for the man in the boat at any time to prevent the
compressed air in the torpedo from reaching the propelling engine.
It is within his power to regulate the distance that the propeller can
aid the boat. Of course, that is limited by the pressure and amount
of air that you had in the air chamber when you started operations.
RELEASING TORPEDO.
Within easy command of the man in the boat is a wheel to which is
attached a rod for releasing the Whitehead torpedo from its carrying
12
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
frame. The instant that the torpedo is released from the boat the
man changes the angle of the blades of the propeller and thus is able
to back the boat by his treadle or bicycle mechanical movement. I
am confident that the man in the boat can without injury to himself
discharge the torpedo 100 feet, or thereabout, from the object of
attack.
ONLY ONE MAN NECESSARY.
Mr. RIXEY. You say it is a one-man boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
Mr. Rixey. Suppose anything happens to the man, can you take an
extra man in that boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. I do not think it is necessary. My only reason is not
to increase the size of the boat and keep to the original one-man boat
if one man can do what I claim he can do. The Government can easily
order this boat suitable for two.
Mr. Rixey. Only one man?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
Mr. Rixey. And if anything happens to him your boat is useless ?
Mr. MORIARTY. The boat will be useless in that case, the same as in
all other cases, for in my opinion what could or would happen to him
could or would happen to as many as might be there, and by carrying
those extra men you endanger more lives than is necessary to accom-
plish the desired result.
WILL SAVE MEN-UNDER WATER NO PLACE FOR TRAINED OFFICERS.
I am not trying purely to save cost in this type of boat.
I am try-
ing more to save life, for if in the larger type of boat an accident hap-
pens many men and at least one officer will be lost without having done
more than if but one had been in the boat; and in case of actual war-
fare I don't think under water is the place for trained officers; I think
we will be short enough of them on the surface boats, while in the case
of my boat any ordinary man can in a short time learn to operate it.
APPLICATIONS FROM GUNNERS TO TRY OUT THIS BOAT.
а
Mr. Rixey. He is engaged in a rather dangerous business. Ought
he not to have some assistance or some room to carry an extra man
along with him?
Mr. MORIARITY. I do not think it essential to do it. It would con-
sume more air, make more weight—and I will say right here that I
have many applications from gunners and seaman gunners and others
that have already done service on the Holland, asking permission to be
the first one to try out my boat.
These offers are genuine, and to any officer that wishes their names
I will cheerfully give them, as they are ready to meet the requirements
provided the Department consents to it. They have no wish to do any-
thing contrary to the rules in the service, and to enter mine or any
other boat of this kind, meaning submarine, without this consent
would be a breach of the rules of the service as they interpret them.
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
13
RADIUS OF OPERATION.
Mr. LESSLER. How far away from land can you go with this boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. You can go as far as you wish.
ENGINE, HAND AND FOOT MOTIVE POWER.
Mr. LESSLER. What is the motive power?
Mr. MORIARTY. We have a gasoline engine for surface power and a
bicycle power for beneath the surface and for closing in.
Mr. LESSLER. Explain how the man works it.
Mr. MORIARTY. How do
you
mean?
Mr. LESSLER. He has to move the boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes.
Mr. LESSLER. How does he do it?
Mr. MORIARTY. By means of these pedals. If anyone will carefully
read my patent claims it will be noticed that I have a special appliance
for this work, so that the hands will help as well as the feet. Pro-
vision has been made whereby the man is seated in a cradle whose
construction is of such character that the man is enabled to brace him-
self to work most effectively. The man propelling the mechanical
appliance is so arranged as to admit the hand and feet levers each to
be used singly or together. There is one wheel and four levers, each
of which operates a contrivance for doing special work, and, of course,
all these operating devices are not only handled readily but with cer-
tainty by the man in the boat. I might say that the device whereby
the hands of the man can be used for propelling purposes might be
called the expedient for getting reserve speed.
The mechanical appliance for operating the boat by man power was
patented sixteen years ago for bicycle purposes. In my opinion it is
one of the most reliable bicycle movements that I know of. It was
not put to general use by the bicycle makers because it was not a
graceful contrivance. Where life is at stake, however, we look for
reliable and enduring instruments and not for something pleasing.
Mr. LESSLER. The man operates the machine at times principally
with his feet?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes. He is in a cradle which has been specially
designed so that he can not only move his feet rapidly, but power can
be exerted by him.
The propeller in this boat is what is called a variable pitch propeller,
the same as is used in the Howell torpedo.
a
WHITEHEAD TORPEDO LAUNCHED NOT FIRED.
I want to impress upon the committee the importance of the fact
that the Whitehead torpedo is simply launched and not fired. In the
boat designed by me I simply detach the torpedo from the carrying
frame. As the torpedo is released from the carrying frame the start-
ing lever of the torpedo is automatically moved, which in turn admits
air of high pressure to the propelling engine.
On board the man-of-war or the torpedo boat it is not possible to
launch the torpedo so easily. You have to place the torpedo in a
tube, commonly called a launching tube. This tube is about the
14
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
length of the torpedo, and is really a gun, for its purpose is to cast
the torpedo upon the surface of the water. As the torpedo passes
through the launching tube, a trip in the tube raises the starting lever.
If it were not that this trip raises the starting lever, and thus permits
the air to reach the engine, the torpedo would simply be pushed or shot
into the sea about 5 yards from the ship.
MECHANISM FOR DISCHARGING THE TORPEDO.
There are a great many people who believe that I have to use com-
plicated firing mechanism for discharging the torpedo, and this is
why I dwell upon the fact that, as the torpedo is simply launched, the
simplest and most reliable kind of mechanism can be used for effect-
ing the purpose.
If it were attempted to fire this torpedo against the attacking object,
the practical result would be to collapse the torpedo, as the torpedo
is only one-sixteenth of an inch thick. It should be stated to the
committee that the Whitehead torpedo is so designed that the torpedo
must run at least 30 yards before its war nose or the war head will
be in position to be effective against an enemy's ship. On all the sub-
marine boats projected, the ordinary launching tube is used. As the
submarine boat, however, is low in the water and is likely to strike
not only a floating object but the piles of a dock, or to collide with
another boat, there is very great danger of the war nose setting itself
so that the torpedo would explode by the impact of a blow upon the
object struck. “As I am probably the only inventor of a submarine boat
that has had practical experience in constructing and operating White-
head torpedoes, the importance of a device for locking the war nose
has not appealed strongly to the others. In my belief every sub-
marine boat company will be eventually compelled to use this device
of my boat or a similar device adapted to their needs. I have been
granted such broad claims that my patent fully covers this principle.
Mr. TAYLER. Have you ever built one of these boats ?
Mr. MORIARTY. No, sir; but I have built every piece in it for other
purposes.
WORKED FOR TORPEDO STATION.
Not only have I done work for the torpedo station at Newport, but
several times every week additional orders are received at our works
for the manufacture of appliances for that station. The officers
attached to the station have also commended me to the favorable con-
sideration of the International Smokeless Powder Company, urging
the officers of that corporation to give me work of special character
that could only be executed by a firm doing high-class work.
SPEED AND METHOD OF PROPULSION.
>
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. How fast will your boat travel under bicycle
power?
Mr. MORIARTY. Approximately, I sbould say, about 4 miles an hour.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. How many hours can a man keep up a propul-
sion of 1,200 pounds at 4 miles an hour?
Mr. MORIARTY. There is no reason why such a boat should be
expected to have a wide scope of operation. He could certainly
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
15
remain in the boat at least six hours, four of which he could keep up
the bicycle propulsion.
Mr. KITCHIN. I notice that this man seems to be in an almost hori.
zontal position. Do you think he could use bicycle power much in
that position without his weight to help?
Mr. MORIARTY. That is the claim that has been made in the French
bicycle races.
DIMENSIONS OF THE BOAT.
Mr. LESSLER. How long is this boat? How high?
Mr. MORIARTY. Ten feet long; 3 feet high. It may be that it would
be desirable to slightly change the relative dimensions.
APPROPRIATION BY CONGRESS.
I believe that if the Congress will appropriate $15,000 for the con-
struction of this boat and will send experts to supervise the building
of the craft progressive developments will take place which will result
in the Government being furnished with a boat that will be of substan-
tial value not only to every battle ship but to the defense of isolated
ports.
POSITION AND COMFORT OF THE MAN.
a
a
Mr. RiXey. The man is in a reclining position and he can not stand?
Mr. MORIARTY. He can shift his position so that he can sit with
some comfort. You will find that there is sufficient room for him to
do considerable shifting around.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. How long can a man stay there all sealed up
tight?
Mr. MORIARTY. Two hours without any artificial aid. You must
remember, however, that the boat can partly rise to an extent that
will permit the top of the ventilator to be above water. This will
permit the automatic stop, valve in the ventilator to be open and con-
siderable fresh air can be introduced.
AIR.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. And the air would be all right?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes; by rising just high enough at intervals we
could secure fresh air through the ventilator. It would not be neces-
sary to have the conning tower exposed.
I might say that we are experimenting with substances that will
take
up
the carbon dioxide. Considerable success has been experi-
enced with the French boats in admitting substances that will absorb
these noctious and dangerous gases that are exhaled by the men sealed
up in the boat.
DISTANCE OF TRAVEL PER HOUR.
Mr. LESSLER. In an hour how far would it be possible for a man
to go?
Mr. MORIARTY. You mean ordinary travel.
Mr. LESSLER. Any travel you want to say.
Mr. MORIARTY. It would be possible to travel at the rate of 12 miles
16
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
a
an hour by using the torpedo power. This speed of course could only
be maintained for a few minutes. With the gasoline engine we ought
to make 6 miles an hour. With the bicycle power, about 4 miles an
hour.
Mr. LESSLER. In an ordinary bicycle race, 12 miles an hour is good
work. Do you know that?
Mr. MORIARTY. I can only make the maximum speed for two or
three minutes. It is then I desire to strike the final blow. In this
connection I will state that a man has been known to make a speed of
over a mile a minute on a bicycle. This occurred between Murphy
and the New York Central express, and is a matter of record.
RESISTANCE AND DISPLACEMENT.
Mr. LESSLER. In your figures have you figured on the resistance
that a boat 10 feet long, 3 feet high, and weighing 1,200 pounds would
have to overcome in its water displacement?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir. At this time, however, I can not give the
calculations.
Mr. LESSLER. What are the average pounds to the square inch?
Mr. MORIARTY. I can not tell at this time.
Mr. LESSLER. Is it not very essential to know what the pressure is?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir. This information could probably be readily
furnished to the committee by one of the naval constructors at the Navy
Department.
Mr. LESSLER. Would you not have to figure that out before you could
state as to whether or not the boat would be successful ?
Mr. MORIARTY. With the help of people who should be experts I
have been all over that ground.
Mr. LESSLER. Give it to us; give any figures you have, or take a
piece of paper and calculate it.
Mr. MORIARTY. The displacement would be about 3,780 pounds. This
weight is for a 12-foot boat.
Mr. LESSLER. Have you made a comparison between what a man
overcomes when he rides a bicycle at that rate in the air and under
the water?
Mr. MORIARTY. No, I have not.
AFTER THE TORPEDO LEAVES THE BOAT.
Mr. LESSLER. When does the torpedo leave your boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. As the torpedo is absolutely under the control of
the man in the boat, it can be released at any time. The purpose,
,
however, is to release the torpedo when the boat is within striking
distance.
Mr. LESSLER. When the torpedo has left, then you have no way of
propulsion ?
Mr. MORIARTY. After the torpedo has been launched from any con-
trivance no one has control of it. If you refer to the boat, however,
then I not only have the foot and hand power for propulsion, but it is
presumed that the gasoline engine can be used also, since it is hardly
likely that all the gasoline will have been used.
Mr. TAYLER. It has done its work then ?
Mr. LESSLER. He has to get it back.
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
17
Mr. MORIARTY. In answer to Mr. Tayler's question I will say
that as we all use the standard torpedo, and as the propulsion of this
torpedo is dependent upon its own mechanism and air storage, it is
presumed that the torpedo has done its work. In reply to Mr. Less-
ler's question I would state that the man in the boat will return to
shore or to a ship; that is, to the starting point, either by means of
the gas engine or the foot power.
REVERSING.
Mr. LESSLER. Can you reverse?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes. The blades of the propeller being adjustable,
the propeller can be changed from a right to a left hand one, so that
the boat can be backed by simply changing the position of the blades.
ESTIMATED COST.
Mr. TAYLER. What is the estimated cost, exclusive of the torpedo?
Mr. MORIARTY. It is probable that the first one will cost $15,000.
The next dozen ought to be made for $7,500 each. It can be expected
there will be a progressive decrease in the cost if there should be any
good demand for the appliance.
HYDROPLANES.
Mr. LESSLER. Where do you put the hydroplanes on the boat so as
to get an effective use?
Mr. MORIARTY. One will be placed on each bow and one on each
quarter. In all probability it will require a series of experiments to
determine the exact point on each bow and each quarter that these
hydroplanes should be placed. In attempting to fly a kite success will
be greatly dependent upon the length and character of the tail that is put
on, and thus it will be found with the hydroplane, and it will require
a practical experiment to find out their best form and position.
Mr. LESSLER. The testimony given within the last few days in
regard to hydroplanes is that as a means of water locomotion they
have been discarded by engineers. I mean as an aid in water locomo-
tion or diving
Mr. MORIARTY. It is not proposed to use these hydroplanes as a
means of propulsion. I am sure that for submerging purposes, as
well as a means for coming to the surface, they will be found effective.
BICYCLE POWER.
Mr. LESSLER. Physically, how have you demonstrated to your own
satisfaction that a man can work your boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. I have patents pending or in contemplation which
show that I have given consideration to this subject.
Mr. LESSLER. Tell us about it, so we will know.
Mr. MORIARTY. By studying the principle and action of the various
forms of bicycles. If you have ever attended one of the bicycle races
you will find that men can do very excellent work when riding in
many constrained positions.
Mr. LESSLER. A man riding a bicycle is in a very different position.
S. Doc. 407—42
18
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
Mr. MORIARTY. In trick riding of bicycles men have worked bicy-
cles in much more constrained positions than is required of the operator
of this boat. It is not to be expected that any man can do this work.
It is not so difficult, however, that a great many capable men can not
be secured in every seaport.
Mr. LESSLER. I never rode a bicycle that way.
Mr. MORIARTY. Probably you never rode a French racing bicycle.
You are speaking about the ordinary bicycle, one of a standard make.
There are many kinds of bicycles.
Mr. LESSLER. I think I have seen all kinds, but I never saw a man
riding a bicycle that way. I do not see how he could do it.
.
Mr. MORIARTY. I am quite sure that it can be done.
Mr. KITCHIN. You say that there are French bicycles where a man
sits exactly in that position to propel it.
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes; there are bicycles where men practically sit in
this position.
Mr. KITCHIN. I suppose there are bicycles in which a man is practi-
cally in a horizontal position.
Mr. MORIARTY. From what I have seen at the bicycle exhibitions, I
should judge it would be possible for a man to operate them in prac-
tically any
position.
Mr. KITCHIN. With his feet out behind him working it?
Mr. MORIARTY. You will understand that the man in
my
boat
prac-
tically works with his feet a rock shaft and not a crank, and therefore
the same conditions do not exist.
a
SPEED OF THE BOAT.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. You were speaking about the speed that could
be made. What is the fastest speed you can make?
Mr. MORIARTY. I could get a speed for 1,000 yards of 10 or 12 miles
by using the torpedo to assist in propulsion. As this boat is an inex-
pensive one it has its limitations, and one of these limitations is the
distance which it can operate in an effective manner.
SPEED OF TORPEDO.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. What is about the fastest speed you can get
out of a torpedo itself?
Mr. MORIARTY. We get different rates of speed from them.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. What is the maximum speed you have ever
attained with a torpedo?
Mr. MORIARTY. About 30 knots.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. What is the minimum speed of one of these
torpedoes?
Mr. MORIARTY. The torpedo is supposed to go at one speed. There
is a reducing valve installed for the very purpose of regulating the
pressure so that this result can be secured. In general, I would say
that the speed of a torpedo is determined by the condition and efficiency
of the mechanism in the afterbody. You can well understand that
great differences in temperature often affect the working of delicate
machinery.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Is there a difference in speed when there is a
difference in weight and size?
а
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
19
Mr. MORIARTY. The speed would be dependent upon the weight and
size of the torpedo.
WEIGHT OF TORPEDO.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. How much do they weigh?
Mr. MORIARTY. The standard torpedo probably weighs 850 pounds.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. With this extra torpedo weight of 850 pounds
attached to your boat of 1,250 pounds, you state that it would not
detract from the speed more than 35 per cent.
TORPEDO DOES NOT WEIGHT DOWN BOAT.
Mr. MORIARTY. It is evident that Mr. Loudenslager believes that
the boat carries the weight of the torpedo. The torpedo has positive
buoyancy; that is, it will float on the water. If you place a life-pre-
server under you when in the water, it will help to sustain you. If
you rest on a floating spar you are also sustained. The life-preserver
and the floating spar have positive buoyancy. So has the torpedo.
Instead, therefore, from the standpoint of weight, the torpedo has a
tendency to lift rather than to sink the boat, since the torpedo is
originally secured to the boat by means of the carrying frame.
A WEAPON OF COAST DEFENSE.
Mr. LESSLER. This is a weapon for coast defense ?
Mr. MORIARTY. That is the idea.
Mr. LESSLER. It is to be stationed simply to get at the enemy's.
ships?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
Mr. LESSLER. How far, on an average, do you calculate it must go
before it gets to the enemy's ships?
Mr. MORIARTY. The distance would be variable. As this boat is
comparatively light, it could be launched at night directly in some cove
on the main coast. It would not be necessary to make a trip of 15
miles to reach the open sea, as must be done by ships going out of such
harbors as Boston and New York.
AS A DEFENSE OF NEW YORK HARBOR.
Mr. LESSLER. Under present conditions of warfare, the enemy's
ships would be from 5 to 15 miles away, say, from New York Harbor.
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes.
Mr. LESSLER. Where would your boat be. At the harbor?
Mr. MORIARTY. Not necessarily. As I said before, the boat might
be launched from some small inlet on the southern shore of Long
Island. The boat would not have to travel very far from that point
to reach the blockading station.
Mr. LESSLER. Just answer the question and we will get along
beautifully. Is it to be at the harbor?
Mr. MORIARTY. I would launch the boat at night from the nearest
accessible point to the blockading station.
Mr. LESSLER. Then it would have to go from 5 to 15 miles to get
at the ship, because if we had a large vessel there opposite to the
enemy's ships we would not need your torpedo boat?
.
20
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
Mr. MORIARTY. As it ought to be a simple matter to launch my
boat at night directly on the ocean, I can not see how I would have to
go from 5 to 15 miles to reach the vessels blockading the port of New
York.
SPECIAL FIELD CLAIMED FOR THIS BOAT.
I contend that there is a special field for this boat, but I do not
claim that it could be as efficient for all purposes as a submarine of
100 or 150 tons. On board the war ship we use the small arm, or
rifle, and machine gun, magazine gun, revolving cannon, a secondary
and a main battery. Why should there not be different forms and
sizes of submarine boats? In fact one of the companies that has had
a hearing before your committee claims that they are designing a boat
which can be launched from a battle ship; but as intimated to me the
weight will be about 20 tons.
Mr. LESSLER. How far from the enemy's ships do you want to place
your weapon?
CLOSENESS TO THE ENEMY.
Mr. MORIARTY. We want to get as close as we can.
Mr. LESSLER. Would you have to go 1, 2, 3, or 5 miles; which?
Mr. MORIARTY. It would depend on circumstances. Every situation
would present its own conditions.
Mr. LESSLER. I have given you a circumstance. Here is New York
Harbor. Within what distance must your boat be before you can
use it?
Mr. MORIARTY. I would expect to launch the boat within 10 miles
of the blockading fleet. This would be the extreme distance that I
expect that I would have to operate before reaching the blockading
ships. This you understand would apply to the case where New York
was being blockaded.
BOAT NOT CARRYING 2,000 POUNDS.
Mr. LESSLER. You want a man to get in that vessel carrying 2,000
pounds, go 5 miles, and then discharge a torpedo within 1,000 yards
of the ship?
Mr. MORIARTY. I am not carrying 2,000 pounds. The torpedo,
which is rigidly attached to the boat by means of the carrying frame,
gives the boat bouyancy rather than sinks her. The torpedo weighs
850 pounds out of water, but by reason of its form and construction
it floats on the water. When in the water it has from 10 to 30 pounds
positive bouyancy.
The man in the boat has not this weight to carry. There is, of
course, some bull friction of the torpedo, and this must be overcome
by the operator.
Mr. LESSLER. What, in addition to the propulsion of the vessel,
gives direction and force to the torpedo itself?
Mr. MORIARTY. You are aware of the fact that the Whitehead
torpedo is cigar shaped. There are practically three compartments,
the middle compartment being about twice the volume of the two end
ones combined. The forward compartment is filled with the explosive.
The large or middle compartment is filled with compressed air. The
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
21
after compartment contains the mechanism for propulsion. If you
simply admit the air to the propelling engines, the torpedo will move
and will be kept in motion until the engines have used up all the air.
WHAT THE MAN HAS TO DO.
Mr. LESSLER. Then your man has do the following things: He has
to look out with his eyes, help to move the boat with his feet, change
the levers with one hand, and, I suppose, set the machinery in motion
and liberate the torpedo with the other.
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes; in the main you are right. It will not be
necessary for the man in the boat to do all of these things at the same
time.
Mr. LESSLER. Then after he does this particular thing he only needs
use his feet, his eye, and his brain?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes. You will not forget that with the gasoline
bicycle the operator has to balance himself, steer with his hands, move
with his feet, regulate the speed with his hands, keep his eyes well
open for pedestrians and obstructions, and be in readiness for an
accident.
ONLY ONE TORPEDO.
Mr. Rixey. You only carry one torpedo?
Mr. MORIARTY. Only one. Under the present conditions of war-
fare I consider that you would never get a chance to use two.
BOAT MAY BE PLACED ON LARGER BOAT.
Mr. LESSLER. Is it not your idea that your boat should be placed
on a larger boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. That is only one field where the boat could oper-
ate. This boat with this torpedo could also be launched almost any-
where upon the shore.
DISTANCE FROM THE ENEMY.
Mr. LESSLER. That being so, you must get within a reasonable dis-
tance of the enemy to allow you to get out and do your work.
Mr. MORIARTY. The nearer I could be launched to the enemy the
greater the probability of success. It would be a great advantage to
a
commence operations as near as possible to the enemy.
Mr. LESSLER. If you were within a reasonable distance of the ene-
my?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes.
Mr. LESSLER. What do you call a reasonable distance?
Mr. MORIARTY. A mile or two.
Mr. LESSLER. You think that you should be on another boat in
order that you may do your work afterwards, and then you are to put
the first vessel in a mile or so of the enemy?
а
Mr. MORIARTY. This is not absolutely necessary, but should help
the case. I would go as close as possible. Suppose a collier was being
pursued, you could drop these off in the line of pursuit.
Mr. TAYLER. I understand if he was in New York Harbor and a
war vessel was out, say, 15 miles, he would go out independently?
>
22
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
Mr. MORIARTY. No; I would try to start from Long Island.
Mr. TAYLER. And there is nothing to interfere with that?
Mr. LESSLER. Except the physical proposition it would be pretty
hard for a man to do that work for 15 miles.
Mr. MORIARTY. I might not have to go over 5 or 6. The gasoline
engine does that part of it. The foot power is only while he is under-
neath the water, or in case of an emergency, so he can get home.
SETTING THE GAS ENGINE IN MOTION.
Mr. LESSLER. How does he set the gas engine to work?
Mr. MORIARTY. The same as any other gas engine. It is intended
to work just the same as any other engine.
Mr. LESSLER. With his feet or hands?
Mr. TAYLER. He does not have anything to do until he gets within
effective range?
DEFENSE OF A COLLIER.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Here is an illustration. Suppose a collier is pur-
sued by a battle ship. The collier launches a one-man torpedo boat.
It lies on the track of the approaching battle ship and discharges the
torpedo when the enemy gets within range. Then the collier returns
and picks up the boat. Thus the value of one of these boats as a part
of the regular torpedo equipment of every vessel of the Navy is at
once apparent. All that is necessary is that one of these boats shall
be dropped overboard; it goes out and makes an attempt to sink the
enemy, and is then picked up again.
Mr. LESSLER. In view of the present status of ordnance it would
be pretty dangerous for a collier to get near a battle ship, would it not?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Suppose it is being chased?
Mr. LESSLER. Within 3 or 4 miles that battle ship can get her range
and there is no chance when he has to get within 1,000 yards to do his
work.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. The battle ship is at a point, say, 15 miles off from
the collier, and the man in the boat knows where she is going to pass,
just as a train would pass on a track. He knows that the battle ship or
cruiser will follow in the wake of the vessel (collier) that is being
chased. Now, this boat has been compared with the Holland.
Mr. LESSLER. You mean the plans ?
IN COMPARISON WITH HOLLAND-LAKE TYPE.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. This boat when built, in comparison with the
Holland-Lake type, is like a wasp and a snake, both equally effective
in their own way. The wasp. is just as dangerous as the snake; its
sting is just as effective. It is not claimed that this boat can do all
that the Holland-Lake type, which will cost from $150,000 to $200,000,
This boat has its limitations, and necessarily it is a much
cheaper boat. It is expected to cost about $7,500 after the first boat
is built.
THE GOVERNMENT TO BUILD THE FIRST BOAT.
can do.
Mr. LESSLER. What do you desire the committee to do?
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. What is your proposition?
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
23
Mr. DE KNIGHT. It is desired simply to have the committee recom-
mend an appropriation of $15,000 for the purpose of authorizing the
construction of one of these boats, the Government to own it when
completed. After the first boat is built the contractor will build the
boats at a price agreeable to the Government.
THE GOVERNMENT TO EXPERIMENT.
Mr. LESSLER. You want the Government to experiment?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Yes, sir; to build the first boat. These gentlemen
have not the means; they are simply inventors. Their other inven-
tions, which have proved a success, are now in use by the Government.
Mr. Moriarity is an expert in torpedo work, and every principle
included in this boat is a well-known and tried principle. The boat
is simply a combination of well-known principles used either in sub-
marine boats or in torpedoes.
Mr. TAYLER. Has this matter been presented to the Navy Depart-
ment?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. No, sir; nothing further than Mr. Moriarity called
at the Navy Department yesterday and presented letters from Repre-
sentative Bull to Admiral Melville and also to Admiral Bowles.
It had been our intention to bring this matter officially to the atten-
tion of the Navy Department. Upon the advice of our patent solicitors
we have refrained from doing so, as patents were pending which might
have been imperiled by such a procedure. The action of the Naval
Committee in taking up the general subject of submarines and inquir-
ing into their usefulness for naval purposes caused us to take prompt
action. In case we had made application to the Department for an
investigation as to the merits of the boat we might have been debarred
from appearing before this committee. As other companies have had
an extended hearing we believe the same privilege should have been
accorded us. We believe that this committee can consistently grant
the modest request that we make, particularly as there is precedent
for such action. The committee will understand that any appropria.
tion authorized by the Congress is to be expended only in the discretion
of the Secretary of the Navy. This condition practically permits the
Navy Department to make an extended investigation upon their
account. The money is not to be expended unless the Secretary believes
the best interests of the service will be subserved by so doing. The
construction of the boat is also to be carried on under the supervision
of experts detailed by the Department.
Mr. Rixey. Have you stated when you expect to have one of the
boats completed?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. No, sir; the proposition is to have the Govern-
ment build the first boat.
Mr. TAYLER. Is that customary or usual?
THE ORIGINAL MONITOR BUILT AS AN EXPERIMENT.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. In the case of the construction of the original
monitor, the success of which is known to all, the Government gave
a contract to the inventor and his associates, who agreed to construct
a vessel upon the inventor's plans and produce certain results. Of
more recent date, in the case of the Gathmann gun, a little over $200,-
000 was expended for building the first gun, targets, and shells. The
experiments took place at Indian Head and at Sandy Hook.
24
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
THE FIRST SUBMARINE BOAT BUILT AS AN EXPERIMENT.
I might also say that the Phunger, the first of the submarine boats,
which the Government contracted for from the Holland Company,
was built in this same manner. In order that there may be no mis-
understanding upon this matter, the act authorizing this construction
is herewith quoted:
[Naval appropriation act, approved March 3, 1893.)
BUREAU OF ORDNANCE.
Submarine torpedo boat: For building a submarine torpedo boat and conducting
experiments therewith, two hundred thousand dollars, to be taken from the balances
of appropriations on hand July first, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, to the credit
of armor and armament of vessels heretofore authorized.
APPROPRIATIONS FOR GATHMANN GUN AS AN EXPERIMENT.
Mr. TAYLER. The Gathmann gun was a failure.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Well it was reported to have been a failure; the
monitor, however, was not a failure. The Gathmann people are ask-
ing for another test. I understand that the War Department has not
yet given a decision upon this matter.
Mr. TAYLER. They did prove the service armor-piercing projectile
destroyed the target, and that the Gathmann shell did not do anything
like what was claimed for it.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. What was claimed for the Gathmann gun was that
it would smash in the side of a battle ship, and that the results showed
a damage fatal to a battle ship.
Mr. TAYLER. That the detonation against the side of the ship would
destroy it by the explosion, whereas the service rifle sent the projectile
through the side of the vessel, and it explodes on the other side, whereas
the Gathmann projectile was a projectile charged with from 500 to 1,000
pounds of wet gun cotton, which being detonated against the side of
a vessel it was claimed would destroy it by the force of the explosion.
It has been demonstrated that no such result would follow; that no
serious injury will result to the battle ship from the detonation of that
enormous amount of gun cotton, while the service rifle sending a direct
projectile with only about 60 pounds of the Regular Army explosive
would pierce the side of a battle ship, and explode on the other side.
That test showed the most effective result ever known in firing at a
target. That was possible with the Regular Army guns, projectiles,
and explosives. The Government appropriated in that as in a great
many other instances in late years for experiments against the advice
of the War or Navy Department, and in every single instance where
Congress has given them an appropriation against the judgment of
the departments the experiment has shown that Congress was wrong,
and that the War or Navy Department, as the case may be, was right.
Of course that has nothing to do with this, except the Navy ought to
express an opinion as to the propriety of inaking this experiment.
And if they did, I have no doubt the committee would recommend it;
if they did not, I for one would oppose it, for the results have shown
that they were right.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. This is simply the first step; this is an entirely
new matter.
Mr. LESSLER. Have the Navy expressed an opinion on this?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Officially it has never been brought to their
attention.
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
25
CAPTAIN WAINWRIGHT'S TESTIMONY.
a
*
a
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Captain Wainwright, in his testimony before this
committee, Tuesday, May 20, referred to the Moriarty boat as the
Reagan submarine boat. Probably this grew out of the fact that Mr.
John T. Reagan, who is here to-day, is the secretary and treasurer of
the Newport Manufacturing Company, which owns Mr. Moriarty's
patent, and of which Mr. Moriarty is president.
Captain Wainwright, in answer to a question by the chairman of
this committee, concerning the Moriarty boat, said: “I had a drawing
sent me. Yes, sir; it is a one-man boat. * It may be developed,
but I do not think you can make an instrument of war out of a one-
man boat. It might become useful.” However, when Captain Wain-
.
wright has had an opportunity to examine fully into this boat, and more
in detail, doubtless he will form a still more favorable opinion of it.
Mr. LESSLER. How long has it been patented!
Mr. DE KNIGHT. About a year. Some of the patents were issued
about a year ago, but delay in action on applications for patents in
foreign countries has retarded us in the matter of publicity here.
Mr. Rixry. The Department seems to be against all submarine
boats.
Mr. TAYLER. In the case of the Holland boat the Government took
no chances at all until they completed one.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. As previously stated, the building of the first
Holland boat by the Government was practically an experiment.
Mr. MORIARTY. I have myself invented several things the Govern-
ment uses, and all these experiments were paid for by myself. In the
construction of this boat I think they ought to give me some substantial
assistance.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. It cost Mr. Moriarty about $10,000 to develop the
two inventions which the Government is now using.
Mr. Rixer. How much is Mr. Moriarty asking now?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Not more than $15,000.
Mr. MORIARTY. This appropriation is to be expended in the con-
struction of a boat which will be the property of the Government
when completed.
Mr. Rixey, I note this pamphlet says With the compliments of
.
“
the Newport Manufacturing Company." Why do they not develop it?
Mr. MORIARTY. That is the company of which I am president. * As
the Government has assisted other inventors of military appliances I
believe that we are entitled to the same consideration, particularly in
view of the fact of our experience in the manufacture of some of the
most important appliances used in torpedo work. At the present
time we are engaged in making accessory torpedo appliances for the
torpedo station at Newport.
FORMERLY IN THE GOVERNMENT SERVICE.
Mr. LESSLER. Were you in the Government service?
Mr. MORIARTY. I was, for eight years. I am not employed at the
station at the present time, but practically every week the officials of
the torpedo station give me emergency orders for work which can
only be intrusted to mechanics of a high order. By reason of my
experience at the torpedo station and of my knowledge of the torpedo
26
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
service it is a very common thing for me to receive the preference
where such preference can be awarded legally.
Mr. Rixey. What position did you hold in the Government service?
Mr. MORIARTY. I was an instrument maker at the torpedo station.
This rating was particularly established for my benefit, so that ade-
quate compensation could be offered which would induce me to remain
at the station.
Mr. RIXEy. Do you know of any case where the use of a torpedo
has seriously injured a battle ship?
EFFECTIVENESS OF TORPEDOES.
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir; the Housatonic, one of the blockading
fleet off Charleston, was destroyed by a torpedo. You have probably
read of that attack. I know of no battle ship that has been destroyed.
Mr. Rixey. You know of no practical test in that line?
Mr. MORIARTY. I have had occasion to use them in many experi-
mental ways, both from a dock and a torpedo boat proper.
Mr. Rixey. But you know of no test against vessels of any kind?
Mr. MORIARTY. I do not know of any, personally. The navies of
all countries must believe that they could be effectively used, other-
wise there would not have been built by the several naval powers over
1,000 torpedo boats and torpedo-boat destroyers. We have had a
practical test on the rocks near Newport.
Mr. Rixey. You only had one test; will you give us the result of
that test?
Mr. MORIARTY. I could not give it very thoroughly, because I was
not near enough to get positive information upon the subject. The
experiment took place at Codington Cove, Newport, R. I., about three
or four years ago.
ACCURACY IN FIRING TORPEDOES.
Mr. RIXEY. I would like to know with what accuracy you can fire
a torpedo?
Mr. MORIARTY. At Newport, R. I., where the torpedo station is
established, we are able to fire with great accuracy.
Mr. Rıxır. At what distance would you have to be?
Mr. MORIARTY. It would depend upon the state of the sea, the
strength of the current, and the skill of the operator. There is much
in being familiar with this appliance. An expert on torpedoes would
be sure to have all the adjustments properly made before launching
the torpedo. It is presumed that the torpedo will do its best work
when about 1,000 yards from the object.
Mr. TAYLER. Do you know of any case where a torpedo has been
fired and its course was such that if it had been exploded it would have
blown up a vessel ?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir; and in my opinion a large majority would
have hit a war ship. In order to assist the operator in finding the angle
to the keel of the ship at which he should discharge his torpedo you
make use of an instrument called a torpedo director. With the aid of
this speed director a cool man ought to do pretty accurate work.
Mr. TAYLER. Have you seen torpedoes fired at some given object?
Mr. MORIARTY. The torpedoes were discharged at an imaginary
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
27
object between two buoys. Upon these buoys sometimes flags are
placed.
Mr. TAYLER. I suppose many experiments of that kind have been
performed
Mr. MORIARTY. In firing torpedoes, they try to make the conditions
just as near as they may be in warfare.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. They measure on the water about the distance
of a battle ship, then they put up flags and fire at it?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes. They have in Codington Cove set flags that
they use as targets.
ACCURACY OF TORPEDO COMPARED WITH SHOT FROM A BATTLE SHIP.
>
а
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Mr. RIXEY. Is the aim of a torpedo, in your opinion, more accu-
rate than a shot from a battle ship?
Mr. MORIARTY. Well, no; not at short range. If the battle ship was as
near as the torpedo the firing would be almost perfect. If you com-
pare the torpedo boat working at her extreme range with a battle ship
working at her maximum range the odds, I think, would be long in
favor of the torpedo.
Mr. RıxEy. Of course the battle ship has generally a long range
and may fire hundreds of shots where one strikes.
Mr. MORIARTY. Comparing a torpedo working 1,000 yards from the
enemy and a battle ship working several miles, that is, comparing the
extreme range of the torpedo with the extreme range of the gun, I
believe that the torpedo will be found much more effective as a
weapon.
Mr. Rixty. The chances would be against doing damage, if
you
did
not have more accuracy than the gun at that distance? I think the
statement in regard to shelling the fortifications in Cuba was they fired
hundreds of shots with very little damage.
Mr. MORIARTY. In my mind a man of nerve would not select the
extreme range for shooting his torpedo. It is a maxim to get in as
close as you can before discharging the torpedo.
>
a
LENGTH OF BOAT.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. How long is your boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. About 10 feet. I am not confining myself to that
length. It might be best to make the first one 12 feet, so that you
would have plenty of room to install every necessary appliance. In
naval construction you have to please more than one person, so you
will have to provide for the contingency of installing some additional
auxiliary. In speaking with the officers of the Newport torpedo sta-
tion they thought that even 10 feet was too large and that a smaller
boat would be better.
a
INDORSEMENT OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Mr. Rixey. I agree with Mr. Tayler that it would be to your
interest to get the indorsement of the Navy Department on this matter
or their recommendation, and if you can get that I think it will assist
you a great deal.
28
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
Mr. DE KNIGHT As previously stated, all we ask is the enactment
of a provision as follows:
The Secretary of the Navy may, in his discretion, contract with the Newport
Manufacturing Company, of Newport, R. I., for the construction of a submarine
boat to be built under the patents of Thomas Í. Moriarty, said boat to be constructed
under the direction of the inventor and the supervision of the Navy Department, and
for the purpose of constructing said boat and conducting experiments in connection
therewith the sum of $15,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
appropriated.
This will give the Navy Department ample time to investigate the
boat and build one if it sees fit.
Mr. MORIARTY. I claim I can take one of these torpedoes any time
at Newport and let me pick the night and tide and swim out to the
light-ship, which is some miles out, and I could do all the execution any
of them can do, because the torpedo can be pushed ahead and all I have
to do is to turn it and point it in the position of the ship and pull the
starting lever and it is off, so you do not need much of a boat to do that.
The object of the boat is to give a man courage and protect him from
sharks, as a man with a little covering over him will have more courage
about that.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Something like a human torpedo?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, it is just carrying it a little further by putting
on accessories for his protection.
a
EFFECTIVENESS OF TORPEDO NOT CHANGED WHETHER LAUNCHED FROM
SHORT OR LONG BOAT.
>
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. What about the effectiveness of the firing of
this torpedo in a short or long boat, it is not changed in any way?
TORPEDOES LAUNCHED, NOT FIRED.
Mr. MORIARTY. No. These torpedoes are not fired, as the word
would imply, but simply launched. The word “fired” gives the aver-
age person a wrong impression of the method of torpedo warfare, etc.
And in my case it is simply pushed clear of the boat.
When torpedoes are launched from a dock or the deck of a battle
ship they dive considerably--something like 25 to 35 feet. The appli-
ance for indicating this depth, as well as the amount of rolling of the
torpedo, is made to indicate only 35 feet, so we do not know how
much deeper they sometimes go. Practically all the torpedoes dive
less than 35 feet, for the measuring instrument shows this to be the
case. If you did not provide for the diving of these torpedoes you
would stand a chance of disabling them upon being launched. They
sometimes go straight to the bottom and stick in the mud. In launch-
ing these torpedoes from a battle ship you are likely to have the
torpedo stick in the tube if the charge is too light, while if you send
the torpedo too rapidly it is likely to collapse.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. One way of launching is just as effective as
the other?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes; I consider that my way is as effective as any
other way of launching a torpedo.
a
PROTECTION OF TORPEDO WHEN ATTACHED TO BOAT.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. What is over the torpedo?
Mr. MORIARTY. What you see in the sketch is a little screen cover-
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
29
ing the propeller so that the seaweed or other obstructions will not
get around the screw propeller and foul the blades.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. That gives it protection?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes. The operation of releasing the torpedo from
the carrying frame is done by means of a very positive and reliable
motion. I made this movement as simple as possible and I made the
several parts very strong, so that no hitch can take place in launching
the explosive.
Mr. RIXEY. Is the torpedo fired under water?
Mr. MORIARTY. You can not fire the torpedo in this boat in any
other manner than under water. This is due to the fact that the tor-
pedo is held in place by a carrying frame projecting from the bottom
of the boat.
TORPEDO'S CERTAINTY OF STRIKING.
Mr. Rixey. It seems to me it is very uncertain about its ever
striking anything.
Mr. MORIARTY. The torpedo that I fire in my boat is the same one
that will be supplied to the battle ships and torpedo boats, so that if it
is released within striking distance its action will be as certain in this
case as in any other.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. How about when your boat is in the swell of
the sea ?
Mr. MORIARTY. That will not make any difference. The torpedo is
set to run to a certain depth, and after finding that depth will go on
its course.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Even if pointed down it will come up?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir. I have just invented an instrument that
the Government has adopted for telling what it does in that respect.
It is called a combined depth and rolling recorder.
THE BOAT TO BE CARRIED ON SHIP AND FOR HARBOR DEFENSE.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. What Mr. Moriarty desires particularly to impress
upon the committee is that the boat is designed to be carried on board
a ship as well as for harbor defense.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. He considers the former the preferable method?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. No, sir. Mr. Moriarty certainly regards this boat
as a desirable auxiliary to the war vessel, but he believes that it has
a wider scope of operation for coast defense. Since the boat could be
transported by rail or even by wagon it would be possible to launch
these boats in countless places. Mr. Moriarty also contends that the
boat has a sphere of usefulness in its ability to be adapted to cut
cables and wires to mine fields. By reason of the size of the boat it
ought also to pass between mine fields with immunity from danger.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. That is, the boat can be used in other ways,
but the most effective way is on a vessel, as, for instance, when it was
being chased.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. That, of course, is an advantage, but it is only one
of the capabilities of the boat.
Mr. MORIARTY. It could be used for patrol duty. During the block-
ade of Santiago such a vessel could have been a great help by lying
30
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
in the channel at night and making it dangerous for the Spanish ships
to come out.
Mr. De KNIGHT. As previously stated, the boats are effective also
for harbor defense.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. How do you put this man in the boat; that is,
when there is no pier?
Mr. MORIARTY. The boat would have to be suspended from davits.
A boat resembling this very much is transported along the coast by
the Life-Saving Service. It is seldom that there is a stretch of coast of
any great extent where there is not some little river or bay from
which the boat could be launched.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. But when there is not any boat or any wharf,
and he is out on patrol duty offshore, how do you get the man in it,
and how is he fed ?
Mr. MORIARTY. The boat would have had to be launched from a war-
ship, collier, pier, or landing to enable her to go on patrol duty. The
man could stay in the boat until after dark without overworking him-
self. He would simply have to submerge his conning tower, but keep
the top of his ventilator out of water so as to secure fresh air. As
this ventilator is made of 24-inch pipe it could not be seen. As for
food and water, sufficient could be placed in the boat with him to last
for at least a week in an emergency; and in this calculation I do not
take into consideration what he might carry in the way of concen-
trated foods.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. You would have to have an accompanying boat
carrying food for the man?
Mr. MORIARTY. Oh no; it is not expected that this boat will be a
base unto itself. The base will be either a warship or some cove
along the coast.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. He could not go and patrol all around Cape
Henry or Cape Henlopen?
Mr. MORIARTY. No; I do not propose that he shall go miles out at
sea and stay there.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Only to stay around a harbor and be ready to
go out? You have to have a pier to tie the boat up to in order that
the man may get ready to start?
Mr. MORIARTY. Would you not have to do that with any boat?
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. I am asking you about this; I am asking if that
is not so?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. You would not have to do that with a torpedo
boat; she can go out and lie out and have her food in her.
Mr. MORIARTY. And this applies to the torpedo boat as well as mine,
simply mine is more limited than the larger one. Nevertheless each
have their limits. This man can carry a limited amount of food and
water.
Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. A man could not get on top and stay there?
Mr. MORIARTY. No, sir.
In conclusion, I will introduce as part of my remarks a letter written
by me to the editor of the Army and Navy Journal, and published in
an issue of that periodical April 5, 1902.
I desire to thank the committee for the courteous and extended
hearing that has been accorded me, and for the opportunity to present
the merits of my boat in this official manner.
a
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
31
(Army and Navy Journal, April 5, 1902.]
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
To the editor of the Army and Navy Journal:
SIR: In reading your comment in a recent issue of the Journal on the Moriarty
submarine boat I note that you suggest that the idea of a one-man submarine boat is
an old one. This I grant; but at the same time I must insist that it has never before
been worked out to a practical solution, and even though it had, it, or for that
matter any other submarine boat for naval warfare, would have been of no essential
value until the invention and adoption of the automobile torpedoes of the White-
head and similar types, which are of comparatively recent date.
I have upon my desk at the present moment plans of nearly every submarine boat
for which patents have been issued by the United States, and in almost every case
they were designed for placing the old-fashioned torpedo under vessels, while the
vessels were either becalmed at sea or lying at anchor. No inventor of the present
day, who has given the subject serious thought, would for a moment consider any
device having for its object the placing of the obsolete style of torpedo under a ship.
My invention is not designed to go under ships in that fashion, but is to approach
them stealthily within striking distance, say within 1,000 or 1,500 yards, and at that
point launch the torpedo. The closeness of approach with my submarine boat will
depend entirely upon the courage of the operator. This is the object of all modern
submarine boats. Now, the question for a government to determine in its selection
of a boat is the one which can do this the most effectively, which can be built at the
least expense and maintained at the least cost, as the result sought is a contrivance
which can accurately guide the automobile torpedo on its mission of destruction.
Some of the submarine craft now prominently mentioned have one very grave
disadvantage, and that is their great draft. Their operations must be confined not
only to deep waters, but to waters that are well known to the officers of these boats.
It would be extremely unwise to run these craft along shore in moderately shallow
water, not only on account of insufficient depth to dive in case of discovery by an
enemy, but on account of rocks and reefs which would be fatal to boats of that
type, as the officer has no means of discovering these obstacles. This defect, to my
mind, would confine their operations to known waters only.
My boat is practicable, with her Whitehead torpedo attached beneath, in 8 feet
of water, the observation tube disclosing everything in front at a sufficient distance
to avoid obstacles. My boat can go to a greater depth than any yet devised, on
account of smallness and sturdiness, an element not possessed by the others, on
account of their great size and the enormous weight they would be obliged to possess
in order to withstand the great pressure of water
at any considerable depth.
In carrying our torpedo outside we are not obliged to provide for such accessories
as firing tubes, counterbalances for torpedoes, and other necessary appliances inciden-
tal to carrying torpedoes inboard. A torpedo will weigh from 900 to 1,500 pounds,
and provision must be made for this weight when the projectile is carried inboard,
as well as automatic appliances to instantly counteract the loss of that weight when
a torpedo is fired. Every contrivance added to boats of this class increases weight,
and to provide for that weight increased length is necessary. This same torpedo
carried outside has 9 pounds buoyancy and has to be forced down to keep it under
water, otherwise every projectile of this order would stand in danger of being lost in
practice, a contingency almost too expensive even for this Government. In my boat
all this unnecessary weight has been dispensed with by carrying the projectile on
the outside, thus making in practicable to reduce the boat itself to the smallest
compass.
Boats of the larger type require many hours to replenish them for service after an
extended trip. My boat is so constructed and equipped that it can come and go at
the will of the operator.
THOMAS J. MORIARTY.
NEWPORT, R. I., March 17, 1902.
Thereupon the committee adjourned.
HEARINGS
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS
OF THE
SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
ON
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
S. Doc. 407-43
33
COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,
UNITED STATES SENATE,
Washington, D. C., Saturday, May 31, 1902.
The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m.
Present: Senators Hale (chairman), Perkins, Platt, of New York,
Gallinger, Tillman, McEnery, and Blackburn.
Present, also, Hon. M. Č. Butler, Mr. Isaac L. Rice, Mr. E. B.
Frost, Mr. C. E. Creecy, and Mr. F. T. Cable, representing the Hol-
land Torpedo Boat Company; Mr. Simon Lake and Mr. Foster M.
Voorhees, representing the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, of Bridge-
port, Conn.; Mr. Thomas P. Moriarty, president, and Mr. Clarence
W. De Knight, counsel for the Newport Manufacturing Company.
Present, also, Rear-Admiral R. B. Bradford, Chief of the Bureau
of Equipment, 'Navy Department; Rear-Admiral F. T. Bowles, Chief
of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, Navy Department, and
Capt. Charles D. Sigsbee, Chief of the Bureau of Naval Intelligence,
Navy Department.
The CHAIRMAN. I want to say to all of you gentlemen that the com-
mittee is very much pushed for time, as it has a great deal of work to
do to prepare a report on this bill, and we have finally determined,
not that it is very much needed, but in order that it may not be said
that we declined hearing you gentlemen with reference to the different
submarine boat companies, that we would have brief hearings to-day.
Beside all that, the committee is pretty thoroughly saturated with
information and misinformation on this subject. The House committee
has taken extensive hearings, and we have them all printed for our
benefit, and we have them here. We have gone over all of that.
STATEMENT OF MR. CLARENCE W. DE KNIGHT ON BEHALF OF
THE MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there anyone here who wishes to say anything to
the committee in regard to the Moriarty boat? We have some papers
and hearings in regard to that submarine boat.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Mr. Chairman, I represent the Moriarty submarine
boat, known as the one-man submarine boat, and I should like to make
a brief statement.
All we ask for the Moriarty boat is an appropriation of $15,000 to
enable the Secretary of the Navy to build one of the boats under the
supervision of the Navy Department as an experiment.
The CHAIRMAN. In the statement you made to the House committee
you said that while you wanted $15,000 for the experiment, you
thought the boats could be afterwards built for $7,000 or $8,000?
Mr. DE KNIGHT. The first boat, it is estimated, will cost about
$15,000. Every succeeding boat will, it is estimated, cost from $5,000
to $7,500. This boat can reach many places that the other boats can
not reach, and it is also designed to go on the decks of war vessels,
colliers, and torpedo boats as an auxiliary in defense and offense; also
for harbor defense. The whole field is not claimed for it, but we do
claim it is a boat that can be used in a great many fields where you can
use no other boats. It therefore to some extent occupies a sphere of
usefulness separate unto itself.
35
36
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
>
COMMANDER WAINWRIGHT'S VIEWS, AND THE SO-CALLED REAGAN BOAT.
Commander Wainwright, in his testimony before the House Com-
mittee on Naval Affairs, Tuesday, May 20, referred to the Moriarty
boat as the Reagan boat. There is no such boat. This mistake prob-
ably grew out of the fact that Mr. John T. Reagan is the secretary and
treasurer of the Newport Manufacturing Company, which owns Mr.
Moriarty's patents, and of which Mr. Moriarty is president.
Commander Wainwright, in his testimony before the House com-
mitteu, said: “This is a one-man boat. It may be developed, but I do
not think you can make an instrument of war out of a one-man boat.
It might become useful.”
ADMIRAL MELVILLE'S TESTIMONY.
the crew.
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66
ance.
Admiral Melville, in his testimony before the House committee on
Wednesday, May 26, said:
“Rear-Admiral MELVILLE. The Moriarty craft is a boat whose
motive power principally depends upon the single person who forms
There is a gasoline engine within the boat for propelling
purposes. A Whitehead torpedo is attached by a carrying frame to
the bottom of the boat. As this torpedo has reserved buoyancy, and
.
as it has an engine and compressed air for motive power, it is possible
to set the engine of the torpedo in motion, and thus assist in propel-
ling the boat by that means.
"The boat, of course, has a limited field of action. Its cost, however,
without taking into consideration the experimental work, will be only
$7,500. The first boat would naturally cost more, and as the inventor
only asks an appropriation of $15,000 for this purpose, it would not
require a heavy outlay to grant his request.
In a vesseſ of that description it is exceedingly doubtful if a single
man would be able to stem the currents or have control of the appli-
All commanding officers would be very reluctant to place a
single man in a boat of this kind. As it should not be a difficult mat-
ter to design the boat so that two men could enter, you might by that
means not only get a greater speed, but you might overcome that reluc-
tance to imperiling a single individual. If only one man was in the
boat, he might be overcome by the gasoline fumes. He might be
overcome by beat, or he might become very apprehensive as to his
safety. Placing two men in the boat might overcome some of the
objections that have been made to the craft.
“ In view of the fact that the inventor of this boat has worked at the
torpedo station for many years and is now manufacturing instruments
of precision for the torpedo station, I would give him some encourage-
ment.
“ The amount that he requests for experimental purposes is so small,
$15,000, that the Congress can well afford to spend that amount of
money to demonstrate whether or not a one-man boat is feasible.
The impelling reason which would prompt me to recommend this
appropriation would be to clear the field of submarine-boat construc-
tion as much as possible. You often get at the truth by the process
of elimination. The one-man boat idea is not new, and some good
reasons have been advanced for this type of construction. I believe
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MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
37
that valuable time of the committee and of the Navy Department
might be saved by settling this question once and for all, particularly
as a large amount of money is not involved in the test.”
COMMENDS ITSELF TO REAR-ADMIRAL MELVILLE AND COMMANDER
WAINWRIGHT.
a
You will thus see, gentlemen, that the one-man boat idea has
appealed to the Engineer in Chief of the Navy, who has made a special
study of submarine-boat construction, and to Commander Wainwright,
who so gallantly commanded the Gloucester off the southern shore of
Cuba, and who, as Superintendent of the Naval Academy, has taken
special interest in the subject of submarine-boat operation.
MR. MORIARTY'S TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE AND INVENTIONS.
Mr. Moriarty is a man of experience and education in matters
respecting submarine warfare. For eight years he was employed at
the torpedo station t Newport, R. I., as instrument maker, during
which time his work related particularly to the repair and adjustment
of the Whitehead, Howell, and other torpedoes. Desiring to become
independent, he resigned his position at the station and established
himself in business. Since that time he has been given numerous
orders by the commandants of the Newport Torpedo Station, and has
invented a torpedo locator, which indicates the position of a torpedo
lost in the water, and a combined depth and rolling register, which
automatically records on a roll of paper the movements of a torpedo
while beneath the surface. The value of these inventions has been
recognized by the Government, which now has them in use.
Mr. Moriarty is the only inventor of submarine craft having expert
knowledge of submarine warfare. He is therefore best equipped to
design a boat that will deliver a torpedo with deadly effect.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOAT.
The one-man boat is the development of years of study which Mr.
Moriarty has given to the subject of submarine warfare. A torpedo
is simply a submarine boat. Mr. Moriarty bas changed it so as to
accommodate the operator, has equipped it with a method of propul-
sion, and has supplied it with a terrible weapon-a torpedo—the pro-
pulsion of which he can use, by an ingenious device, for assisting in
propelling the boat.
THE QUALITIES OF THE ONE-MAN BOAT.
The boat combines structural strength, handiness, compactness,
simplicity, and safety, and it is practically invisible, economical in
cost, and easy of operation.
With respect to the features of the boat, and for a detailed descrip-
tion thereof, I beg to refer you to Document “ No. 123 ad.,” of the
Committee on Naval Affairs of the House of Representatives, May
22, 1902, which contains a full report of the hearing before that com-
mittee on the Moriarty submarine boat.
38
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
THE QUESTION OF SIZE OF THE SUBMARINE BOAT.
The committee will recall to mind that a short time previous to the
Spanish-American war Paul Boyton attached to an English cruiser in
the harbor of New York a dummy torpedo, having swam from the
shore in his rubber suit. The torpedo was attached, although regular
sentries had been posted and strict injunctions given to keep every-
thing in the shape of a small craft from the war ship.
The Russian Government is experimenting with a small boat of about
20 tons, that can be carried on the deck of a battle ship:
The only experimenting done by Germany in the submarine line is
with a small launch of very light displacement. This boat is so small
in size that the German Admiralty does not regard it as in the regular
submarine class. From the fact that they are testing a boat of this
size one can well believe that that naval power believes that develop-
ment will come from the small rather than the large boat.
As for France, the last craft authorized are of only 67 tons displace-
ment. A few years ago France had a boat of over 400 tons. The
French admiralty each year is practically reducing the size of their
submarine craft.
In furtherance of the policy of seeking to find out the value of the
submarine craft, the French admiralty gives special encouragement
and holds out substantial inducement to every inventor to work along
new lines.
This information is gleaned from the reports of the naval chiefs of
the Navy Department, as submitted to the House Naval Committee,
with the exception of the facts relating to the Boynton episode.
LEGISLATION REQUESTED.
In view of Admiral Melville's recommendation that the Congress
can well afford to spend $15,000 to demonstrate whether or not a one-
man boat is feasible, and Commander Wainwright's statement that
this boat might become useful, the committee will, I hope, consider
that it is advisable to take advantage of Mr. Moriarty's invention,
especially in view of the promise it gives of becoming a most efficient
and economical submarine boat. What Mr. Moriarty desires is that
your committee recommend the enactment of substantially the follow-
ing provision:
“The Secretary of the Navy may, in his discretion, contract with
the Newport Manufacturing Company, of Newport, R. I., for the
construction of a submarine boat, to be built under the patents of
Thomas J. Moriarty, said boat to be constructed under the direction
of the inventor and the supervision of the Navy Department, and for
the purpose of constructing said boat and conducting experiments in
connection therewith the sum of $15,000, or so much thereof as may
be necessary, is hereby appropriated.
CONSTRUCTION DISCRETIONARY WITH THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.
This provision commits the Government to nothing unless the
Secretary of the Navy, after a full consideration of the subject, should
determine that it is advisable to build the boat. You will notice that
it contains the words “in his discretion."
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
.39
The committee will also notice that Mr. Moriarty has no idea of
making any money out of the Government, for the legislation sug-
gested makes an appropriation of $15,000 " or so much thereof as
may be necessary. All that Mr. Moriarty asks is that the Govern-
ment shall give him that encouragement which is certainly due from
a great Government to an honest and reliable inventor. He is confi-
dent that the returns the Government will receive will be far greater
than the outlay which he requests it to make.
STATEMENT OF MR. THOMAS J. MORIARTY, PRESIDENT OF THE
NEWPORT MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
THE COMPANY'S PLANT.
The CHAIRMAN. Do you represent a company, Mr. Moriarty?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
The CHAIRMAN. Where is it located?
Mr. MORIARTY. At Newport, R. I.
The CHAIRMAN. Have you a plant there?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
The CHAIRMAN. How extensive is it?
Mr. MORIARTY. It represents about $25,000 of equipment. I might
say that the tools are of such character that particularly equip us for
filling the numerous orders that are given us by the torpedo station at
Newport. We also do work for the Naval War College, naval training
station, likewise for the Ordnance and Engineer Department of the
Army. In fact we make a specialty of military and naval work.
Our billheads show this fact.
HAVE BUILT SMALL BOATS FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES.
The CHAIRMAN. Have you built heretofore any naval craft of any
kind?
Mr. MORIARTY. No; but scores of implements for naval craft.
The CHAIRMAN. Have you built any boats or vessels of any kind fow
private use?
Mr. MORIARTY. Only for my own use. During the eight years,
however, that I was at the torpedo station I saw dozens of small tor:
pedo boats hauled up and repaired, and this induced me to give con ·
siderable study to the matter.
The CHAIRMAN. What have you built for yourself?
Mr. MORIAKTY. Small boats for pleasure; also some for experimen-
tal purposes.
The CHAIRMAN. In the torpedo-boat line?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes; I have worked on some small boats for the
special purpose of demonstrating the principal features that are con-
tained in the plans of my submarine boat.
REASONS FOR NOT HAVING SUBMITTED PLANS TO NAVY DEPARTMENT.
The CHAIRMAN. Have you ever submitted your plans to the Navy
Department?
Mr. MORIARTY. No, sir; I have not. In connection with this mat-
ter I will state that up to a few weeks ago, upon advice of counsel, I
did no exploiting. After I was assured that my patent rights were in
40
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
good shape I sent a descriptive circular, with drawings attached, of
my boat to the commissioned officers of the American Navy prepara-
tory to bringing the matter to the attention of the Secretary of the
Navy. Just about this time Mr. Long retired from office, and I was
assured that Mr. Moody would be very busy for the first month
acquainting himself with the routine work of the Department. About
this time I also heard that the House Naval Committee intended to
give extended hearings to all interested in submarine boats. It was
this combination of affairs which caused me to bring the matter to the
attention of the Naval Committee before securing an expression of
opinion from the Navy Department.
As I fully realize that the sanction of the Department ought to be
secured before the Government was committed to an expenditure, 1
have asked that the appropriation be made available only upon the
contingency that the Navy Department approves the building of this
boat.
ONE MAN CAPABLE OF WORKING IT.
The CHAIRMAN. This boat o. yours is called the one-man boat. If
you developed and completed such a boat as you have in your mind,
could one man work it?
Mr. MORIARTY. I believe that he could. have discussed this sub-
marine-boat question with many officers at Newport. I have found
that there was a good contingent of officers who believe that the
smaller the submarine boat the more liable she is to be successful. I
might say that in Europe the tendency is toward the smaller boats.
IS SUBMERSIBLE.
The CHAIRMAN. Is it submersible?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
ENCOURAGEMENT TO INVENTORS.
The CHAIRMAN. You have not completed it?
Mr. MORIARTY. No, sir; I have read the service papers very care-
fully, and as I found that all naval powers were giving substantial
encouragement to inventors of submarine boats, particularly if the
boat held out some promise of development, I believed that our Gov-
ernment would take the same attitude. The Government practically
appropriated $150,000 for experimenting with the Plunger—the first
of the Holland boats. Considering the fact that such an officer as
Admiral Melville believes that it would be to the interest of the Gov.
ernment to spend $15,000 to definitely find out the possibilities of a
one-man boat, I think that I can ask the favorable consideration of the
committee to appropriate that amount for experimental purposes—a
sum one-tenth that appropriated for experimenting with the Plunger.
PATENTS.
The CHAIRMAN. Have you a patent covering the construction of the
boat you have in mind?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
The CHAIRMAN. A patent that has been issued ?
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir; patents have been granted us in this
country, also in about eight others.
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
41
ESTIMATED COST OF FIRST BOAT.
The CHAIRMAN. How do you get at the figure of $15,000 that you
think the first boat would cost?
Mr. MORIARTY. This estimate is based upon the assumption that
during the course of construction we shall find that it will be possible
to make some improvement in details. It is also probable that during
the course of construction the naval inspector would recommend
changes which would be directed by the Government. This develop-
ment and improvement will greatly add to the cost.
I have also had considerable experience in developing military and
naval inventions, and I appreciate the necessity of having the first
article turn out an efficient one. In order that there might not be
any deficiency which would cause delay, I have calculated after much
care and consideration that $15,000 will be required. You will under-
stand that this appropriation is to be expended under the direction of
the Government, so that if there should be any surplus it will be
turned into the Treasury. I shall be considerably disappointed if I
do not build a successful boat for less than $15,000, but I am sure that
the Navy Department in case such an experiment should be made
would want an appropriation sufficiently large to thoroughly deter-
mine the question whether or not it is feasible to have a one-man boat.
My estimates have been quite carefully made.
The CHAIRMAN. How do you get at that?
Mr. MORIARTY. It is based upon the prevailing price of labor and
material. I have had considerable experience in computing and esti-
mating on Government work, particularly appliances of an experi-
mental order. If I had not had this extended experience, my figures
would have been much lower. Since the boat is a small one, and the
auxiliaries installed are simple in character, the great problem has been
to arrange these appliances so as to make the boat stable and put every
machine readily and positively under the control of the operator.
DIMENSIONS OF BOAT.
The CHAIRMAN. How large would it be?
Mr. MORIARTY. It is not intended to have it over 10 or 12 feet. My
idea, after conference with a number of naval officers, is to keep it as
small as I possibly can. The cost of a second boat would be
very
much
less in case this boat upon official trial should turn out successful.
a
SPACE FOR MAN.
The CHAIRMAN. Where would you get the depth; where would you
get the space for a man?
Mr. MORIARTY. For a short period a man can work in a very con-
tracted space. If you only knew into what small corners some men go
to sleep on board a war ship, you would realize that it was possible to
work in very contracted quarters.
The CHAIRMAN. Ten feet long would be less than the length of this
table.
Mr. MORIARTY. I bave had experience in ducking boats. I find if
there is some incentive to induce a man to take a contracted position
he can adapt himself to some very uncomfortable positions.
42
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
SHAPE OF THE BOAT.
The CHAIRMAN. What is the shape of this boat!
Mr. MORIARTY. You might call it an ellipsoid.
POSITION OF MAN IN THE BOAT.
The CHAIRMAN. When it is submerged, where is the man?
Mr. MORIARTY. He is within the boat. The divers are practically
inclosed in a rubber boat, and these men have been known to stay
down for several hours. These men carry a heavy helmet on their
shoulders, heavy weights on their shoes, and their underclothing is of
a nature to greatly hamper them. The modern diver must also be
considerable of a mechanic, so that the men of this calling possess
nerve and skill.
The CHAIRMAN. Is he lying or standing or sitting ?
Mr. MORIARTY. He not only can lie down or take a sitting position,
but he can so shift his body that he can prevent any part of his body
from becoming lame or wearied.
The CHAIRMAN. He can not stand, of course.
Mr. MORIARTY. He can not stand. The conning tower of this boat
is so small that the operator can come so near the surface that it will
be practically impossible to see him, and thus you could get rest at
intervals.
REASON FOR SMALLNESS OF THE BOAT.
Senator TILLMAN. Why do you make it so small ?
Mr. MORIARTY. My invention covers a distinct field. By making
the boat very small I could launch it from all sorts of craft. In fact,
a swift torpedo boat might bring me within a mile or two of the
blockading fleet. Furthermore, it is easy of transportation overland
by wagon or otherwise.
METHOD OF CONVEYING TORPEDO OF GREAT MILITARY AND
COMMERCIAL VALUE.
Senator TILLMAN. 1 suppose the boat would be useless as an offensive
weapon unless it carried a torpedo.
Mr. MORIARTY. It would have to have a torpedo to do any attack-
ing work.
The CHAIRMAN. You want to keep it a one-man boat?
Mr. MORIARTY. My first purpose is to find out the possibilities of
the one-man-boat project. I believe that the method I have of carry-
ing the torpedo is of great military and commercial value, and that it
would be a good thing to apply it to any size torpedo boat. It could
even be applied to any semisubmergible boat. The torpedo in my
design is always protected, and can never be exploded by a fragment
of a rapid-fire shell. This carrying arrangement could be so developed
as to fit it to every tugboat, thus making every boat a torpedo boat.
CAPABILITIES OF CARRYING ADDITIONAL MAN.
By carrying on these experiments one of the things that the Gov-
ernment might find out is whether such a boat's capabilities can be
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
43
increased by putting in an additional man. In view of Admiral Mel-
ville's recommendation I believe that the Department might provide
that the boat be so built that a second man could enter if desirable.
a
FORM OF APPROPRIATION.
The CHAIRMAN. You have given the form of the appropriation you
want in the paper you have here.
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir.
COMFORT AND POSITION OF MAN IN BOAT.
Senator TILLMAN. I see some diagrams here. How long do you
propose to keep this man on his knees or lying down in that uncom-
fortable and unhealthy situation?
Mr. MORIARTY. You will remember that picked men would always
be required for this work. It is not expected that anyone could oper-
ate this boat any more than it could be expected that the average sailor
could do diving work.
Senator TILLMAN. How long do you propose to keep him in that
position?
Mr. MORIARTY. In case of necessity, six hours. On misty or rainy
days the man could come to the surface so often that he would be able
to free himself from the uncomfortable position. The men who would
volunteer for this work would be drilled to the duty. There would
be inducements offered by the Government for men to qualify them-
selves along this line. I believe that there are men who would stay
there twelve hours. The nervous and physical condition of the man
would determine the extent of his endurance. Some men would not
consider it a difficult matter to remain there the greater part of a day.
The CHAIRMAN. I should.
Mr. MORIARTY. I have laid in that position many a day in the win-
ter time on the rocks waiting for a duck.
Senator TillMAN. You had the opportunity to straighten up and
move about, and no doubt you did straighten up and move about.
Mr. MORIARTY. There were times when I have been very quiet and
did not move for a considerable time in duck hunting.
METHODS OF PROPULSION.
Senator PERKINS. What is your propelling power-electricity?
Mr. MORIARTY. I have three methods of propulsion. First, a gaso-
line engine for operating on the surface; second, the treadle power
exerted by the hand and feet of the man; third, the motive power
of
the torpedo.
LAUNCHING TORPEDO.
Senator PERKINS. How far do you project the torpedo?
Mr. MORIARTY. Of course that would depend on circumstances.
Senator PERKINS. How far can you project it?
Mr. MORIARTY. One thousand yards.
Senator PERKINS. Three thousand feet? It requires considerable
force to send a torpedo weighing 500 pounds that distance.
44
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
THE TORPEDO IS SIMPLY LAUNCHED AND PROCEEDS UNDER ITS OWN
PROPULSION.
Mr. MORIARTY. The torpedo of the present day is the development
of forty years of study and work upon the part of hundreds if not
thousands of men. A great deal of money has been spent in perfect-
ing it, and each year its range is increasing, so that if it is pointed
straight and meets no obstruction it will do damage at that distance in
case it is in efficient condition when discharged. Our carrying frame
can be adapted to a torpedo of special size, which would have a greater
volume of air pressure and thus have a greater field of operation.
FOR A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF BOAT SEE HEARING BEFORE HOUSE
NAVAL COMMITTEE.
а
The CHAIRMAN. This paper you have presented here goes into the
details of how the boat works. You have copies of this which you
are going to leave here, I presume.
Mr. MORIARTY. Yes, sir; I submit this paper which I ask be printed
as a part of my remarks. It is a description of the boat such as we
furnished to every commissioned officer in the service. It was also pre-
pared for the information of those unfamiliar with submarine matters.
In addition I would refer this committee to the more extended remarks
which I made before the Naval Committee of the House. In my
statement before the House Naval Committee I give a general descrip-
tion of the appliance and the means taken to overcome every objection
that has yet been presented.
HULL.
Mr. DE KNIGHT. Mr. Chairman, the hull of this boat is constructed
on scientific principles. The question of stability has been provided
for.
SAFETY AND COMMAND OF OPERATOR.
Particular care has been taken in looking out for the safety of the
operator. This operator has not only means within his power to
immediately make the boat buoyant enough to rise to the surface,
but there is an automatic provision for opening the conning-tower
hatch.
By reason of Mr. Moriarty's familiarity with torpedoes and torpedo
boats he has been enabled to arrange a combination of mechanical
movements whereby the propulsion, submersion, and maneuvering of
the boat is at the immediate command of an operator.
Within the naval service volunteers have already been found who
desire to be detailed for this work in case the Government will build
such craft.
SIMPLICITY OF CONTRIVANCE.
Mr. MORIARTY. I do not claim that I have invented any complicated
contrivance. In fact, I have aimed at simplicity and reliability.
Probably no man who has gone into this submarine-boat business has
had such an opportunity to familiarize himself with torpedoes or bas
had so much practical experience in operating them as I have had. Of
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
45
the hundreds of submarine boats that have been invented there have
been many of the one-man design, and I contend that by reason of the
possibility of now making the appliances light and strong there is just
as good chance of eventually developing this type as the types of
greater size.
The CHAIRMAN. I do not think there is anything very mysterious
about any of these boats.
APPENDIX.
THE INVISIBLE DESTROYER.
[The story of the Moriarty submarine boat.]
That the submarine boat has come and has come to stay there is no
longer any doubt, a fact that is admitted, though reluctantly, by the
older and what have been termed the more conservative heads of the
navies of the world. The opinion of some is that this type of craft
has not passed the experimental stage, yet on the other hand we have
the action of the French authorities in acting in advance of the views
which naval experts of the French fleet have expressed as to the capa-
bilities of these boats. It has not been claimed by any of the builders
of this style of war craft that invincibility or perfection has been
attained, but it is claimed that practical boats have been and are being
built on systematic lines not only for defensive but for offensive work.
The submarine boat which combines the qualifications for both offen-
sive and defensive work is that designed by Mr. Thomas J. Moriarty,
for years the mechanical expert in the employ of the United States
Government at the torpedo station of the United States Navy, located
at Newport, R. I. Perhaps no inventor ever undertook a task better
equipped for it than did Mr. Moriarty when he first conceived the
idea of a submarine boat. His years of service as mechanical expert,
his profound knowledge of what the Navy would expect in any sub-
marine craft which might be adopted, information on the various dif-
ficulties which had been met in experimental work on the part of the
Government, particularly in torpedo warfare, on which subject he is
a past master, had equipped him for the task before him and placed
him in the enviable position of knowing just what was wanted, and
possessing mechanical and inventive genius far above the average his
work of accomplishing what he desired was easy, particularly when
the principles be applies in his invention had been tried by him years
before and were found to work to perfection. Having worked out his
principle successfully, Mr. Moriarty's first object was to get his
invention patented. This was done in all the principal countries in
the world.
Fully realizing what qualities a submarine boat must possess to be of
practical utility, Mr. Thomas J. Moriarty, the manager of the New-
port Manufacturing Company, took up the problem a couple of years
ago and has since devoted much study and experimental research to its
solution. The result of his labors is embodied in Letters Patent No.
691160, dated January 14, 1902, issued by the United States Govern-
ment. It is worthy of comment, in perusing the document, to note
that the inventor has been given very broad claims on the salient fea-
tures of his mechanism, as his devices are so new and original and
such a marked advance on those of his predecessors as to place his
46
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
boat in a class by itself. While most of the principles in its construc-
tion have stood the test of experience and practice in other fields, their
embodiment and utilization in his invention have required the design-
ing of special mechanisms, which in their simplicity and effectiveness
display a high order of inventive talent and justly entitle this con-
struction to be considered as one of the most remarkable inventions
of the age. This impression is confirmed as one examines the auto-
matic devices which enable the craft itself to correct mistakes of a
faulty or nervous operator and to perform the service necessary for
the fulfillment of his task, while securing his safety, which his own
carelessness and inattention might fail to effect.
As has been previously stated, Mr. Moriarty's exceptional opportuni-
ties have placed him in possession of an extraordinary practical knowl-
edge of torpedo warfare. He was long ago impressed with the idea
that the only way by which to make the action of the torpedo actually
certain was to put an experienced operator inside it; for, while its
automatic machinery operates with almost human intelligence, there is
no certainty that it will on long ranges do exactly what is required of
it. From the idea of putting a man inside it to that of placing a man
outside it, the transition was easy; and it then became a question to
give him a safe shelter, means of locomotion, of submerging, and of
discharging the projectile. To accomplish these essentials he has
devised a cigar-shaped boat of bronze plates, about 10 feet long, 3 feet
deep, and 5 feet wide. Beneath this is suspended the Whitehead tor-
pedo in a frame from which it is propelled by compressed air when
the operator has approached near the mark. "A general idea of its
appearance and functions can be derived from the accompanying
illustrations.
To make certain features of the boat clearer the following details
may prove
of avail:
Let it be supposed, for example, that a trip is to be made in the
boat. Before launching it into the water, the latch holding closed
the hatch is sprung, and this cover with its conning tower is opened
by powerful springs, the hatch sliding beneath the casing of the hull.
This gives an entrance of about 3 feet square to the interior. The
batches of thick glass are opened and the engine, specially devised for
propelling the boat, is adjusted. These stern hatches are then closed.
By means of a connection with the engine the air tank in the bottom
of the boat is filled with compressed air to a great pressure. A light
is placed on the bottom of the boat forward behind the slanting obser-
vation tube. The Whitehead torpedo is slipped into the casing beneath
the boat, and the circular yoke is revolved down over its nose until the
point slips between the blades of the small front propeller, thus pre-
venting its turning, as the propeller actuates the firing mechanism
after the projectile
is discharged. If this point were not provided the
propeller would turn with the first movement of the boat, and the fir-
ing mechanism of the torpedo would be released and thus entail a pre-
mature explosion if the nose should strike any object in the water
while carried by the boat.
The operator then dons a vest made of two thicknesses of air-tight
material, to which is attached a small mouth tube by which it is inflated.
This inflated vest serves as a padding for the body while the man is in
the boat and also as a life-preserver in an emergency. The operator
enters the cock-pit, lies down on the cradle astride of its support.
a
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
47
Padded prongs on the cradle curve over his shoulders to hold him in
place and provide a purchase for his arms when operating the levers
before him. The boat is then put into the water. He slides a mova-
ble weight along a bar running fore and aft until the boat sits level,
bow and stern. He lowers his head and closes the hatch, gaskets mak-
ing the joints with the hull water-tight. He then turns the handwheel
beneath him, thus admitting water to the submersion tank in the bottom
of the boat until the vessel sinks to the level of the base of the conning
tower. Lifting his head into the conning tower, he may then see
through the glass front the course before him.
By means of reflectors in front of him he sees whether the machinery
behind him is properly adjusted, and, if so, pulls a lever blowing the
whistle on the forward mast, which is sounded by compressed air from
the air tank. Grasping the hand levers and placing his feet on the
treadles, he gives the propellor shaft a few turns and thus starts the
engine connected therewith, the gases of combustion from the machine
passing through the exhaust. Air is admitted through the rear mast
also and circulates throughout the boat. This air tube is, however,
automatically closed when the boat is beneath the surface of the water,
and the conning tower completely covered by means of a hydrostatic
piston, open to the water at the bottom of the boat, the pressure of
the water at the increased depth forcing up the piston, which actuates
a lever to force a valve over the air-tube opening, thus preventing the
entry of water through it. The same motion of the piston operates
levers connected to a valve in the compressed-air tank, opening it, and
thus allowing a fine stream of air to issue therefrom into the boat and
supplying the operator with fresh air. As the boat again reaches the
surface, the pressure on the hydrostatic piston is released because
there is less depth of water, and the air tube is again opened and the
air-tank valve closed. An exhaust valve through the hull of the boat
regulates the pressure within.
The boat is now under way. Glancing down through the slanting
observation tube that extends through the top and bottom of the boat,
its ends being covered with plate glass, the operator sees that the nose
of the torpedo is properly held by the point before mentioned and also
any obstructions that might lie beneath him. In the nighttime the
light placed just behind it, shining through the lens in the bottom of
the boat upon the head of the torpedo, will fully illuminate its sur-
roundings also. A signal light is also carried on the forward mast
for use under certain conditions. He steers the boat by means of the
lever before him attached to the rudder.
The conning tower, being not much larger than a bucket, is well-nigh
invisible on the water's surface to observers on shipboard, and this fact
permits a close approach to them. As he nears the hostile ships, he
pulls a lever shutting off the engine. He lifts a lever in front of him,
which turns upward four fins, one being on either quarter of the ves-
sel, bow and stern. The action of these fins is to pull the boat down-
ward, because of the pressure of the water on them while the boat is
under way. Moving the lever downward depresses these fins, on the
other hand, and causes the boat to rise from the same reason.
Accord-
ingly the faster the speed, the quicker the vessel rises and sinks. The
operator then grasps the handles of the propeller shaft, places his feet
on the pedals and moves forward under his own power until he is
within short torpedo range of the hostile ship. He stops, swiftly turns
48
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
a
>
the handwheel before him. Its bevel gear revolves upward the cir.
cular yoke from the nose of the war head of the torpedo until the
point, formely resting on its propeller, strikes a rod projecting through
the bottom of the boat. This rod in turn connects with a valve in the
compressed-air tank which discharges air into the cylinder fastened to
the bottom of the boat. The compressed air forces out a piston in this
cylinder. To the exterior of this piston is attached a finger resting
behind a projection on the top of the torpedo. The effect of the impulse
is to violent thrust out the torpedo from its casing, a “T” slot on the
top of it holding it in line, in the direction of the hostile ship. As the
torpedo leaves the casing, the piston finger just mentioned, trips a
“dog” on the top of the torpedo that sets in motion the propelling
mechanism of the projectile, and it starts off under its own power for
the mark.
The operator turns his boat and makes off under water to a safe dis-
tance and depresses the fins to bring him to the surface. He pulls the
engine lever and starts the machine and returns to his starting point,
having performed his mission. Should he be discovered and pursued
before he has time to launch his torpedo he will make for the
nearest
shore. In running on the surface he can utilize his engine, his hand
levers, his foot pedals for obtaining fast speed, and he can increase this
by turning the handwheel, which will depress the “dog” or starting
catch on the torpedo, thus setting its machinery in motion to aid in the
onward movement. Nearing the shore, he stops the machinery, lowers
his head, releases the catch which fastens the conning-tower hatch.
This flies open under the impulse of the powerful springs first men-
tioned, and he can leave the boat. He first opens, however, a valve in
the bottom of the craft, allowing the water to fill it. As it sinks to
the bottom he strikes out for the shore, being supported by his inflated
water-tight vest. His boat lies in a fathom or so of water, it may be,
but he can recover it later when the pursuit is past; for in the bow
is an automatic device which throws out a buoy and cord after the
lapse of a certain length of time, the buoy floating to the surface,
indicating the location of the boat, and the cord serving as a means
for hauling it up. This device consists of a powerful spring for eject-
ing the buoy, which is released by clockwork that may be set to oper-
ate after a reasonable length of time.
The clockwork is set in motion only when the torpedo sinks to a
greater depth than is ever reached by the operator when running the
boat. The buoyancy of the craft keeps it near the surface under nor-
mal conditions, and only the downward pull of the slanting fins will
carry it lower. And in fact they are effective only for a slight depth,
because, if the craft sinks lower than a certain depth, a hydrostatic pis-
ton, operated by the increased pressure of the water and connected by
levers with the shafts operating the fins, at once turns them downward,
thus bringing the boat to the surface if it be moving. If it be motion-
less the operator can obtain the same result by opening a valve in the
bottom of the boat that communicates with a chamber therein filled
full of mercury. Several pounds of this heavy, compact ballast will
then drop out and bring the boat to the surface like a cork. Another
safety device, which at the same time corrects a list in the boat to either
side, is an arrangement of pistons in compartments on each side of the
boat.
a
MORIARTY SUBMARINE BOAT.
49
At bottom of either compartment is a row of upright hydrostatic
cylinders, below whose pistons is the water from the outside. Above
these pistons pipes lead to a long horizontal cylinder placed length-
wise inside the hull at the top of the boat. Midway of this cylinder
are placed two pistons. The tubes from the hydrostatic cylinders
below run up to the air space between these two pistons. The ends
of this long cylinder are open to the outside water. As has been
stated, there is a set of these cylinders on each side of the boat. Now,
as the boat careens over, the increased pressure on the lower hydro-
static cylinders forces up their pistons, compressing the air above them
and forcing it through the pipes and between the two pistons in the
upper, horizontal cylinder, forcing them outward and ejecting the
water in this cylinder and lightening the boat on that side to that
extent, the cylinder being so proportioned and so adjusted that more
water will be expelled than is taken in. Of course, when the boat
rights itself the pistons will resume their normal position. The same
operation will take place when the boat sinks to a lower level than the
ordinary.
While the torpedo is in its casing it furnishes an additional stability
to the boat in serving as a keel. When it has been fired, however,
this office will be performed by a collapsible keel, which unfolds like
the slats of a fan from a recess in the bottom of the boat. If desired,
of course, the keel could be made detachable by means of a connection
under the control of the operator, so that it could be cast off entirely
if additional buoyancy were required in an emergency. Though all
joints are packed with gaskets, it is, of course, possible that there may
be some leakage, and in order to deal with the bilge water, a smail
force pump is placed within easy reach of the operator.
The above are the salient features of the invention on which the
Patent Office has granted thirty-one pioneer claims, which are thus
broad in scope and comprehensive in detail. The special things that
commend the construction are its simplicity in comparison with other
devices of the character; its compactness; its small size, making it
suitable for service on shipboard as well as from shore; its exclusive
function of locating and destroying submarine mines; its low cost of
construction, scarcely exceeding $5,000, probably; the economy of its
operation and maintenance, requiring, as it does, the services of but
one man; the automatic features insuring its safety and that of its
occupant, and meeting all demands that could be made upon it, thus
leaving the operator's attention free to deal with the work of propel-
ling and steering the boat, discharging the projectile, and making his
escape from hostile territory. These automatic features will commend
the boat to public attention and to the consideration of Government
officials, the automatic devices being especially praiseworthy and
deserving of approval, as it is believed that this is their first applica-
tion to submarine craft. Taken as a whole, the invention appears
destined to play a great part in the naval warfare and tactics suggested
at the beginning of this pamphlet, and to reflect especial honor and
distinction upon its talented creator, whose abilities and labor will, it
is to be hoped, receive the public recognition and reward which they
so richly merit.
S. Doc. 407-14
O
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 00207 2372

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