In regard to the accuracy of the firing of the above methods, both seem equally good, though in the case of firing on the broadside it would be necessary to prepare carefully calculated tables of deflection, any mistake in the using of which would be fatal to a successful torpedo shot.
_Projecting a Torpedo from above Water._--In this case an iron carriage is used, which is fitted with a frame, in which the torpedo rests; the outer end of this frame is provided with a lip, some few feet long, by which means the rear end of the torpedo is slightly canted up on leaving the frame, and any undue strain on the tail of the torpedo is prevented. The frame is mounted in the iron carriage in such a way that it can be elevated or depressed by means of a screw, as in the case of a gun mounted in an ordinary carriage. The torpedo is ejected from the frame by means of a piston as previously explained, a small reservoir of air being attached to the carriage, so that it can be used at any port.
_Firing a Torpedo from the Surface._--The torpedo possesses sufficient buoyancy to float with a small portion of its upper surface above water; such being the case, it is only necessary to set the various adjustments, point it in the required direction, and by hand turn back the lever on the upper part of the weapon (which opens a communication between the air chamber and the engines), when it will instantly dart off and very rapidly attain the depth it is set for.
_Method of Firing a Fish Torpedo from a Boat._--To manipulate a fish torpedo from a boat, it may be carried in a light frame, which can be lowered or raised by means of a pair of davits. When required to discharge the torpedo, the frame containing it is lowered into the water, so as to bring the torpedo about two feet below the surface, the head being somewhat lower than the tail.
_Thornycroft's Method of Firing Fish Torpedoes from a Boat._--Another method, which has been patented by Mr. J. I. Thornycroft, of the firm of J. I. Thornycroft and Co., steam launch builders, and which is fitted to the torpedo boats built by them for foreign governments, is shown in elevation and plan at Figs. 120 and 121.
The apparatus consists of two or more bent levers _A_ securely and rigidly fixed on a shaft _B_, which works in bearings fixed on the deck of the vessel _C_ from which the torpedo is to be discharged. On the ends of the levers _A_ furthest from the shaft _B_ are pivoted other levers _D_, to which the cradle or case _E_ for sustaining the torpedo is suspended. The other ends of each of these levers are connected to the vessel by means of rods or tubes _F_, jointed at each end in such a way that when the shaft _B_ is made to revolve in its bearings, the case containing the torpedo is guided over the side of the vessel and close to it, and is held in a position convenient for discharging the torpedo, as shown at Fig. 120.