In time of war the dispatch boats are the eyes of the fleet. It is their
duty to reconnoiter and ascertain the strength of the enemy and to carry
the orders of the commander. For this service great speed is of the
utmost importance. As all nations have increased the speed of their war
ships during the last few years, it has become necessary to build faster
dispatch boats. Although our new vessels of this class, Blitz, Pfeil,
Greif, Jagd, and Wacht, fulfill the requirements, still greater speed
was deemed requisite, and steps were taken for the construction of the
Meteor, which was launched at Kiel in 1890. This vessel is 262 ft. long,
31 ft. wide, and has a draught of 13 ft., and a displacement of 950
tons. There are two independent engines, each of which develops 2,500
h.p., making a total of 5,000 h.p.; and each engine drives a screw. When
both engines are running with their full power, the Meteor has a speed
of 24 knots (over 27½ miles) an hour, which is equal to the speed of a
freight train.[1] As the resistance of the water increases greatly with
an increase in the speed of the vessel, the engines of the Meteor are
very large in comparison with the size of the vessel. The largest
armored vessel in the navy, the Konig Wilhelm, for example, has a
displacement of 9,557 tons, and its engines develop 8,000 h.p., driving
the vessel at a rate of 14 knots an hour; that is, 0.84 h.p. to each ton
of displacement, while in the Meteor there is 5.26 h.p. to each ton of
displacement. The Meteor has a crew of 90 men, and an armament of eight
light guns, and has no rigging; only one mast for signaling. Steam power
is used for raising the anchor, removing the ashes from the engine room,
and for distilling water. The vessel is lighted with electricity, and is
also provided with electrical apparatus for search lights.--_Illustrirte
Zeitung_.
[Footnote 1: This, we believe, is the fastest vessel of the kind
afloat.--ED. S.A.]
[Illustration: THE NEW GERMAN DISPATCH BOAT METEOR.]
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