An item referred to the magazine Le Yacht reporting that on 12 May at Dubuque, Iowa the US torpedo boat Ericsson (1) was launched. With a displacement of 120 tons were her dimensions 45,72 x 4,71 x 1,45 (middle) metres. The triple expansion engines supplied 1.800 ihp while driving two screws allowing an expected speed of 24 miles. The armament consisted of 1 torpedo tube fixed forward for Howell (2) torpedoes, 2 torpedo guns for Whitehead torpedoes and 4-1pd quick firing guns.
Notes
1. Her building at the Iowa Iron Works was ordered on 30 June 1890, not earlier laid down as on 21 July 1892, launched on 12 May two years later, commissioned on 18 February 1897, finally decommisioned on 5 April 1912 and afterwards sunk as a target during gun tests.
2. Invented in 1870 by the USN lieutenant commander John Adams Howell (16 March 1840 Bath, New York-10 January 1918 Warrenton, Virginia)using a large flywheel spun for driving the propellers. Much cheaper as the opponent the Whitehead-torpedo although very noisy. There were just fifty of these torpedoes manufactured as the Whitehead torpedo superseded the Howell torpedo.
