An item reported that the British shipyard Messrs. Yarrow&Co. at Poplar built for account of the Japanese government a torpedo boat of which the design was not the usual type.(1) She was larger as the torpedo boats until then built while her vulnerable parts including the machinery were protected against machinegun fire due to the 1? Armour made of steel. Main dimensions 166 x 19 feet, The 1.400 hp delivered via twin screws made a speed of 19-20 knots possible.
The torpedo boat was in the meantime disassembled and shipped to Japan where she was to be assembled again. She was armed with twp torpedo tubes placed on the bow launching gunpowder ejected torpedoes Amidships and aft were on the deck turntables placed for mounting each a pair of torpedo guns. It was almost possible to fire parallel with this guns. Yarrow built already 8 years earlier torpedo boats for Japan which were designed by sir. E.J. Reed. (2)
Notes
1. This is probably the Kotaka with a displacement of 203 tons.
2. Sir Edward James Reed (20 September 1830 Sheerness, Kent, England-The Strand, London, England 30 November 1906), Chief Constructor between 1863-1870 and also as a liberal politician member of the House of Commons between 1874-1906. After retiring he still designed warships for instance of Brazil and Chile.
