北洋海军第一级鱼雷艇考证

Textual Research on the First-Class Torpedo Boat of Qing Navy

在北洋海军建设的初期,由于缺乏资金购买大型战舰,李鸿章很重视鱼雷艇这种据称以小博大的新式武器。他第一次成功购买的鱼雷艇产自德国,但这批鱼雷艇的资料却十分匮乏,订购过程仅存只言片语,来华后的服役情况也是扑朔迷离,甚至连艇名也缺乏可信的说法。本文将尽量还原该鱼雷艇从购买到沉没的历程。

In the early days of Qing naval construction,Li Hongzhang was constrained by the lack of funds to construct large warships.Therefore,he attached great importance to torpedo boats,which he believed could boost asymmetrical capabilities in warfare.The first successful purchase of a torpedo boat was in Germany,but the historical records yield little information on how it was purchased and when did it come to China.Even the name of the boat is disputed.This article aims to provide a credible explanation in response to all of these questions.