28th July.
now come to the las' great div n of this most i ing and impo aut work. to the understanding of the se: ion now under consideration may be pul into half-a-dozen words, guns are improving, armour is not. "There has been absolutely no improvement in the quality of armour in the las three y s, and there are no signs of any further advance.'
Guns on the other hand are so much better that " we must assume thatthe s now building are liable to hav their armour pierced almost immediately they get fairly into action, and " the nation that first reverts to the thick and, thinks the Annual" once more, placing our ships at disadvantage when compared with those of the Continent and America. The gun having got ahead of the armour the latter must "reply" with additional thickness, and it is quite likely that the greater displacement shown in our newest designs is intended to secure this. The " Annual" complains that for the first time for some wars the Admiralty have refused to give drawings of new ships. Continuing advocacy of complete protection it "There is no case in history of well-protected ship, with a few guns fairly well fought, being beaten by a badly protected vessel with a numerous armament of non-piercing guns and there are many eases, especially in the American civil war, where few well-protected weapons utterly defeated a more numerous but badly protected battery. We are, in fact, ing back to the days when the Minotaur and Richelicu gave place to the Alexandra and the Duperré the gun has beaten the plate, and in order to carry more protection the number of guns must be r duced."
The explanation of the gain in gun-tire is due to two things, greater velocity, some 300 fs. and the introduction of capped shot. The former not only gives grater penetration, but allows of better shooting. It would appear, therefore, that we are on the eve of considerable changes. The " Annual" thinks that in future guns will no longer be mounted on the main-deck, except in the heaviest ips, but in twrets on the upper deck in as small a space as is consistent with rapidity of fire.
Up to 1887 the standard length for guns was some 30 calibres. Then France led the way, as she so often has done, in introducing an improved pattern with a length of from 42 to 45 cals. Other nations were slow to follow, but "at present all nations seem pretty well agreed that from 40 to 45 cals. is the best length for a heavy gun, and 45 cals. to 50 cals. for a lighter one." The Americans are already building at the greater length. The relative powers of the old and the new guns may be understood from the fact that the striking power ofa 95-inch gun of 50 cals. ts about the same as that of the older sums up the gain thus:—* The substitution ofa modern gun of 30 cals. and 2,000 fs. velocity would in some cases double, and in others would treble or even quadruple, the fighting value of the gun armament, whilst the weight would be reduced."
A point sometimes under-estimated in the designing of gun armaments s the effect of the blast from the muzzles of these immensely powerful weapons. We read that "the gas suing from the muzzle of a modern G-inch gun is equal in amount to that developed on the bursting ofa 12-inch powder-filled common shell." We subjoin an extract from a very recent article by Mr. F, P. Jane in which he touches upon this important matter.
Guns without gunners are, how ever, of but little use, and it is more than satisfactory to find that in this all-important branch of Naval training we are really awake at last, "Not much more than ten years ago it was not unusual for flag officers to go ashore to get out of the firing, and if the gunnery lieutenant worried himself in the matter, it was looked upon as part of the eccentric behar viour natural to a man cranky on uns, All this has changed now. publicity has had much to do with it, and prize-firing, in which squadron is pitted against squadron, ship against hip, and against. man, The Ocean, Crescent, and Hood created four "records" last year in their prize firing. The Ocean's6-inch guns fired at the rate of 6,8 rounds per minute, while with her 12-inch guns she made 17 hits out of rounds, almost phenomenal firing. The Crescent got in nine hits in twelve minutes with a single 92-inch gun, while the Hood averaged five hits in twelve minutes from each 13.5-inch gun, the best before being 3.5 hits in the same time. Our general average, however, is still low.
Comparison with other nations in this respect is difficult, but the "Annual" says: "Such fragmentary reports as have appeared of French and American practice seem to indicate that they cannot claim an equality with us at present."
But even good material, good workmanship, good guns, and good gunners may be placed ata advantage in a ship of indifferent design. This is most clearly shown in the article, to which we have before alluded, dealing with the comparative merits of the American Maine and the German Wettin, one of the Wittelsbach type.
"The failure of the Wittelsbach type," says Mr. Jane, "lies in the amatenrisi disposition of the guns, She is emphatically a paper' design, everything being secondary to a fancy end-on fire. She brings eight 6-inch guns ahead where the Maine brings Dut four, But those four in the Maine
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.