The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-09 00:00:00

Important Shot Trials at Shoeburyness.

Yesterday forenoon important shot trials were
made at Shoeburyness on the Warrior target, by
shot fired from the 68 pounder, with the usual ser-
vice charge. The Warrior target, it will be remem-
bered, has on its face 41- inch hammered—not rolled
—armour plates, immediately behind these 18 inches
of teak backing, and again behind the teak a thin
iron skin, and strong iron frames, the latter in lieu
of the wood timbers of a wood ship: Such a target
it will further be remembered was destroyed the
other day by a single 6101 b, shell,fired at 1,000
yards, from the Aemstror.g 600 pounder, and time
and again has been riddled by the steel-jacketed
and steel shot of Whitworth and Armstrong. It,
however, uniformly repelled the 68 pounder ; the
681 b. shot, with a charge 0f,161b. merely making
an indentation of two inches, starting or breaking
bolts, buckling artiour plates, and inflicting irre-
parable injury on the teak backing. For these rea-
sons one class of individuals has claimed great effi-
ciency for the 68 pounder ; affir ming that a concen-
trated broadside of such guns is sufficient for the
destruction of armoured ships afloat. Another class
of individuals, however, from the same facts; has
arrived at a totally different conclusion ; maintain-
ing that without a more effective gun we could not
carry on a war at sea on anything like safe or equal
terms. Accordingly, to produce a more effective
gun, Whitworth, Armstrong, and others have
laboured and are still labouring ; the hypothesis
from which they reason being that the 68 pounder,
singly or in concentrated broadsides, is unequal
to the destruction of armoured ships. Mr. E. J.
Reed and others, on the other hind, while leaving
artillerists to fight their own battle, have prac-
tically accepted the big gun theory, and in pro-
viding ships with armour plates of greater thick-
ness than 4-kin., assume the possibility of the ulti-
mate construction, easy handling, and rapid firing
of what may still be called hypothetical gnns—the
600 pounder Armstrong gun notwithstanding, that
gun actually requiring from 25 to 30 practised
Shoeburyness gunners to obtain three discharges in
an hour. Mr. E. J. Reed, and those who think with
him, in effect throw over the 66 pounder, take what
is called broad and far-seeing views of ships and
guns, the meaning of which in plain English is,
that for little guns there are little ships and qin.
armour plates, while for big guns there are big
ships and any thickness of armur plates you choose,

from 6 to 12 inches.
Yesterday forenoon, at Shoeburyness, the friends
of the 68 pounder had good reason to prick up
their years. They saw the deductions negatived
that the firing with the 600 pounder at 1,000 yards
appeared to warrant. They discovered that while
an ordinary cast-iron spherical shot fired at the
Warrior target from 200 yards effected an indenta-
tion of 2 1-10 in., a steel shot of the same form and
weight, fired under the same conditions, went
through the 41in. armour plates on the Warrior
target, and in all probability would have gone
through the teak backing also with an 181 b. or 201 b.
charge of powder. With steel shot and an increased
charge of powder, the presumption therefore is that
the 68 pohnder is able to penetrate and destroy
any possible thickness of armour and teak backing
that any seagoing ship of war is ever likely to
carry comfortably. The presumption will be un-
expected but not unwelcome to naval officers and
the great body of scientific men interested in such
matters. Handy guns and handy weettherly ships
that may open their broadsides on an enemy in mo-
derately rough weather are what, of all things, we
most require, and it is to be hoped that the aril
nance select committee and the select committee
on iron will before long set the point definitively at
rest by
new experiments, whether a heavier broad-
side gun than the 68-pounder is really needed.
What remains to be done is to increase the 68. pou-
nder service charge from 161 b., and to fire steel het
with the increased charge at one of Mr. Reed's ta--
gets. It is gratifying to add that steel shot for tie
68-pounder will cost no more per ton than armour-
plates, although the shots for the Armstrong 600-
pounder cost as near as can be £5O each.
The shots -fired yesterday were only three in
number, so unexpected being the result that no
more shots had been provided-
1. 68-pound cast iron shot, 161 b. charge.
2. 68. pound steel shot 161 b. charge.
3. 68-pound steel shot, 161 b. charge.
The first shot left an indentation of 2 I.loth
inches, and broke six bolts. The second effected a
measured penetration of 4 8-10th inches in the
41.-inch plate. The third effected a like penetration,
burying itself in the armour-plate, and sticking fast.
With the quality of the armour-plates being ham-
mered, not rolled—no fault can possibly be found,
as from first to last the armour plates of the makers,
the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Com-
pany have maintained the highest character. The
steel shot did the mischief. The same shot has been,
and is still, being manufactured for the Russian and
other Governments on an extensive scale by the
) makers, Messrs. John Brown and Co., Atlas Steel
and Iron Works, Sheffield.