The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-18 00:00:00

SHIPS AND SHELLS.

A writer in the Times says:—ln your leader on
the recent naval engagement you assert " the Danes
gained this victory by their shells," and there can
be no doubt of the fact. " The moral to be drawn
frcm thin lesson is,"eee you correctly observe,
portant." But how will that moral be imprciVed
by the Admiralty? That is the question. Every
unprejudiced man who is practically acquainted
with modern artillery has the conviction that in
future naval warfare shells will prove the most
effective and formidable of all missiles. It has been
conclusively demonstrated that by their agency we
can burn a wooden ship with rapidity and tern
tainty. Every Armstrong shell which struck the
old wooden frigate Huzzar off Shoeburyness at the
range of 1,000 yards set her on fire, and she was
consumed to the water's edge. Even the closely
packed wooden backtng of iron-plated targets has
been ignited by shells; and there who have wit-
nessed these results have been astonished at the
rapidity, as well as intensity, of the ignition. God
help our sailors who may be doomed hereafter to
fight in our boasted wooden walls ! They will in-
evitably be drowned, blown up, or roasted alive.
But, apart from the effect of ignition, there is
nothing which a sailor dreads so much, and with
reason, as the explosion of a shell between decks,
where cover is impossible, and the smoke resulting
from a large bursting charge of gunpcwder will
suffocate and disorganise the sturdiest veterans .
What, therefore, the sailor most fears is assuredly
the best instrument to employ.
We have guns which can project shells into our
strongest ironclads afloat or in process of construc-
tion. The 600-pounder 23 ton 13in. Armstrong
will send a steel shell, containing the tremendous
bursting charge of 291 b. of powder, into any of these
vessels with unerring certainty and with the most
destructive effect. It is probable that a single shell
from this gun would suffice to decide an action.
At present we have a solitary gun of this calibre,
There it stands at Shoeburyness gaping and idle.
Its service charge of powder is 901 b., and, so far as
it hes been tested, it has resisted perfectly and pre-
sents not even an incipient flaw. At whatever
cost, we must have more of these guns ; and naval
constructors would be better occupied in contriving
suitable ships to carry them than in designing ships
on the old broadside pattern for a multitude of
comparatively useless weapons. Let the Admiralty
be on the alert. Other nations, especially the United
States, watch with int'nse eagerness all our expe-
riments. What would their Lordships say, or,
rather, what would the country sey, if our Irene-
atlantic cousins should be the first to adopt these
monster guns in their navy ? Look out, my Lords,
or you will be behindhand in this matter.
The 300-pounder 12 ton 10.5-inch gun is an ad-
mirable weapon, and can deliver a steel shell into
the interior of any of our shins, even the most
strongly iron-plated. It has been at length then
introduced into our navy, though as yet most spar-
ingly.
We have heard much about the Duke of Somer-
set's pet 100 pounder smoothbore, and Admiral
Frederick's fancy 7 inch gun, But the time of his
Grace and of the gunnery Lord would be better
devoted to the question of arming our ships with
really efficient guns and steel shells. The shell's
the thing which ought to catch the conscience of the
Duke. Whatever else is done, let not the shell be
left undone. So long as we have ships of war, the
public earnestly desires that they should be the
best possible in every respect. It is not pretended
that our naval armament should consist only of 600
and 300 pounders, though guns of smaller calibre
tban the latter will not make much impression on
ironclade, or that every ship of war should carry
such monster artillery. But these guns must be
introduced in considerable proportion into the naval
service with as little delay as possible. Give me a
suitable vessel, with one 600 pounder and a few steel
shells, and I would sink or destroy the Warrior in
less than half an hour, even with all the Admiralty
on board.