The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-05
BATTLEsHIP IOWA.
VIII Withstand the Projectiles of a
12-inch Gun.


WASHINGTON, Sept. 4.-The new
battle ship Iowa will Withstand the
projectiles Of the best tWelve-inch gun
afioat. That was the conclusion drawn
today from one of the most impor-
tant tests ever made at the govern
ment proving grounds at Indian Head.
Since the equipment of modern bat
tie ships with heavy armor there has
been in certain quarters a question
as to whether the frame work of ships
SO armored could resist the crushing
force of a blow from one of the big
guns, even though the armor itself
was capable of keeping the projectile
out. Hitherto all tests of armor have
been made against unyielding wooden
butts. Today the United States, for
the first time since the use of modern
guns and armor, began experiments
to determine the actual strain and in
jury to which a battle ship would be
subjected if struck by a projectile. For
that purpose, a side armor plate of the
battle ship Iowa, now building at the
Cramp yards in Philadelphia, was fit
ted up on an actual reproduction of
a section Of the ship. 1t consisted of
the inner and outer bottoms of five
eighthS inch steel, forming compart-
ments with lateral steel bulkheads four
feet apart Outside the outer bottom
was skin of five-eighths steel and
between this and the 14-inch armor
plate, were 10 inches of solid oak back
ing. Above, was the projection deck
and below the main deck the whole
being backed above and below by oak,
of the estimated strength of the pro-
lection and main decks. The plate it.
self was 16 feet by 71s feet, IA inches
thick at the top, and stopping towards
the bottom, to a thickness of inches
The character of the test was such
that Secretary Herbert himself went
down the river to witness it and there
was more than the usual number Of
officials present from the ordinance
and construction bureaus.
The shots were at $50 yards at right
angles to the plate, to secure the nor
NAL impact. The first was a 500 pound
Carpenter projectile, from a Pinch
gun, driven by 40 pounds of Dupont S
brown prismatic powder. 1t struck the
plate with a velocity of 1,4S2 feet per
second, or with an energy of IA, 600
pounds. The projectile was driven into
the plate about six inches, and not a
single injury to the backing was dis
covered after careful examination,
save the steering Of nine bolts con-
Meeting the projection deck with the
arnOr. This was not considered seri-
Gus at best.
The second shot was also from 12-
inch gun, but the powder charge was
increased to PIG pounds, which in
creased the velocity to 1852 feet per
second; it struck with an energy of
991 900 pounds. The shot also spent
itself ON the plate without creating a
sign of a crack or injury or straining
the framework. There was not a bulge
in the plate or frame Of the vessel A
single bolt, however, was driven out
Is Remarkable.
Having thus tested the fourteen-inch
plate, it was decided to subject the
frame work ito a still severer test, and
an $50 pound Wheeler sterling shell,
driven by $50 pounds of powder, was
fired at it from 12-inch gun The
projectile struck with velocity of L.
800, or an energy of 100000 foot
pounds. This shot would, according
to the estimates, have penetrated a 16-
inch harveyiZed plate. Although it
cracked the plate, already weakened
by the two previous shots, and Zene-
trated the wood backing, it did moi
get through the wood backing An
enormous recoil of the plate, however,
pulled it from the wood about three
LOIllGIuS Ol dH uucu. II also SlTuck
close to a bolt and sent it with ire
mendous force across the compart menit,
against the inner bottom. which was
bulged, but not penetrated The outer
bottom was slightly bulged also, and
the bulkhead where the shot struck
was buckled.
On the whole the result of the test
with the plate and frame work was
considered remarkable. The plate with
stood the government test for 16-inch
plate splendidly and, constructively,
the test Of a 17-inch plate. The rests
lance of the frame really astonished
all. Secretary Herbert was greatly re-
joiced at the result and Captain
Sampson, chief of the ordnance bureau.
said the injury both to the plate and
frame was the very minimum "The
framework withstood the shock better
than we hoped it would said Captain
Sampson.