The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-03
THIRTEEN-INCH GUNS.
Their Successful Firing Is a Tremen~
dOus Feat.

dOus Feat.
Philadelphia Times.
tie ships firing thirteen-inch guns do you
fully realize what that expulsion of pro-
jectile means? Do you know what vessel
first subjected itself to the ordeal In the
history of the United States navy of fir
ing thirteen-inch gun from the deck OF
vessel? Probably not. 1t was the Indiana.
The test made with its heavy armament in
1896 meant not only much to the United
States navy, but was watched with inter-
est by cunning and naval experts the world
over. The test was to determine whether
or not the firing of the thirteen-inch guns
on the first of Uncle Sans battle ships
would or would not cripple that magnificent
floating fortress. 1t was a matter regard
ing which few people were technically in-
formed. Prior to her subsection to that Sc
rious ordeal. the Indiana was supplied at
the United States government torpedo sta
ton at Newport, r. l., with q full equip
ment Of the famous Whitehead torpedoes:
dreadful missiles of destruction which can
be elected through tubes with which the
battle ship is provided. Then she was landed
high in the government dry dock at Rort
Royal, South Carolina, in order that her
bottom might receive a thorough cleans
ing, and when that task had been accom-
plished she joined the United States war
squadron then anchored in Hampton Roads;
uncertain even then-and that was two
years ago-whether or not Cuba was to be
placed under a free flag.
After by a simple ceremony being installed
as the first battle ship of the United States
navy, she made an ocean run of forty-eight
hours as a test Of her various capa bilittess
and during this ordeal for the first time In
the history of this government a thirteen
inch gun was fired from vessel. Few peo-
pie understood the seriousness of this feat.
Let us first understand what thirteen-inch
guns is, and the Indiana, by the way, car
ries four of them in addition to large num-
Der of weapons of smaller caliber. Each OF
the thirteen-inch guns on the Indiana is
thirty-nine feet eleven and a half inches
in length-one-half inch less than forty feet.
Each weighs about sixty-seven tons. Each
fires a solid steel shot shell thirteen
inches in diameter and about four feet in
length. Each of these weighs 300 pounds,
and is composed of a quality of steel that
costs q cents pound, making the valuation
of each shot exactly $3.50 To fire this pro-
jectile, when in war action, requires Lho
use of 500 pounds of powder, so that it will
readily be seen that each discharge Of each
gun costs pretty penny. With that amount
of explosive force back of it the thirteen
inch gun will throw one Of these steel mes
sengers of death distance of about twelve
miles. OF course, no attempt is made to
strike vessel at that distance, because the
shot would then have lost its destructive
force although at that distance explosive
shells could be thrown into beleagured city
and cause much havoc. But imagine pro-
jectile of that SLEEVE are speaking now OF
solid shot-striking the side OF a vessel, say,
only two miles away. 1t would require
Withstand the shock OF the impact. But
the question of cost and the question OF
force did not involve the most serious aspect
of the first trial Of the thirteen-inch gun on
a vessel.
Some time before the Indiana trial the
English government experimental with q
13-inch gun on a ship Of the Royal Sow
ereign class. The name OF IL is not just
now recalled. At the first firing Of the gun,
so terrible was the shock, the entire upper
deck was lifted from its position and sprung
along its center. The Indiana was espe-
cially equipped TO provide against any such
disaster, and her decks were constructed
by the Cramps in such a manner that naval
experts agreed that no such damage could
befall her when the 13-inch guns sent out
their flaming messages. Naval experts
were agreed, however, that when she went
into action, and the four 13-inch guns were
performing their deadly work, the explo-
sionS would shatter and destroy every piece
OF woodwork and glass in every portion OK
the vessel That was expected and pre-
pared for and for that reason the battle
ship Indiana Is composed almost entirely OK
iron and steel. She has been aptly de-
scribed as an enormous floating steel fort,
with ship built around il for purposes OF
navigation. Fully one-half of her could be
shot away and she would still float and re-
tain her unequaled lighting power. But the
trial test of the Indiana showed that sh0
could withstand the shock OF the explosion
OF a 13-inch gun without even SCATTERING her
woodwork and now in the bombardment OF
Porto Rico and Santiago de Cuba we ind
that her sister ships. the Iowa and the
Massachusetts. have thundered forth mis-
siles from their 13-inch guns without DAM
age to their structural condition. SO X has
remained for Uncle Sam and American ship
builders TO solve the problem OF arnaing
floating forts with guns Of enormous CALI
bre. And OF these the Indiana was the Pic
near.