The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-08-27

Ills Sea Fighters. v
From the Military and Naval Record:
The remarkable shooting of the Ameri-
can gunners at the battle of Manila has
opened the eyes CT the naval men OF
Europe. 1t has convinced the nations
that, after all, it is the man behind the
gun,a and not the thickness Of armor or
the estimated horsepower of the en-
gines that comprises the chief defense
of q ship in a naval fight. 1t is no
new thing for England to get in a state
verGing on panic at the condition of her
navy. Periodically a furious onslaught
is made on the naval experts and adj
miralty officials by some member of
parliament or cranky taxpayer, and the
whole country trembles at the idea
oil its naval strength having been over
estimated or wilfully mi8represented.
Just now the scare owes its origin to
the remarkable accuracy and deadliness
of the American guns. BrltOns are
comparing the records made at Manila
with the scoring during the practice
hire of the British crews. and are ask
Ing with a good deal of feverish appre-
hension where their own gunuers come
IN. This has started a mass of CORE
spondence and special articles on the
subject of naval gunnery and naval
training. According to our authority,
the gunnery practice in her majesty's
navy is regarded rather more as a nee
essaTy evil than as a duty that, for the
good OF the service, should be of first
place Importance. Here is his calm
statement regarding the gunnery prac-
tice in the regal navy: ut is a usual
thing for the signal to be made, Spread
for target practice; rejoin by such and
such a time the consequence being
the practice is carried out in a hurried,
panicky way, without sufficient super
vision or correcting of errors made, in
order to get it over Who has not
heard something like the following:
Why don't you fire that gum Can't
see that target, sir Never mind that:
fire at the splash Bang, and away
goes pounds and pounds of the unfor-
tunate rate-payer's money into the sea.
The allowance of ammunition is very
small, only eight rounds a quarter being
allowed for such guns as a Al or 6
inch quick-firing gun, ten rounds for
the lighter quick-firing and four rounds
for the l2-inch wire and upward. The
represents four rounds each for Nos. l
and 2, or less than a minutes firing
once every three months. If, in addi-
ton. this allowance is exceeded when
prize firing when the number of
rounds fired in the two minutes allowed
is unlimited the amount fired in excess
of the allowance has to be deducted
from the next quarters allowance; or.
suppose a smart At guns crew fired six,
teen rounds, which they should do in
two minutes, they get no more practice
for six months, which is, as Euclid
would say, absurd. In addition to the
ammunition proper, however, the ad,
miralty allow IN immense amount Of
tube cannon ammunition, which is in.
tended for individual instruction o.
unframed. or partially trained, men
and should be expended as such. 1t is
however, too frequently fired at the
an III 40 IlIC lOoNg sui III o1IlN'
takes place, with every available tube
going at once, for the same old stor!
to get it done The range suitable 70
heavy gun practice is, of course, quit
out of the range for tube cannon, Will
from the number of guns at once NJ
man can see what his shots are doins
and individual supervision becomes i'm
DOSSible: the result is. q man cOmpl
up to his gun, blazes away his tel
rounds or so with a fixed sight, which
is probably wrong, and departs as wis
as he started" These criticisms are Sc
we're enough, but the officer quoted goe
even further. He declares that return
of the practice at the targets ar
Judged" or, in other words, the figure
are given as first-class when in realit,
the practice has been abominable, thu
deceiving the admiralty officials an
giving the British public an entirel.
idea of the skill of their sea
men gunners. To sum up the matte
in the language of the expert %referre,
to, after reviewing the recent great vic
tory at Manila, he says: ut canno
be denied that the ship that gets in tn
first hit stands a so per cent bette
chance of winning the action tina
when she started; a ship that coul
make certain of so per cent hits unde
ordinary conditions of weather at
range of $500 yards and inside coul
c~heerfully engage three modified yes
sells with scratch crews"