The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-12

handling tho enormous Weights involved, is
such as to make i really very delicate WORK;
about eight feet wide. That size, makes an
such a ! large object Is Increased greatly whcE:
the curved plates for the turrots arc put in
ARMAMENT OF II VESSEL
This country has been making such fast
strides Of late That tho guns nowadays are ready
the Indiana went on its trial trip II had to be
weighted down with pig iron in the absence OF
in position before the vessel g. tested for
rs moving and running gnabties' sever,
are. usually being made. In this country the
built-up, guns are used exclusively: After the
lion mSo'T h Is p cast oi iSpo p nS ingot' somotiimes as an
MT n plate is STsf ana then IL is s t9TFISI
on enormous lathSs and turned so thSt
measured to the onc-thousRndth of an inch. AT
the same time it is rough.borod for the chamber
Of the gun. Then the gun, is tempered and
to Withstand the great strains that come when
tits fired, The gun now Rues through a final
boring and turning process, so that the interior
is of such careful and accurate Dimensions as
not to vary the one.thousandth part OF an men;
This, of course, is extremely delicate work, and
one can easily sec why it takes so long TO make
n big gun.
jacket extending about twothirds its length, to
be shrunk over the main tube, must be prepared
NTH extreme dolicacy as to measnrements aha
these at tn" breech must also be prepared.
When these additions to the main tube are put
on, the main tube is suspended In the air with
the muzzle down. and the jacket or the hoop, as
the case may be, is heated to q red-hot condition
and slipped over the tube in an expanded state.
II grips the main tube closely whom 1t cools. but
II must not grip 1t too tightly for fear of destroy
ing the guns usefulness under the strain OF
firing. Then the chamber OF the brcech Of the
gun has to BIO prepared especially, and tho
breech block has to be made and the mechanism
that goes with IL for OueninR and closing the
gun at the rear.
One Of the last things that is done to the gun
is to rife it. Several steel cutters adjusted to
a Ruidebar move through the chamber of the
gun. digging out spiral grooves. These grooves
40 of an inch wide, There are about affty of
these grooves in q l3.inch gun, and the curvinR
give the projectile a twist as it leaves the gun.
80 that 1t turns nearly seventy.hve times q sec
ond as II plunges through the air.
DISAPPEARANCE OF THE S.INCH GUN.
The tendency at present is to have as many
rapid firing guns as possible on battleships in
addition to the large .l3'inch guns. 1t was
counted as an amazing thing by foreign experts
when the battleships of the Indiana class were
able to mount eight S.inch guns. as well as four
Torrance had never been approached by naval
authorities on tho other side. 1t was found,
guns were not fully efficient on the Indiana class
OF ships because, when they were fired over or
near the turrets of the l3-irch guns. the blast
from the s.inch guns made the turrets Of yhe IS.
inch guns uninlabitable. When the Kentucky
class OF battleShipS was brought out, the num-
Der of S.inch guns was reduced TO four. and these
were placed in superposed turrets over the 13-
inch guns. This arrangement brought out a
large amount of criticism. and 1t has practically
been abandoned by the Navy department so far
as the future is concerned. When the Alabama
class OF battleship was designed, the s-inch
guns wore abandoned for that grade of vessel.
In theiTplace. and in the place OF the 6-inch slow.
firing rifles, a large number of rapid.fring
G.inch guns were substituted along tho sides Of
the ship. giving it, as is the case with the kear-
sarge class. somewhat the appearance of the old
DrOauSiue arranEemcntin the great lne-Of hattie
One of the probable advances in the line of
armament is to supply battleships with the
rapid firing guns of the s-inch size. These guns
arc already being made in England. whence the
greatest advance in ordnance has come in re-
cent years. 1t is interesting to note. In this re-
spect, that Great Britain does not use the built.
we do, but uses the system. And
it is also interesting to note that the very long
attracted wide attention in this country
and which did tremendously effective work
made NJ e"' in E GntI% a They are S'f attS :al Eses
long, and by that means the speed Of the pro,
5eCtile hurled has been increased relatively from
cessant hammcring. by these rapid fl ring guns
that does the most destructive work in a naval
engagement. They cannot pierce armor Of any
great thickness, but they can tear "a ship or a
fort to pieces in Its unprotected parts, and II
the aim is accurate completely dcmoralize an
enemy that lacks the ability to shoot straight
1t Is worth while to consider the exact work
that each kind OF gun on a battleship is intend
ed to do. Take tho Kentucky, for instance. II
another vessel Of similar rank. the worH of thu
four l3-inch guns would be directed solely
against the armor belt and main turrets of the
antagonist. Each one of those 13.iuch guns
would have an energy of 80, 1927 foot tons. thai
Is, the power TO raise that number of tons one
foot. The total energy OF these four guns would
therefore be 1874. sos tons. Exactly what all thai
energy concentrated against the side OF an antaR
four S-inch guns on the Kentucky would exercise
their destructive powers upon the cOnninG
tower md cascmate armor Of. an antagonist
while the seven 5.inch. rapid.fring guns would
be used against the thin armor. the superstruct
ure. and the unarmored ends OF the vessel.
In the case of the Alabama class OF ships thu
rapid-hring 6inch guns would do the work o
the s,ineh guns and the TSpid.tring 5.ipch guns
In battleships. as in all warships. are used for thu
killing OF men, tho destruction of unarmoreC
parts OF an antagonists hull. the repulsiOn o
Agreat deal has been said recently as to the
cost OF guns of various sizes. including theiI
mounts. These figures are the latest estimates
from the Navy Department: siXpounders
l 1900: s.inch. $4,000; lo,inch, S3s.0Oo; II
inch, S65, 900; l3-inCh, 500, 900. OF this $90.O Ot
the gun proper and $i0, 600 would be the COS
Of its mount, which includes the ammunition
i hUiSjs t 1nrre tnr machi ThS r ana ati IT'S own own r RE- m
mounts for the other guns is about the same IL
proportion as that of the mounts OF tho l3.incl
gun. Most OF the guns on the warships hav,
been made by contract with ordnance-mNkinI
companies, although many Of them have beef
htlSN N"N ~ Wv ~ J we . " IihIl
at Washington. where most creditable and fairI,
rapid work has been carried on.
PRoJECTILES AMI PowDER.
When the present war began 1t was notoriou
that our battlcships, and indeed all our war
ships. did not have n sufficient supply OF ammu
, milton for an extended campaign, or even for
satisfactory hOmhardment of fortresses lik
those around Havana. and this may account 70
the fact that nothing was done in the way of at
lacking that place. Like building n battleshi
= or making guns or armor, the manufacture o
. ammunition for modern high-power guns Ia
5 delicate and arduous task. To fit a 6attleshil
l with proper ammunition requires weeks an,
months of work rather than days. And then
D took, each ship does not have practically an un
limited supply when its magazines are crowde,
] TO the utmost.
D 1t il II fact which few persons realize that tn
! average battlcship can fire itself out of nmmu
4 milton In about four hours. or even less. /
: crowded to the utmost, The amount Of ammu
: milton carried on q battleship varies slightly, aC
1 cording to the plans Of each ship for magazin
\ space. In the vessels Of the Indiana class ther
. are about gao rounds for all OF the four l3-lncI
guns. BY working these guns at their fui
0 capacity, firing each at intervals of about tire
! minutes. II viii be seen that eighty OF these pre-
O that, therefore, the l3-inCh magazines OF tn
ship will be depleted In three hours OF cor
4 timed firing nj tho most Tnnid rnta uh