The sun., 1899-05-08
The Biggest Gun in the World.


The work on the 16-inch breech-loading
rifle now under construction at the Water
vliet Arsenal has so far advanced that the
ordnance officers expect to have 1t mounted
at Sandy Hook and ready for its trial frings
before the end OF September.
This gun is by far the largest ever built
in this country. The 12-inch army gun
is about 81 feet long and weighs SO
tons, while the weight OF its projec-
tile Is 1000 pounds, and its muzzle
energy is about 36,671 foot tons. The
16-inch gun is about so feet long and
weighs about 1875 tons. This more than
doubling OF the weight Of the gun over its
largest predecessor in coast defence is par
alleled by the increase in the projectile,
which will weigh 2, 400 pounds and have a
velocity OF about 2, 200 feet per second, while
the muzze energy will be about 81, 900
foot tons. which Is equivalent to the RAM
ming energy Of the Oregon moving at a
speed Of about ID knots per hour.
The steel ingot from which the main tube
is constructed was cast at South Bethle-
hem and weighed 222, 300 pounds. In
order to assemble the various parts Of the
new gun it was necessary to build a new
plant at Watervliet. This new plant in.
cluded furnace in which coal oil is used and
considerable stock Of new machinery.
Comparing this gun with the biggest ever
made by the English and the Germans, we
find that the diameter Of the bore in the
English is 1614 inches; in the German,
1877 in ours, 16 inches. The length Of
the English gun is 524 inches that Of the
German. 551 inches that Of the American,
500 inches. The weight Of the English
gun ia 1907 tons Of the German, 1883
tons; OF ours, 125 tons. The weight OF
the English projectile is 1900 pounds;
OF the German, 2,O24 pounds; Of the Ameri-
can, 2,4OO pounds. The initial velocity
given to the projectile ia in the English
gum with brown powder, 2, ,Os7 feet per Sec
ond in tho German, 1904, while In ours,
with smokeless powder, 1t will be 2,o25.
The results obtained with brown powder in
the heavy foreign guns have to be taken, as
there are no results available OF recent
firings OF these guns. The muzze energy
Of the English rifle, under the conditions
just spoken OF, is "a, 800 foot tons; Of the
German, 5,2O5; OF the American "a 900.
superiority Of our gun is most manifest,
and as corollary We find that at range
where the penetration OF the English pro-
jectle in unhardened steel is 20. inches,
and that of the German is 27 inches, tho
penetration Of our proiectile Is 35.4 inches,
or close upon three feet
This gun will undoubtedly be mounted as
part OF the defensive system OF New York
harbor, perhaps in turret on founda-
tion to be artifcially built up on the Romer
shoals. These shoals, as is we'll known,
are a little inside of Sandy Hook and fort
built up on them will be in a direct line
with the Sandy Hook defences and those on
the opposite side at Plum Island. Should a
Gruson turret be used, the cost of the elu-
placement would exceed very many times
that OF the gun and it's carriage, but it
would he practically impregnable. The
turret would be about three feet thick, and
the weapon inside would command every line
Of approach at that entrance to the city.
The 16-inch gun was a favorite project
with the late Chief Of Ordnance, Gen. FLAG
LER who urged it for years, using every ar
gument in it's favor. The difficulty in get
ting an appropriation for it was increased
by sundry failures Of the English guns Of
about the same calibre and especially by
their tendency to droop. When 1t was shown
that better methods Of manufacture, based
on that experience, would give us satisfac-
tory results, the objection was raised that
the increased power given to ordnance by
smokeless powder made the 12-lnch gun
the largest that needed to be used ashore,
in order to penetrate the sides Of the
heaviest armorcad afloat, or likely ever
to he constructed The very fact that
England abandoned the building Of guns
heavier than the 12-inch for naval pur-
poses strengthened this view. But at
that iuncture came the increased impregna-
bilty of ships plates through new surface
hardening processes. Gen. FLAGLER urged
that the smashing power given by the 16-
inch gun was an invaluable addition to the
penetration by smaller calibres, and at
length had the satisfaction Of seeing his
views prevail and work begun on i6-inoh
gun, although he was not to witness its
completion. The great rifle, however, may
be said to form his public monument.