Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-04-05
yrw y4yY RIFLE.
seyen-inch Guns to be Used on the Nc"
Battieships.


s.vs,.,neb Guns to be Used on the New
Battleships'
New York Evening Post
The ordnance experts OF the NoVy
Derat tmept are engaged in designing
GUN Of 7-inch caliber. This Is new
fyne of weapon, the nearest approach
In II IN size being the 6.incb and S.incn
aims The resent calibers in existence
In the United States navy for main
hattery pieces are: -Four inch, 5-inch,
6-inch. S-inch, l0-inch, lz'inch ano 10,
inch. The 12-inch weapon wiil, ~
future designs, constitute the neaSieS'
gun carried on American warsnips:
In the designs for the new "a, ton
battleships, provision Is mace ior
mounting on each ship either eight q
six 7-inch guns, according ~ wnioh
design is selected, though " is py Do
means certain that four S-inoh guns may
no. be selected In lieu of the 7.inch.
The interesting phase. however, is tne
necessity which gives rise to new
caliber, and which Is explained BY the
appearance Of 6-inoh krupp-process
armor I late on tho sides OF many foreign
battlesliips. 1t is recognized prin-
ciple when supplying a ships battery
to consider the probable work the ship
NAV be called upon to perform. Ii the
battleship is intended only to'fight gun
boats, then 4-inch pieces will sufiice.
II, however, she is intended to fight
armor -clads, then she must possess OF.
dinance capable of piercing the sides OF
her probable enemy. On the same
theory, one would not use fowling-
piece when hunting elephants, nor en-
ploy an elephant gun when hunting
quail.
process amor plate has put In an ap-
pearance, and its ballistic tests have
demonstrated it to be superior to the
best plate in previous use. a 6.inoh
Krupp plate when struck by SHE'LL at
OH angle of 80 degrees represents q
power OF resistance equal to about l6 or
| II inches Of iron. At ordinary lighting
ranges it is too much to expect 6-inch
shells to get through this plate. 30
light, comparatively, Is this 6.incL
Krupp Ilato that foreign battleships are
being covered with it over the greater
part Of their sides, leaving the ~ inch
plates to protect the hull 10 the vicinity
of the water line, and under the turret
positions. A distinguished ordnance
officer calculates that the best 6-inch
guns in service today cannot pierce this
krupp6 inch plate at !, 600 yards range,
and the assertion is made that had the
ships of CerveIa's fleet been protected
over the greater part Of the hulls with
6-inch KruEp plate, not projectilt
below the S-inch caliber would have
gotten through.
The s-inch shell will pierce 6-incf
Krupp plate within ordinary fighting
ranges, but the $50 pound weight Of al
S-inch projectile precludes rapidity o
fire. 1t was at first thought possible II
reduce the weight Of the S-inch shell
to, say, 2l0 pounds, but this plan 4
deemed inadvisable. If any change i
made in the weight Of the s-inch shell
it is more likely to be in the direction
Of gain rather than reduction, and !
will not be surprising il the 800. poun'
shell of the S-inch seaooast gun is ye
adopted. .T
In order to pierce 6.inch Krupp- plat
6-inch smell, lit is calculated, mus
have striking velocity close to 2. 80
foot seconds. To obtain this remainin
velocity, at, say, 1,500 or 1000 yard
range means too great initial Velocity
one, in fact, which would soon destro
the gun by reason Of excessive wear
On the other hand, by employing
slightly larger calibered gun, one usin
moderately high velooities, sufiicier
energy Of impact, it is argued, can b
, obtained to pierce 6-inch plate. This
then, is the raison d'stre of the 7-inc
, gun just what the main characteristic
of the new gun will be cannot at tn
| writing be definitely stated, but til
sell weight, it Is thought, will be keI
under 175 pounds, The ammunitio
) will be put up In the same manner {
that for the new 6-inch guns fitted wit
Wicker breeoh- mechanism, ]. g., pr,
iectile and powder will be separat,
f., With the lew 6.inoh gun firing a l0'
pound shell, rats Of nine shots n,
d minute has been repeatedly attained
Ordnance men predict that the ne
i finch gnn should yield in the hands
trained crew, at least four shots p,
minute.
1t is not at all improbable that Il
i l2.inch gun Of the United States ma,
will before long give way, as the heav
est weapon carried, to the l0-inch gr
OF 5O.caliber length. The l2-inch gl
has superseded the 13.irch weapon /
II reason of the increased powers affor,
the l2-inch piece through the introdu
1 tion of tho new smokeless powder. III
10 impression is gaining ground that Il
10 inch gun can yet be made to do Il
i work Of the l2-inch. At present, no,
ever, the l2-inch gun is necessary, b
"a cause OF the presence of armor- plates ,
many foreign ships which only the l
st inch gun can pierce. 1t may be accept,
as pretty safe, though, that no matt
4 how anxious the authorities may te
reduce the dead weight of ships bs
'e teries. the 12-inch gun will not ri
way to the l0-inch until it is certa
+ that the latter will do the work OF tho i
inch,s and do it without excessive wes
CAN 1NTs HEART