The Washington times., 1901-11-20
COAST DEFENCE GUNS BEST.
Admiral ONc;I Discusses Recent
Ordnance Experiments.

Rear Admiral Charles O'Nen. Chief Of
the Naval Ordnance Bureau. said last night
that the test of the Gatkmann shell and
lS-inch gun had fully sustained the opin-
ion held by ordnance experts OF both army
and navy, that any large amount of gun
cotton exploded against the sides of the
heaviest armored batueship would have
little effect on the vessel or crew.
He said he regarded the tests as great
triumph for army ordnance in demonstrat-
ing that the new Pinch coast defence gun
is capable of carrying a projectile with
a high explosive through the side of any
battleship afioat, and can be fired with alb
solute precision by the accurate time fuse
employed. The navy gun of the same cali
bre was equal. he said, to even more de-
structive work. In discussing the subject
the admiral said:
THE Government has expended about
a quarter OF a million dollars on the
Gathmann gun trials, which have shown
nothing that the naval ordnance officers
did not know all along. For six years eX-
periments have been conducted with this
system, and three years age the trials
with another gun on the same general
Hook, though smaller. gave results that
then were accepted by ordnance men as
clearly proving the nom utility of the sys-
TEN.
Congress, however, was prevailed upon
to provide for the construction of a spe-
cial type of gun Of IS-inch calibre, which,
in my opinion, lacks some of the ele-
ments of throwing accurately the heavy
projectile that ought to be used. The
~
but 1000 pounds. and we're too light to
secure accuracy of fire. They should have
been about 1900 pounds in weight. when
fatter trajectOries might have been used
with a gregtcr degree of accuracy Of fire.
The Gathmann projectiie for this rea-
son would probably wobble about after
going a reasonabl distance from the gun
and become uncertain in flight. 1t may
be compared with a cork-when thrown
for little distance it will go fast and
straight and when it velocities are re-
duced will swerye about.
The navy has now. after several years,
obtained high explosive, the secret OF
which we do not care to divulge. 1t can
be fired, however in a pr0jectile through
any side armor afloat. and exploded with
accuracy and precision in the interior of
the ship. It's effect on both ship and crew
would be most destructive. The explosive
is not gunpowder. which, as we have
known for years, could be carried
through a vessels side and exploded.
"One of the difficulties to be overcome
in firing high explosives in prOjectiles has
been to secure a fuse that would detonate
the charge at the right time. This we
have at last secured. The army gun has
amply shown that eleven or more inches
of the best armor can be easily penetrated
with an explosive she'll and this at a
range usually regarded as one that most
vessels would employ in actual battle.
The trials of the Gathmann gun should
end all further tests OF that kind, and
prove conclusively that we don't require
special guns for the army and navy, and
that the usual service designs are suited
for all purposes"
War Department officials also declare
that the recent ordnance test at Sandy
Hook clearly demonstrates that the great
coast defence guns of this country are
fully caTable of .repelling Sny attack by
foreign ships of war For years the naval
authorities of the world have been trying
to secure an aTmor strong enough to pro-
tect the vitals OF shirs from the shells
Of an enemy. At the same time ordnance
experts have been working TO perfect
gun which would fire a shell with sufH-
cient force to penetrate the powerful ar
NOR of naval vessels.
The ordnance officers at the War De-
partment say that they have found such
a gun in their twelye-inch coast rife II
was this gun which was tested at Sandy
Hook Monday and threw a proiectile with
such force that, although freI at a dis
tance of two miles and a half, it pene-
trated a Kruppized armor plate eleven
ana one-half inches thick
This is but one feature of the art OF de-
fence, however. Having secured what was
believed TO be a sufficiently powerful gun,
the experts turned their attention to the
construction of a shell with a safety fuse
1t was intended that the shell should eX-
plode within the vessel and to be able
to time the fuse so as to limit the explo-
sion in such a way that it would not ex-
plOde until after penetration was the
problem. a fuse was finally devised that
could be set to explode at any time fol-
lowing the first impact Of the shell against
the target It's safety was demonstrated
at several tests and the officers decided
TO use it in the big test at Sandy Hook
The greatest problem before the De-
partment. however. was the securing of
an explosive which should have great sen
sitiyeness. without decreasing its stsbili-
ty. ThOrite was experimental with, then
maximite, and secret compound, known
as explosive ID" which was discovered
hy he officers of the Bureau OF Ordnance.
MaXimite and explosive ID" we're both
used in the Sandy Hook test, aad in every
WaV they proved satisfactory