Evening star., 1901-07-11
BRITISH NAVY POWDER.


An English Complaint That Obsolete
Ammunition Is Used.
From the London Express
1t is now a matter Of common knowledge
that number Of vessels OF the Royal Sow
ereign class are dependent for their power
of attack and defense upon black powder
and blunt-nosed projectiles. Black pow
der, it may be observed, is simply a variant
OF ordinary gunpowder which, on being
fired, produces large volumes of smoke
"Smokeless' powder is of totally different
chemical construction; slight vapor only
accompanies it's explosion, by which. how
ever, very high observation-disclosures
above that of molten steel-is produced in
the interior of the gum
Black powder does not injure the gun like
the nltro-gfycerine powder In use IN the
British navy, nor even the nitro-cellllose
powders for which nitro-glycerine powders
have been discardeD in use in the navies of
foreign powers. But. on the other hand'
Its relative efficiency to smokelesS powder
Is only as two to three, while its weight,
charge for charge, is as two to one.
Black powder can give only very low
muzzle velocity. That is to say, fired in
the same gun, it would give only some 1SOO
feet velocity against 2,70o feet obtained
with smokeless powder. But, as the energy
of gun increases as the square of its
velocity, the difference is still greater than
powder, therefore, we obtain compara-
lively feeble velocity, and greatly inferior
energy from the same weight of gun.
The blunt-nOSed projectile Is hybrid be-
tween the old spherical shot and the latest
armor-piercing shell. 1t forms the inter-
mediate in the process. of evolution. 1t is
certainly ineffective-apart from other
drawbacks-against modern HarveyiZed or
Kruppized armor, while in consequence Of
the weakness of the firing charge and the
air-resistance its bulk encounters during
flight the shot requires a high trajectory
that Is to say, 1t must be fired much higher
than the object Of it's aim, and drop upon
It, so to speak-which greatly impars ac-
curate craftsmanship. The smokeess pow
der, armor-piercing projectile goes further
and hits harder, while It's fiat trajectory
that is, firing at level, nearly-renders
an accurate aim much more possible.
Let us assume. therefore. that two hostile
vessels are approaching, one armed with
black powder and blunt shells, like the
Royal Sovereign, and another equipped
with up-to-date ammunition. The ship
firing the obsolete protectile-for so it vir-
effective range unless it got to within 1000
yards Of Its opponent. The other ship,
however, with smokeless powder and
pointed projectiles. would open fire 5000
yards away, and put it's opponent out Of
action before 1t had chance Of making
any effective reply.
The, fact is the stock in hand of these.
ancient shells and black powder is almost
how. They are good enough for practice,
but to equip vessels with them for active
service is a crime.
The whole question of navy ordnance is
topsy turvy. We have known for years
that the smokeless powder in use in the
British army and navy services is ruinous
to big guns. Their principal component is
nitro-glycerine, and nitro-glycerine in any
form has been thrown overheard for big
guns by every power on earth except Great
Britain.
After five years Of gun destruction the
authorities woke up to the fact, more es-
pecially as France. Germany, Russia and
the United States had all discarded nitro
glycerne powders for navy guns and
heavy land ordnance. and the government
appointed committee to see If they could
get lrold Of a new powder. The committee" d"
have for months been engaged in finding
out what every practical artillerist knew
already What they doing l do not
know; possibly the members are engaged
in compromising. a powder of their OWL,
But in any case, seeing that the destruc-
tion of our guns has been going on for five
years and that the evil now is no greater
than it was when Messrs. Abel and De-
wars nitro-glycerine powder was adopted
into the service, it seems curious the COM
mittee was not appointed before But that
is a mystery none but the official mind
could solve.
me short time ago: mo system that con-
templates getting into service anything to
prevent erosion in artillery will experience
ANYTHING but the greatest difficulty. This
is because almost everyone who has any
thing to say in the matter is interested
either directly or indirectly in the manu-
facture of steel or the production Of guns.
"For Just in that degree that the life of
a gun is prolonged, will the demand for
these guns fall off. For number of years
guns have been completely worn out after
firing about a hundred rounds. By the
time the gun is mounted and proved, the
carriage tested, and a few trial shots fired,
the gun is badly worn. A few shots in
active service finishes it!'
We have some of the best guns in the
world in the British navy. The Vickers-
Maxim 12-in. and 13-in. gun, which Sir w.
g. Armstrong &, Co. are now also build
ing. has a muzzle velocity of $500 #. and
takes ton projectie a range of twelve
miles Good practice can be made at 5000
wards In theory, vessel armed with this
gun could meet and sink a ship at sea be-
fore her hull showed above water.
We have the best guns at sea, though the
United States possess in the Watervelt 16-
in gun with 1900 feet muZze velocity, which
takes a ton and half projectile distance
of twenty miles, a weapon We cannot equal.
This however, is a fortificatiOn gun, not
ntended for use on shipboard But what
is the use of even the best guns, when a
powder is persistently clung to which de-
stroys the bore before it has chance Of
seeing itself in action?
Socoud.CJass Mnil Matter.