The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-03-03

ships with broadside batteries-the guns.
that IL, were distributed along both sides
from the bow to the stern on one. two,
three or -four decks. From the largest
down all were Of this type until the very
smallest class was reached. In the latter.
which could scarcely be considered fshting
ships. the gun power was at times con-
centrated into a single piece, which swept
from side to side round the horizon. thus
anticipating partially the modern turreted
ironclad with its concentrated revolving
battery.
The arrangement OF guns In broadside
involved anomalies and inconvenience
which seem most singular when first noted.
A ship in chase Of another. for instance.
had no guns which threw straight ahead.
If it were wished TO fire. in order TO cripple
the fleeing enemy II was necessary TO
defect from the course; and In order to
bring most OF the guns on one side lnto
! play the vessel had TO swing round nearly
at right angles TO the direction OF pursuit.
This. OF course, lost both time and ground.
Broad-ide fre-the distribution Of guns in
broad-ide- rests, however. upon an I'M
changeable condition. which controls now
as 1t did a century ago Ships then were
from three to four times ~ long IA they
were broad. the proportion now Il length
! from four 10 six times the breadth or
beam, "a il IA technically called. There
fore, except in small vessels. where TIE
! concentration Of the whole weight that
| can be carried In battery gave but one
piece effective against a probable target.
a full development OF fire required the
utilization Of the long side Of the ship rather
than of it- short crosse section. This l.
precisely analogous TO the necessity that
an army has of deploying into line. from
any order Of march. in order 10 develop
it4 full mu-ketry fire. The mechanical
attainment II the last century did not
permit the construction OF single guns
that would contain the weight OF the whole
b ttery OF a big ship; but even had II. guns
are not wanted bigger than will penetrate
their target most effectively. When an
ounce Of lead will kill a man il is useless TO
fire a pound. The limit of penetration
once reached, i, is numbers, not size. that
tell: and numbers could be- had only by
utilizing the hroaisido. This condition
remains operative now: but a. modern
baffln~hips present two or more kinds OF
target the heavy arInored and that which
/. Hight armorci. or unprotected the
aprlicat,on cf the principles in practice
becomes more complicated. Batteries
now arc necessarily less homogeneous ihan
they once were, because targets vary more.
pls,rPF,p,NcE OF sow FrEF.
The adoption Of broadside batteries fol-
lowed. therefore. necessarily upon increase
Of sI2e and c@onseQuent length bur not upon
that only II is Instructive 20 observe
that he sailing 4 .hriug ship was derived,
in part. NJ least. from the ALLEY, and ia
re,cmbla nee IN form TO the latter IL trace
ahir for At least a century after the general
di-u-e Of the oqr. A. the galley, however,
wa, small ~ could concentrate its fire
aIyan'agcousIy in one or two pieces, for
which -mal! number the cross section
offered n sufficient lin" Of emplacerneni.
and a.. when /, could move At MI. u could
more in any direction, there Wa n further
! advantage in being able TO fire in the iirec-
! ton 81 its motion. Hence, bow fire pre-
! vailed in gallcvs - tho end. Though the
! great gallclsSeS of Iepan'o and the Armada
| r7d accepted broa !side batteries in great
part. and whenever the galley type has
| REQUIRED. as on Lake Champlain during
| orr Revolutionary War. bow fre has pre-
dominated. The sailing ship. on the con-
,rory. vas limited "a 10 tho direction in
which she could move. Taking hor as tie
! co,-re ~ a circle. she could nor steer directly
for much more than half the points on the
circumference Bow fire consequently
was much less beneficial To her. ami. fur
,hcr Il, wa. found that, for reasons not
necessary to rarticularize. her sailing.
steering and uanpuvrinr were greatly
benefited by tho leverage OF sails carried
an the hcUsprit and its hooms, protecting
forward Of the bow where they interfered
deci.ively with riyht-ahead fire.
IoraUt eso reasons, bow re disnppeared
and hroadside fire prevailed; but the fnndi-
mental one 10 be remembered is the greater
,I.yolopment OF fire conferred by greater
lcn-rb All .Nip- cxcept the very small
onos Inovn A. ,chooners, cutters. and
.lnboa', were brualsidc vessels. moved
~ .tg-I NO, ,arrt,J ,,,,,,,pl,.