Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-30
TOY SHIPS To
INCREASE
SPEED
ADMIRAL 0'NEILL, OF ORD
NANCE BUREAU, WANTS ALL
ON BATTLESHlP TO BE REAL
FIGHTERS.


WASHINGTON, d. c., Oct. Z.-Admiral
O'Nein, of the naval bureau of ordnance,
in his annual report made public today.
saws that the ordnance bureau wants $l3,-
1872 sos next year, OF which amount $lO-
100000 is to be devoted TO arms and arm
ament for the new warships.
Admiral 'O'Neill says that for the first
time in years the manufacture of armor
has progressed in satisfactory manner;
612 tons were delivered at the various
ship yards during the year, with prospects
of largely increasing the deliveries.
No Improvement worth speaking of
seems to have been made in the quality
of the armor of late. Guns, powder and
projectiles have each made a decided adj
vance, rendering ii all the more necessary
that there should be an improvement in
the quality of armor. but none seems
to be in sight at present.
With the exception Of ignition and shell
powder, no black or other than smoke
less powder has been purchased or manu-
featured for the navy since the Spanish
American war. All new ships, beginning
with the Kearsarge and Kentucky, have
been supplied with outfits of smokeless
powder and. in addition, some thirty of
the old vessels have been thus supplied.
The manufacture of smokeless powder
during the past year has progressed in
satisfactory manner. so far as quality is
concerned. Though not so much as to the
amount delivered.
New Shell Is Invented.
The most interesting event during the
year in connection with projectiles, is the
development of new type of shell, COM
bining the advantages of the armor-
piercing with the common shell. that is.
having the perforating power of. the reg
,,lo -pfa pro1arffIa witt
capacity for large bursting charge. The
requirements for these shells on the esti-
mate are that at prescribed velocity
they shall completely perforate, unbrOken,
a plate of hard faced armor, calibre
in thickness, and then be in condition for
effective bursting. A number of shells
of this description have been ordered,
and the first three lots have successfully
passed the requirements. These shells
are lifted with soft caps
A novel device tried during the year
was the tracer" which renders a shell
visible during the night to the gunner,
but invisible to the persons at the tar
get, this being accomplished by the inser-
ton of a burning composition in the base
of the shell.
The use of the electric power for hand
ling guns and turrets is unqualifiedly en-
dorsed as better than any other system.
Progress of Artillery.
Admiral O'Neill finds that the best way
to illustrate the tremendous development
of artillery in late years is to cite two
cases, that of the six-inch gun and the
12-inch gun. Tie former used to weight
only AS tons, was only 3O-caliber in length,
with a muzzle energy of 2, 1T3 foot tons and
a practicable rate of fire of two and half
shots per minute. The new type is 50-cali-
bers in length, uses smokeless powder,
weighs eight tons, can be fired eight times
per minute and has muZzle energy OF s.
$50 foot tons. In other words 1t Is 900 per
cent more powerful than the old gun. The
12-inch gun shows an increase in energy
over the old gun of IS 1-2 per cent
Admiral ONeil says that no such rate
of increase is looked for in the near fu-
ture.
There is to be a general revolution Of
the batteries of the older ships.
Speed VS.. Armament.
Admiral O'Neill has much to say re-
specting speed versus armament. He ar
CUES that ship is naturally compromise
between various necessities and says:
"An nations are afflicted with the speed
craze at intervals and this country is no
exception, and unless each batch of new
vessels can equal or beat the worlds rec
ord, they are usually characterized as fail
ures, and in Difference to public sentiment
the tendency is to design vessels OF the
highest possible speed irrespective Of the
uses for which they are intended and in
consequence enormous sums of money
have been expended by several countries
In producing large and fast vessels, which
have but trifiing value for fighting pur-
poses and today it requires no little moral
courage on the part of the designers to
subordinate the popular element of speed
to other qualities no matter how impor-
tant the latter"
Admiral ONeill further says:
ut has always been the policy of the
United States to provide its vessels of all
classes with great battery power; that is
to so arm them that they shall be superior
TO foreign vessels of equal class in that
respect and that sentiment still prevails;
and while we have, in a few instances,
subordinated all other elements of speed.
II is not likely to occur again, and the
consensus Of opinion at the present time
is in favor of applying large percentages
of weight for armor and armament rather
than to assigning it for the purpose of at
tanning the last possible fraction of a
knot speed.
No Mistake Made.
1.-THE bureau is convinced that no mis-
take has been made in the adjustment Of
speed armor and armament of these YES
sells The best vessel is not necessarily the
one that can most quickly get in or out of
battle or keep cut of battle but is rather
the one that can remain in battle the long
est after she gets there.
1T is safe to say that any vessels of
this class, Of equal displacement having
higher speed are deficient in some of the
important qualities which these vessels
have"
OF the submarine boats. the report says
that no important development has taken
place during the past year, either here or
abroad, though quite number Of these
vessels have been built or are in course of
construction.
The last chapter of the report is devo
ted to an urgent plea for the better in
struction of officers and men In gunnery.
YOUR RENEWAL MUST BE Re.