Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-01-13
NAVAL ORDNANCE.
Changes That Have Come In Guns
Since the CiVil war.

Since the civil War.
Naval ordnance has made greater
strides in the forty years that have IN
tervened since the civil war than IN
several centuries preceding.
The heaviest piece carried in tie civil
war was the fifteen inch smooth bore.
This gun weighed 1900 pounds, its
length over all was 10 feet 1 inch, Its
maximum diameter at tle breoch was
4 feet and with an ordinary charge OF
thirty-fve pounds Of black cannon
powder it fred a spherical shell weigh
ing $50 pounds. According TO the ORD
nance regulations. under extraordinary
conditions these guns might be fired
twenty rounds cat ir0nc'ads at close
quarters" using 100 pounds Oh mex
agonal or cub.cal powder and a soma
shot weighing $50 pounds. Under tnese
conditions the respectable mu-zie We
locity Of 1000 foot seconds was oO-
tanned, with q corresponding muzzie
energy of 1897 foot tons.
Now compare these results with the
most powerful gun in our navy today
namely, the twelve inch 10 CALDER r'ue,
which weighs 534 tons. has total
length Of 40 feet and with a charge Of
$50 pounds of smOkeieSs powder hreS
an $50 pound shell with muz1'e We
locity of $500 foot seconds and a muz-
zle energy of 1920 foot tons The
true basis Of comparison OF the relative
eficiencies Of the two guns is the
amount of energy developed per ton
of the weight of the gun, and on TINS
basis we find that the old fifteen inch
smooth bore gun when fired with 100
pounds of powder developed 4-i foot
tons of energy per ton Of gun as
against SD foot tons of energy per ton
developed by the modern twelve men
gun. ..
If we take account of the durability
Of the gun the advantage VIII De
strongly on the side of the modern
piece. for whereas the fifteen inch
smooth bore was limited to twenty
rounds under the given conditions the
modern twelve inch rides. judging
from the small amount OF erosion ue
veloped with nitrOcCiuiose powders
should have a useful life Of at least
half q thousand rounds. Moreover il
must be remembered that the modern
elongated shell Will hold fits velocity
much longer than the old spherical
shell of the smooth bore. and conse
Ouently the respective muIlle Ncilcl
ties and energies are not an exact cri
terion of efficiency.
The gun Of 1862 that answers TO th'
modern secondary battery six Incl
rife is the Parrot muzzie loading r.le
q cast iron gun which was strengthen
ed at the breech over the powder cham
Der by shrinking thereon an iron hoop
The bore of the gun was g. inches. j
weighed 435 tons. was - feet + inches
in length and with a char-c oil Ter
pounds Of powder it fired 100 pom'
shell with an initial velocity OF los
foot seconds and a muzzlo energy o
$40 foot tons.
Compare this with the modern 81
inch rife, which weighs 50 tons is =
feet in length and with charge o
forty pounds Of smoke.ess powder fire
a 100 pound shell with an initial Ye-o'
ity of $500 feet per second and a
initial energy Of 5,S3S foot tons. Com
pared on the basis Of eucrgE per- ton o
gun. we find that the 100 FOUNDER Pan
rott muzzle loader devc-o- al loj foo
tons Of energy Per ton of -.n. W1orea
the modern six inch meach.oad-1
rifle develops 7siis foot tons OF energ
per ton of gun.-Scieu-ilc American