The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-02-15
Ships and Guns.

The question of building more battle
ships is again under discussion in Con-
gress and President Roosevelt in his
letter to the chairman of the House
Committee on naval affairs urges the
construction "of battleships of large
displacement with their primary bat
teries all of one type sof big guns.
AS the battlelships at present in COM
mission will all be comparatively
worthless in a few years, it is most
important that such new ships as Con-
gress may provide for shall be of the
most modern type and able to more
than cope with anything afloat. The
size of the battle ship is the only thing
to be considered, for it is acknowledge
ed that battle ship of the Dread
naucht type would be at the mercy of
a smaller ship with greater speed and
armed with guns of greater size and
power than the present IL inch guns.
Four IA or 16 inch guns mounted on a
vessel of much less disp. &C ement than
the Dreadnaught on the ancient plan of
the bow and stern chasers with which
the privateers of the war of 1912 were
armed, which enabled them to stand
off and make easy prey of ship of
greater power and a much greater
broadside of lighter guns.
1t requires no argument to prove that
a battle ship of $1,000 tons carrying
four 16 inch guns and having superior
speed would have the 20. 900 ton Dread
naught at her mercy, although the lat
ter has ten II inch guns in her broad
side. Tie faster ship will always be
abe to sci ect the distance she will
fight at and would naturally choose to
be where her antagonist could do her
the least harm.
The ship with II inch armor is now
comparatively safe outside of the range
OF torpedoes, whose radius is from
three to five thousand yards, because
the present IL inch naval gun is unable
to pierce II inch armo at that distance,
but smaller battle ship with larger
guns and with necessary speed might
infiict such damage as to lead to her
sinking.
1t is demonstrated that guns of IL or
Is inch will weigh but little more than
the present II inch naval gun and it is
not necessary to use such enormous
powder charges,yet the range of these
larger guns is superior to the IL inch
type. The construction of these larger
guns is urged by the Chief of Ordnance
of the Army and his recommendation
is based upon a. long series of expert
ments so his conclusions must be ac-
cepted as correct. AS it is now we
are following in the wake of England
and are throwing away millions offdol-
lars every year on ships and armament
that have already proved to be of an
obsolete type and yet our pottering Re-
publican politicians seem determined
to perpetuate type of ships and guns
which will be turned over to the junk
heap They persist in providing for
shells that experience proves will not
penetrate the armour of battle ship
at the distance that the known range
OF torpedoes compels the commander
of battle ship to place his vessel at.
Notwithstanding that experiments have
proved that shells which explode on
contact are available and the present
shells in use are comparatively worth
less.
The committee of the House and
Senate on naval affairs must wake I'D
and learn their lesson and not continue
in a rut that will bring disaster if we
shall be so unfortunate as to engage
in a war with a first-class naval power.
Uncle Sam must have the best and
most modern ships, guns and projectiIes
that the ingenuity of our inventors is
offering and the expense IF expert
menting with the new idea offered. is
but q small matter compared to the
millions we are annually expending
that arc wasted