Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-03-30
OUR WARSHIPS TODAY.
To Shoot and Penetrate Armor az o."
Miles Is Nothing Nowadays.

Miles Is Nothing NoWaoays'
The warships of today are, as most !
neonle know. armored; but, contrary
to the popular idea, they are not pro-
tected all over.
A recent authority has said that the
,mnroyement in rapid firing guns IN
late wears has resulted In armor pro-
footing more Of the side Of the snip
and in increasing the number OF guns
protected by the armor. The armor ID
NOT so thick as formerly, but THIS is
made up for by an improved KIND Oh
material whose resisting power ID
greater The modern battleship Is III
| tended to combine in one vessel the
most nowerful offensive and defensive
weapons of floating warfare lneSe
battleships may be divided into three
nortions-namely the part under wa
ter the part near the water line ahu
the upper works. In the nrst naineu
narts are carried the machinery anu
bo,lers coal. the steering gear, tne
submerged torpedo tubes, the alninu'
nition and the greater part OF tne
stores. These parts are the most Vui'
noroble parts Of the ship. Attempts
have been made to armor the Dottol,
Of battleships against explosions oi
tornedoes. but they have not been sue
cessful owing to the fact that TO nave
the armor effective 1t would have 10 Dt
very thick and therefore very heaVS
. an objection that engineers nave no
successfully overcome.
TO prevent the penetration OF pro
> iectiles from above there Is protec
a., five armor deck, usually from two u
> four inches thick, the middle part o
which is a little above the water line
, This deck slopes down at the sldes I
a the bottom edge Of the armor pei'
: from four TO six feet under water
o There is sometimes a second proleC
= tive deck below the first one to cato
fragments which might pass throug
. the first. and this Is sometimes Gale
4 the Splinter deck" The part OF ID
shin Immediately above the protectlV
i. deck in the vicinity Of the water III
, "a sometimes called the raft BODY
II &c nrotected from the enemy's pr
% iectiles by heavy armor belt.
=, modern battleships this armor belt e.
20 tends over the whole or over the grea
or part of the length. The gun pos
- tlons are all we'll armored. So Is u
= coming tower, which Is the place fro
40 which the captain directs the hghtin
60 This tower Is connected by telephon
~ and speaking tubes with all the IL
n. portant parts of the craft.
% The guns mounted by modern ps
~ tleshIp are generally two big twel
IN inch ones at each end, protected
F armored turrets, and large numb
20 Of eight and six inch ones, In cas-
- ments also armored. Just now there
In constant battle between guns a
ormor. AS the penetrating power
,or the guns is increased so is the resi-
no inc mower of the armor increased.
,o. the new British ship Dreadnoue
~ the smaller six inch guns have dist
reared. and instead we see patt'
-bo Of ten twelve-inch guns. This vessel
nd supposed to have been constructed
,oe consequence Of the lessons learr
nd during the late war between Rus
lay and Japan.
Our own ships now generally Sc
m. TO have a displacement Of about 49,
q tons. but the rate is constantly
md creasing. 1t is bigger, bigger, blg'
nod all the time. and each new des
eat shows greater displacement
tbe shoot and penetrate the armor at
= n miles is nothing nowadays.-Frank
ing Channon in ST. Nicholas.