The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1907-11-28

we thought with pride of the marks
manship of the gunners on ourships
yet compared with the shooting OF
the present time. the work OF the
gunners then was that of the veriest
tyros. Up to 1902 we were still us.
Ing an antiquated system of target
practice in which triangular target
was dropped overheard and every
body shot at 1t without any partic-
ular training, with no accurate de-
termination OF the range and no fixed
method OF determining where the
shot hit. 1.-THE projectile came near
the target 1t was called a hit; the
unit at present ''hits per gun per
minute" had not been introduced.
II by good luck some gun-pointer
should happen to hit the target,
everybody would pat him on the back
and say ''good work..
About six years ago, a Lieutenant
in the Navy saw what sort Of shoot
ing was being done by the Asiatic
Squadron OF Great Britain under Sir
Percy Scott. He learned their meth
cd Of training gun-pOinters, improv-
ell on it and it was tried at target
practice by our Asiatic Squadron
commanded by Rear Admiral Robley
ID. Evans. U. $. Navy, with such good
results that 1t has been adopted
throughout our Navy.
The lighting efficiency OF a ship de-
pepds primarily on the number OF
"hits per gun per minute; not shots
per minute, but hits per minute.
Every man is given course OF in
structiOn with mechanical devices
which give almost the same training
as actual target practice at very
slight expense. Then from the gun
crews the men who show the most
efficiency are chosen for further train
ing as gun-pointers. They have
several hours day at ping pong"
(as this practi Is familiarity known)
for several months prior to the prac-
tice. At the same time the rest OF
the crew Ia being trained to load the
gun rapidly. They work like foot
ball team In training SO that each
man knows his exact place and W Ork
at each second of time. The sight
setter ia instructed how to set the
sight accurately and quickly. The
whole guns crew Ia coached and
trained till each movement IL almost
mechanical. Then comes the prelim-
mary target practice when the men
who have never fired tho gun itself
are given an opportunity to prove
the efficiency of the lnon this that have
been spent In ping ponging".
Sometimes a man Is "gun shy, loses
his head, and Is 80 ratified that he
shoots wild, but this rarely occurs.
The target is canvas screen
varying in size from 8 by q feet for
small guns to II to 81 for the heavier
ordinance. The smaller guns below
3 inch, fire at the small target at q
range of 1900 yards while the guns
above 3-inch use the large target at
a range OF 1000 yards. The ship
staams across the range at a speed
of ten to twelve knots with but one
gun firing at time. After the run
an officer inspects the target, counts
the number of holes In 1t and signals
the result to the ship.
Then the ship makes another run
across the range, another gun fires
and so on. In this practice, each
gun-pointer has an allowance of
ammunition; though the time Of fir
ing is taken, the gun-pOinrer is not
limited in that respect. II the
pointer "makes good" on prelimi-
nary practice, about six months la
ter, in the spring, he takes part in
the annual record practice which
will take place for the Battleship
Fleet this year In Mag,lalena Bay
off the coast Of Lower California az
ter the Atlantic Fleet has circum-
nayigated south America.
The conditions governing record
target practice are similar to those
OF the preliminary practice, except
that the gun-pOinters fire as many
shots as possible In a given time,
and each pointer has his score com
puted from the number OF hits per
minute" he is able to make. The
score OF each ship Is computed at
Washington and the hest ship in
each class ia awarded a Trophy by
the President. The Battleship "llli-
po,s" holds the battleship Trophy
till next spring when there will be
competition all through the Navy to
wrest It from her by superior shoot
ing.
! Tn connection with the fall prellmi-
nary target practice. battle ~ actice
! Ia held and gun-pOinters who have