Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-16


thick armor even in a single instance in
the Russo-Japanese war, although a nun
dred hits were scored upon such armor with
the heaviest shell fired from the most pow
erful guns and at ranges but slightly in
excess of 5000 yards. Since this war the
range of torpedoes has doubled they now
have 4,O00-yard ranges with the prospect
of being increased to 5000 yardS) Which in
5000 to 1000 yards, at either of which dis
tances it is absurd to hope for pene ira Ion
of thick armor.
A Lesson From Santiago.
Second. no battleship constructed or de-
signed will carry a sufficient number of
armor- piercing projectiles to seriously harm
the unarmored parts even of an adversary
of equal strength unanswered at a range
outside of the torpedo zone, and the proof
of this is found in our record against Ger
vera S fleet at Santiago, where, at moderate
ranges, less than per cent of our II and
ID inch prOjectiles scored. This percent
age of hits with the results secured by
fifteen Lifts with Pinch shell on the TZare
witch in the engagement of August 10, 1903,
demonstrates that even 100 armor- piercing
shell will not be sufficient in a magazine
of a battleship. y
Third. Armor- piercing shells striking
against turretS have no effect whatever
upon the personnel by conclusion because
of the small amount of comparative weak
explosive which they contain. Neither will
they have destructive effect upon the ship
If exploded in the water near her for the
same reason.
These some of the serious drawbacks
which the armor penetration idea entails
and which would disappear by the use OF
outside explosive Shells were their eff
cheney equal to that claimed for them and
which would be proven by this test
Value Of Outside Explosives.
Among the claims for the latter are the
following:
First. Heavily charged outside explo-
sive shell striking the thick armor belt of
the battleship will blow inward an entire
plate, filling at once with water the COM
partment corresponding thereto, thereby
seriously, if not completely, impairing the
buoyancy of the ship. No absolute proof
of this effect can be given, although two
plates have been tested, the resistances
opposing their movements were not de-
signed with regard to those presented by
the frames and bulkheadS in a ships side,
and although the first plate was blown
seventeen feet through its sand and oak
backing, the result was as inconclusive as
in the second test in which the plate and
backing was only moved about six inches,
because the latter was constructed with
the idea to hold it perfectly immovable in
order to test the plate, which it was I'M
derstood could not be broken if the back
ing moved, as in that event the target be-
came a recoil device. In this latter test,
pressure pidScu III liohl VI lilC
plate gave authentic records which show
that there resulted on an area sixteen feet
in diameter a total pressure of 10000 tons.
1t is submitted that battleship's side will
not Withstand 10 per cent of this pressure
on such an area, a computation will
show. Further tests are to be made later
to demonstrate the effect of such shell upon
the underwater section of ship, but when
completed will be only theoretical proofs,
and all of this matter concerning the tests
already made by the army Is introduced to
forestall the employment of the reports rel
alive to these tests, which are misleading
as to the facts and conclusions 1t Is de-
sired that my replies thereto be consid-
cred with such reports if it is deemed nee
essary to go into the history of this case.
The Noxious Gases.
Second. The explosion of such shell
anywhere on a battleship will destroy
all life aboard by the conclusion and the
noxious fumes generated. Proof Of this is
abundant and it can be deduced by we'll
known formula as to gas pressure from
any of the dynamite explosions concerning
which the amount of explosive and the
range of destructive effect has been given.
This feature should be practically demon
strated in this test by placing domestic
pied by officers and men in an engage
ment.
Third. When firing at ranges where;
ricochet is impossible. fuses will be EN-
ployed with these shells whereby they will
explode after entering the water a cer-
tain distance. This feature makes all such
shells veritable mines or tOrpedOes, out