Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-21
SAFETY OF TURRET CREWS
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF Elk
PERT OFFICERS SUBMITTED.
Present Conditions Described and Rec
concentrations Made to Prevent
Recurrence Of "Flarebacks."

OF peculiar interest to the navy in view
of the recent accident to the turret crew of
the Japanese battleship Kashima. coming
50 soon after a similar accident in the tur-
ret of our own battleship Georgia, Is the
report of the co-called ''turret board"
which was appointed by the Navy Depart
ment Immediately after the Georgia acct
dent with view to finding means of pre-
venting the recurrence of such disasters
This board vas made up of three Of the
most expert of the young officers of the
navy: men who had spent the greater part
of their time in the turrets with the gum
ners. The department had confidence in the
general board of high officers, mainly cap
tains Of the fleet. appointed by Capt
Evans at first to investigate the Georgia &C
cident. but 1t was found upon inquiry that
owing to their age. almost all of the board
lacked practical experience in the turrets,
where only young officers are stationed dur.
ing the actual target practice.
Board of Experts Appointed.
Therefore Acting Secretary Newberry Sc
lected Lieut. Commanders Kaiser and Vo-
could be done to prevent such fatal acct
dents In the future. This board made a
most thorough investigation of each type of
miral Evans fleet, which. by the way. pre-
sentS a great variety of turret mechanism
owing to the fact that the ships were
launched at intervals running back more
than ten years, each marking an advance
On its predecessor. The result of this in
quiry is embodied in the report presented
yesterday to Secretary Metcalf For pru-
Dental reasons the department decided not
to publish the report in it's entirety and
thus reveal to the world the defects and
weaknesses of the American ships so In
stead the Secretary gave out for pubica-
ton the following abstract of the document:
Labors of the Board.
The board visited most Of the ships Of
che Atlantic fleet, inspected every type Of
turret and Investigated the possible sources
of danger from the magazines to the guns.
interrogating ordnance officers, turret Of
ficers and turret crews of all ships SO as
to get the advantage of the experience of
all those who are most Intimately con-
cerned in the question of safety.
After this the board overhauled all de-
paTtmental data on the subject of turret
accidents in our own and foreign navies,
types of foreign turrets and various new
designs.
THE report deals. first, with the present
condition of turrets as regards safety, and.
second. with recommendations for improve
ments. The latter are concerned principally
with safer Installation of electrical ap-
greater protection from fire. improvement
in the gas ejector system (Which. 1t is be-
Neved. will prevent the occurrence of Hare
backs and notifications in the present
type of turret. which will give increased
speed. al the same time allowing for
greater safety in the handling of ammuni-
ton.
The changes recommended in the tur-
rets practically embodied in the twelve
inch turrets of battleshps % and % but
1t is proposed to bring the old turrets of all
types of the ships now In commission up
to the same efficiency. giving structural
separation of the guns from the magazines.
"A number of the other details recon-
mended by the board have been carried out
in some of the newer designs.
THE board further recommended that
the broad features of turret requirements
be submitted to shipbuilding firms. ord
nance firms and others in competition, in
order to bring to the service of the depart
ment the wider field of American in
genuity."