Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-28
TEST RESULTS
IN VICTORY FOR
CONSTRUCTION
MONITOR FLORIDA BATTERED,
BUT INTACT
ONLY BOLTS ARE LoosENEp ON
TURRET
Five Shots Fired at New Mast Have
Very Little Effect--Thrty Blue
Jackets Are on Board
Target Ship
BY Associated Press.


OLD POINT COMFORT, Va, May
27.-The biggest naval gun, the avi-
est projectile and the heaviest explo-
sive known, combined with close range
and deadly tn, were today allowed to
work their full havoc on the turret
suit is declared to be a victory for
turret construction, and this notwith-
standing the 11-inch hardened steel
plate was blackened, broken, the seams
of the turret sprung and the rivets and
screws loosened and twisted.
1t was not five minutes after the ter
r1ble impact that the finely balanced
mechanism of the turret was being
worked with perfect ease, and the 12-
inch gun on the left side was trained at
will.
Inside the turret, where stand the
gunners and gun crew, the havoc was
much less apparent that from the out
side. Examination showed that of the
many .delicately adjusted instruments
for fire control, sighting and operating
the turret, few If any were out of
working order.
IF this had happened in battle the
Florida would be fighting yet said
one of the admirals with enthusiasm.
MaSt STANDS Firm
Then followed a futile attempt to de-
stroy the newly designed woven wire
fighting mast on the stern of the Flor
ido After five shots of the guns had
gone through 1t the mast stood firm.
Forty shots would not bring 1t
down and no enemy would waste am
munition and time shooting at it," was
the expert comment.
1t was predicted that all new ships
will be equipped with battle masts OF
this description.
Hampton Roads. The Florida, which
had been in the hands of experts for
some time. lay with steam up her nose
pointing out through the Virginia
capes near Thimble shoal light and
abount four miles from Old Point Com
fort
Just 342 yards on the inside of the
Florida lay her sister ship the Ar
kansas.
This is such test as would never
occur In actual warfare remarked a
rear admiral as the big party of Of
ficers boarded the Arkansas The aim
will be perfect; the distance is so close
that the impact will lat its full veloc-
ity and the part Of the Florida to be hit
is weakest"
A strip OF canvas was stretched
OttWctH tWO SldllS OIL tfle IuTTet OF the
Florida. The Arkansas fired a 12-inch
projectile at the canvas to get the
range. There was crash, roar, the
monitor kicked back into the water
and sprang up again, and when the
canvas target came into view it had a
hole through it's lower half.
Fire at Turret
Then the turret of the Florida was
swung around so that her guns and
those of the Arkansas looked squarely
at each other.
At 1O:42 the ''big noise" came, two
crashes so close together that they
sounded like one. The 12-inch projec-
tile had hit its target. 1t was crash,
a fash and a cloud of yellow smoke
quietly drifting away over the top of
the Florida. What was left was a big
black wound.
Just to the right of the right gun
there was what looked like hole. The
officers went to the Florida, but before
they got there her crew of twenty or
thirty tackles from the receiving ship
Franklin, offcered by Commander John
G. Quimby. commanding; Lieutenant
Joseph Tussig and gunner, had come
up from the hold and were looking
over the damage. The plate had been
broken through from the gun port to
the edge just above and just below
where the shell struck The broken
piece had been driven into the turret
several inches, but not the thickness of
the plate, so that no hole was actually
made.
Officers entered the turret at once
and It's mechanism was operated, the
turret being swung completely around
each way and the left hand gun trained.
But the turret bore evidences of a
fight. The amt along the seams had
disappeared, many of the seams were
sprung. bolts were loosened and slivers
of the plate lay around.
Dummy Is Safe
A board dummy on the inside was in
tact and the opinion of officers was
that even with the terrific impact the
gunners in the turret would not have
been injured. The mechanism in the
turret bore no outward evidence of
damage and the belief was expressed
that test would find 1t in working
order.
Attention was next turned to testing
the fighting mast. The first shot at
that structure was fred from one of
the four-inch guns of the Arkansas,
and besides piercing an iron plate tar
get at it's base it cut one of the sup
porting pipes and injured others. The
second hole was from the same gun
and cut two tubes a little higher up
and on the other side of the mast. The
third shot missed, and then the order
was given to fire four-inch explosive
shell high up near the top Of the mast
This shook the structure and tore
asunder number of the tubes, but the
mast seemed as stable as ever. The
fifth and last shot was a solid shot from
the big 12-inch gun, aimed SO as to hit
the mast on it's outer rim on the side
leaning toward the water, the struc-
ture having purposely been tilted at an
angle of ten degrees to make it easier
to fall. This terrific shot tore holes
through many of the supporting tubes,
but the mast still stood firm.
The advantage of the mast is de-
clared to have been fully demonstrated
It's points are that 1t is practically in
destructible with shot or shell and has
the still further advantage Of weighing
half of the old mast.
The; Florida was taken to Norfolk
navy yard to be fitted with specially
built bulkhead. into which Whitehead
torpedo is to be fired within ten days
to demonstrate whether bulkheads OF
this type may not be profitably used to
protect the huh Of the ship. J