The National tribune., 1910-02-17
MAMMOTH GUNS.
Questions as TO the Superiority
Between the r.. and l4.Inch
Types.

With all the to-do there has been
over 14-inch guns for the Navy, it is by
no means certain those great weapons
are to become standard for the turrets
of most modern ships of war. The Navy
now has one type gun, of that caliber.
Experiments with it at the proving
ground near Indian Head have been
successful. More guns like it can be
manufactured speediiy-at the rate of
three or four or even more in eight
lnonths-at cost, not including
mounts, of about $4,000.
And yet, weighing all considerations,
it is still nip and tuck-as to whether
the 12-inchers or the 14-inchers shall
fight the future battles of the Republic.
Unless il can be demonstrated that o.
O00-ton ships are feasible, without
deepening our big harbers and without
rushing work on a number of iarger
drydocllS, the chances are for the pres
cnt that the I2-inchers will continue TO
have. the call. The Arkansas and Wyo-
ming, two of the modern dreadnaughts,
are 10 have six 1urrets eachgs two 12-
inch 50+caliber guns TO the turret. The
ordnance experts question whether
much Improvement can be made upon
that arrangement, altho they are will
ing to, be shown, These newest IL
. inckers are 607 inches long, weigh Sc
tons and carry a S70-pound projectiIe,.
with a muZZle velocity of 2, ,950-feet Sec
onds. That kind of gun marks d con
siderable development in recent years.
The Navy. began building 12-iachers of
30 calibers, increased the length to 40.
calibers, then to As. which is 553 inches,
! and is now building 12-inchers of so
caliDers. :
It is admitted that the 14-ineh Navy
gun is more powerful than these 12-
inch, 50-caliber shooting irons. The
type gun now completed is of As cali
ln.. 81 .
caliber in such reckoning representing
the diameter-fres d 1.4O0-pound pro-
jectile with a charge of about $50
pounds of powder, with a muzzle We
locity of 2,6O0-feet seconds. The projec-
tile is estimated to have a striking
force at the muzzle which would pene-
trate 23 inches of face-hardened ar
NOR, or 12l2 inches of face-hardened
armor at 5000 yards, which is the dis
tance at which modern battles on sea
are supposed to be fought.
Any of the dreadnaughts now build
ing could carry eight of the new. a.
inch guns. but it is serious question
whether eight guns of the 14-inch type
would be preferable to 10 of the l2-
. inch type, the latter being the number
with which the Delaware and North
Dakota will be armed. They are not
as heavy as the Arkansas and Wyoming
VIII be. But whether the -warships be
of the North Dakota or of the Arkansas
type. the problem is whether 12-inchers
TO the number of 10 or IL per ship are
more formidable than smaller num-
Der of the 14-inchers.
OF course, all 14-inch guns are not
alike. The type decided upon by the
Navy, after long and careful deIibera-
tions, is of high power. HEAVY ord
nance of this character is built on spe-
cial lines. The size of the charge of
IDWdpr the
for striking at given distances and sew
eral other considerations enter into the
design. The Army has built several Ia
inch guns for coast ,defenses, and some
of them have already been mounted
near Honolulu and Manila; but these
are lower power guns than the Navy
has in its 1i-ineh type. ii other words
they do not shoot as far. The low-power
guns last longer and are supposed to be
more economical. The wear of the
proJecdle upon the muzzle is less, which
means that low-poWer guns can fire
more shots before the muzzle. has be-
come so worn that essential accuracy of
fire has been impaired. One argument
for the 14-ipch guns has been that they
would do quite as deadly work as any
12-incher and last longer That is par
ticularly the case with the low-power
Army gun.
The forgings for the Navy type gun
dHeduy ItIeITeu 10 were made at MIDI
vale and assembled at the Washington
Navy Yard. But the Midvale and Beth
Iehem works. the Watervliet Arsenal
where the Army manufactures its big
guns. and the ordnance shop of the
Washington Navy Yard all have a CORPS
of experts qualified to make the larger
caliber of ordnance The very highest
class of mechanics are required for
such work. The managers OF the four
plants mentioned try TO keep in their
employ a number of men specially
Skilled for undertaking such orders.
Taey must be able to manufacture forg-
1nss whore measurements as fine as
.o05 of an inch are required. Hence if
II Is finally decided to adopt the IL
inch guns for the Navy, il would be a
matter of only about a year before
sufficient guns could be made to equip
two warships with them. The guns
cnuld easily be built in advance of the
completion Gf the ships that would be
armed-wjth tom.
As far as is known in Washington, no
ether Government is building l4-inch
guns I p it's navy. Great Britain is said
- be experimenting with a 13 Y inch
gun TIE standard gun in the German
Navy has long been 11-incher, but of
.late The Kaiser has adopted the I2-inch