Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1910-06-23
OUTSHOOT THE WORLD
Guns OF The American Navy
Smash All Previous Rec
OrdS
MARYLAND STANDS NO. 8 NOW
Idaho Lends The Whole List - Great In
pr0vement In Workmanship 10 A
Single Year

prOVement In Workmanship In A
Single Year
All previous gunnery scores of the
American Navy, and of any warships
of the world, for that matter, have
been smashed, according to the re.
suit of the computation of target
practice records which have been made
:. by Lieut. Commander Leigh Palmer,
Inspector of tar yet practice, and made
public today by Secretary Meyer.
The battleship Idaho, which was
several numbers down the list on
record target practice last year, has
jumped to the top, and apparently
4 won the record practice trophy from
the Washington, which last year took
it from the armored cruiser Maryland
The Maryland stood No. 3 last
year, but this year she has been push
ed down to No. 8.
While the Maryland did better
shooting this year than ever before,
! she was excelIed by the Idaho, South
Carolina, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Vir-
gina, New Hampshire and Mississippi
in the order named. The other two in
the "IG star list are the Georgia
and Louisiana.
The official standing, as announced,
is as follows: Idaho, 46.121; South
Carolina, AZ. 5S5; Wisconsin, 40.478;
Nebraska, SO. 497; Virginia, 39.127;
New Hampshire, 3S.418; Mississippi,
36.9l2; Maryland, 3d. 967; Georgia,
81. 667; Louisiana, 30.304; Missouri,
30.086; Minnesota, 29.201; New Jer-
sey. 26.114; Michigan, 26.0Sl; Kan
sas, 23.659; Connecticut, 20. 1877;
Pennsylvania, 1881; West Vir-
ginia, 1925; Vermont, II. 064; Rhode
Islard, 17.46; California, 16.415; Col
orado, IA. 943.
The final merit of those vessels which
have mined are (guns and mines COM
bineD Wisconsin, 45.394; Maryland,
37.587; West Virginia, % 264 Cali
fornia, 1923; Colorado. 1883.
The Montana, North Carolina and Ten
nessee will have practice late in July;
the Washington, South Dakota and
New York, as soon as practicable
The following competed for the
cruiser trophy: Charleston. 21.075;
Chattanooga, 1892; Cleveland,
16. 203; Salem, 6.043 The Albany,
New Orleans, Chester, Birmingham
and Yorktown have not yet fired.
For the Gunboat Trophy May
flower, 6.6l2; Wilmington, 6.251;
Helena, 5.669: Arayat, 5.026; Para
qua, 2420; Villaloboa, 1.445; Min
doro, 0. $50; Yankton 0.462 The fol-
lowing vessels have not fired: Dixie,
Prairie, Paducah. Dubuque and Mari
alta. Some of the gunboats rolled
while firing from to 6 degrees each
side of the vertical.
For the Torpedo Trophy Preble,
80. 92s; Perry, 80. 963; Stewart,
sc. sos; Paul Jones, AZ. $50; Truxton,
as. 470; Hull, D. SIG; Whipple. 16 653;
Lawrence, 6. .343; Rowan, 0.055.
The best firing ever done by any gun
in either the armies or navies of the
world was made by the after 12-in ch
turret on the South Carolina, Ensign
Bellinger in charge. This turret
made 100 per cent-16 hits out of 16
shots in minutes and 32 seconds.
This was not sufficiently supported
by the other guns, however, to give
the South Carolina the trophy. The
best score was made by the Idaho,
averaging sc per cent with all of her
12-inch and 7-inch guns. This is the
highest average ever made by an en-
tire ship.
In fact, the Idaho and South Caro-
lima both stand above all previous
worlds records with one turret. En-
sign C. C. Gill carried off the honors
for the Idaho. He made three hits
out of three shots in 6S seconds. This
gives him the highest individual per-
centage of any officer or man in the
navy, this being 2.7 hits per gun per
4 minute.
Naval authorities are marveling
over the results of the practice, which
was done under battle conditions as
exacting as the battle practice here
tofore has been conducted. Previous
! to the last firing, the targets were
usually q by II feet. anchored, and
fired upon from boadside at distance
of approximately 100 yards, with
the ship moving at about eight knots.
Only 3-degree roll of the vessel was
required while firing. During the
recent practice the targets were re-
duced to Is by II feet, at about /, 700
yard, with the ships rolling and pitch
ing in the rough open sea.
The Atlantic feet fired off the
Virginia Capes and the armored cruis-
ers of the Pacific feet off San Diego,
Cal. In almost every case the ship
was from so TO 20 miles off shore
while firing, and the target. instead
of being stationary, was towed by a
seagoing tug. The recent ruling of
the Navy Department, that no more
shooth-water firing should be done
and that all firing should be held in
the open, has developed class OF
gun-pointers who have proved them
selves able to meet these difficult con-
ditions.