The Detroit times., 1911-06-03
u. 5. BUILDING
MONSTER GUNS
Twenty Of Them Will Be So Feet
and 8 Inches Long, and Will
Equip New Dreadnaughts.

WASHINGTON, June S.-Fourteen
OF the largest guns ever used in the
American Navy, each costing more
that $4,000 to complete and mount,
are now in course of construction in
the Washington Navy Yard. Scores
Of Official visitors and slghtseers are
attracted daily TO the big shops
where the work Is we'll under way
These monster guns will have a
bore OF fourteen inches, the new cali
Der which congress has authorized
for the heavy batteries OF the two
tattleships New York and the Texas.
now building at New York and Nor
folk. Each of the new Dread
naughts" will have ten OF these big
guns. Fourteen of the twenty VIII
be finished here, and the remaining
six Will be made at the Midvaie and
Bethlehem steel companies plants
Several battleships In the u. 5. Navy
ere equipped with thirteeninch guns,
but the standard bore OF today Is on
ly twelve inches.
When the guns have been complet-
ed, they will each represent an ex-
penditure OF slz7, 700. the gun proper
costing $74,700 and the mount ap-
proximately $4,000. This will make
the cost OF the heavy batteries OF the
two new ships. with ten guns each,
more than s2;50o,000 The length OF
the new fourteen-inch gun Is hfty-
three feet and six inches, with
weight of slightly more than Sixty.
three tons, which is little light for
guns OF such large caliber. To give
an idea of the immense size OF the
guns, Rep. George A. Loud, of Michi-
gan. a member of the Naval Affairs
Committee OF the house, and Capt. +.
: e, Beatty, commandant Of the Wash
;ngton Navy Yard, several days ago,
grouped thirty-two sailors from the
presidents yacht In front OF the gun,
and, standing elbow to elbow, they
lust reached from breach to muzZie.
Firing the guns will provide an out
door sport In which only rich coun'
try can afford to indulge. One shot
will cost 500, more than one-half
the price OF workingman,s- modest
home. Each of these twenty IA inch
guns will become practically useless
after approximately 225 shots have
been fired The rif1ing will be eaten
and eroded by that time 20 such an
extent that II will be impossible TO
get the proper rotation 90 the shells.
This does not, mean that the guns
VIII have. TO be discarded, for they
can be made practically as good as
new, again by grinding the rihing away
an inch or more and putting In new
lining. A number OF the large guns
In the American Navy have already
been refined two or three times aud
Il Is said that there are guns in the
British Navy which have been relin
ell as many as fifteen times The cost
OF refining, however is considerable.
The range OF the new cahber guns
VIII be twelve, miles. and toIsend the
! ,40O-pound armor piercing shells this
distance charge of SEQ pounds or
powder will be necessary. When the
shell leaves the muzzle or the gun
II will have the tremendous velocity
of 1900 feet a second No system OF
armor.plating yet devised will be able
to resist the powerful impact of pro-
jectiles fired from these large guns
Sinking a battleship, which now costs
from $S,0o0,000 TO $l2,000,000. may
be accomplished with scveral we'll
placed shots. fred at an expense or
a few thousand dollars.