Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1912-05-30
NAVY 1900 TIMES
BETTER NOW THAN
IN SPANISH war
Meyer Tells How Careful Study
Has Improved Efficacy in
Gunnery.

New Yorkln addressing the Eff
ficiency society, of New York. secre-
tary of the Navy Meyer told of the
following improvements in navy ser
vice since 1898, when the battle OF San
tiago showed the need of better gun.
merry:
The short range hits at Santiago were
80 per cent: at the recent San Marcos
target practice the result was 1873 per
cent at 10000 yards range.
Twelve-inch guns averaged one shot
in minutes at Santiago; at San Mar
cos, average was 10 shots in s minutes.
Naval experts estimate these figures
to mean an improvement of 1900 times
in battle efficiency.
Secretary of the Navy Meyer told the
Efficiency society at it's recent banquet
how careful study in the navy had
multiplied the efficiency of the Amer
lean war craft at least 1000 times since
the Spanish war.
The system followed, according to
the secretary, was practice and en-
enlargement. Bonuses are paid to
the men who show especiai aptitude
for work. and promotion is certain.
made in gunnery and the weak point
Of the naval administration. as Sec
rotary Meyer sees 1T. is in the main
tenance of so many navy yards and
the lack of funds to place them on
the strict military basis.
The Santiago victory showed the
navy heads the alarming weakness Of
the American navy In gumnery, and be-
ginning at that time each step of firing
gun was carefully watched and
timed. and effort was made at once to
improve 1T. First came the selection
of men with special aptitude for GER
tain work: sight settlers. plug men and
leaders We're cho<n carefully and
drilled slowly unth letter perfect in
their movements and then speed was
added. Each time they performed the
functions assigned to them they We're
required to do it a little quicker until
what is regarded AS human minimum
has been attained
Sudden Practice Required.
Also smooth sea" target practices
became only an incident in the work.
for practice was required at unex-
pected and frequent intervals. In
storms, rough sea. fog and snowfall.
| The result is that the smooth sea"
| ship has disappeared and every vessel
| In the navy is ready for the fray in
any weather and is guaranteed to give
| q good account of itself.
In this practice casualties have been
I stimulated and unexpected difficulties
| have been thrown in the way of the
/ men by officers controlling the fire. AS
/ 10 the battle mimicry, Secretary Meyer
/ said.
In the competitive battle firing the
conditions are made just as severe as
| those act n
! ton. The firing vessel has now knowl-
| edge OF the course. speed and distance
1 of the target vessel. All the Informal
| ton she has Is that somewhere on
/ the horizon, at a distance of 10 miles
| or more. is Il column of smoke which
marks the target vessel at which she
| is to shoot. She steams toward it at
! her best speed and opens fire at what
ever range she chooses; but the value
of hitting at long ranges is vitality inn
! pressed on her by the amount that is
\ added to or subStracted from her score
\ for the shots that hits beyond 10000
yards or under that mark The whole
firing Is over in four minutes and the
ship has no other chance to make good
IL she fails In this. No excuses are
accepted for failure of guns to fire. for
4 breakdowns of any character. or for
any faults of personnel or material
AS evidence OF the value of COM
petition in gunnery, comparison Is
made with the fighting efficiency OF
the vessels during the Spanish Ameri-
can war and at present The percen-
tage of hits I'm 1898 was 3ie with the
large guns firing about once I'm five
minutes at short range. The percen-
tnge of hits in the recent firing at the
San Marcos was 80 13. the range be-
Ing 10000 yards. and the present rate
of firing u single 12-inch gun being
about 10 shots in five minutes. This
rather overestimates the work ut San
tiago and understimates the work to-
day. A roughly drawn comparison
shows that we are about 1,200 times
better in gunnery efficiency than we
We're at Santiago.
The policy now for the competitiv.
training for battle is that it shall be
gin on the date of commission. an(
no excuses are accepted for being UNI
prepared should the department at any
time require the ships TO fire at a days
notice.