Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-04-04
RFIDAY. ArRIL 4 1878
BATTLEsHIPS AS TARGETS.
/ Lon SC lork sun.l }

The intimation that the Indiana may
be used as u target for the feet re
minds many people of the part that
this battleship took in the sea fight at
Santiago, ana naturally there would be
sentimental regrets if the Indiana
came to such an end. The United
States navy, however. is only follow
ing the example Of all the navies of
the great Powers when a battleship
like the Texas. renamed the San Mar
cos, is made TO serve as a test of the
penetration of shells and to demon
strate how long a crippled warship can
remain ahoat under FIRE. There are Of
course other battle problems to be
solved. Thu experiments with the
Jena of the French navy proved that
there was no danger of the asphyxia-
tion of ships crew by fumes released
upon the explosion of shells; dogs rab-
bits and pigeons imprisoned in the
Jena suffered no harm from the expert
ence.
1t is the practice of the French Gov
ernment TO set aside obsolete warships
for target practice not only by other
ships of the navy but by the guns of
forts Ia 1908 the battleship Admiral
Duperre was sunk in shallow water
from the shore. In the same year the
coast defence ships Tempete and Ton
nerre were riddled by the heet. The
coast defence battleship Fulmin ant
served as a target in 1911. Every year
shis destined for the scrap heap are put
to this use. The English are constant
ly selecting .vesses in the obsolete class
for ordnance tests. A veritable bonn
bardment of the Hero, a Gne lighting
type in her day. taught the British
gunners that it was comparatively
easy thing 20 shoot away the fire con
troll OF a ship. Ia one year the Ger
man Admiralty designated four war
ships as targets The japanese send
every ineffective vessel TO the scrap
heap and do not let sentiment interfere
with testing armor plate and trying
gun calibres.
The United 5 tates is still a little
new at the game of sinking old ships
by she'll fire as dreadnoughts pass by
them at various ranges with guns blaz-
ing away. Something was learned
from battering the monitor Puritan,
and great deal more from the elab-
crate experiments with the old Texas.
The custom is to sink the target ship
in shallow water and raise her for
another practice as many times as she
can be flOated. A discarded warship
can be put to no better use That be-
ing admitted. the question arises, When
shall unit in the navy be moored or
anchored in the tide way to receive the
fleet's fire? Only, we should say, when
there is no other use for her. If she
has any value for coast defence or har-
Dor duty she should be withheld until
there is surplus of such ships.
In England a protest against turning
the obsolete Renown over to the gun
crews was needed recently, and she is
to serve as receiving ship at Queens
ferry. In regard to the Indiana, whose
Is inch belt is a temptation TO the
ordnance sharps, her time has hardly
come for the ordeal of battle prac-
tice. She has been in commission less
than twenty years, and Secretary
Meyer in his annusl report of Decem- I
ber, 1911, included her in the reserve
fleet for active service if needed in an
emergency. For harbor duty, if not
for coast defence. the Indiana should
have her uses tor some time to come.
At least one of the ships of SIMPSONS
fleet that sank Cervera's squadron at
Santiago might be saved as a souv enir +
of the fight to be always cherished
Public opinion would decide the veteran
TO be honoTed.