The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-10-21

idea or the majesty OF the SlSht and
sound Commander Thomas T.. Cra-
ven director of target practice and en-
gineering competitions, has furnished
newspaper men with n Of the best
descriptions ever published. He has
conveyed, too, what the practice
means to the men who man the guns
and what pride they take in their
work.
The interview is as follows:
Our government" said Command.
er Craven, spends over a hundred
million dollars yearly in the upkeep
and building OF the navy. That money
frequently has been compared to the
price a man pays for a premius on an
ordinary life insurance policy. In fact
il is "a premium for international
peace. The very act that the navy
always is prepared for war goes a
long way toward insuring peace. Let
me tell you how some Of this money
is spent in maintaining an efficient
navy.
Governments Offensive Weapon.
The navy is the offensive weapon OF
the government. To be efficient 1t
must be able to strike hard n
quickly. A ship must not only be able
to hit the target, blu she must be able
to hit it with great rapidity. That Is
why the results of all competitions Of
gun CIcWS diC computed Ill Ills pCA
gun per minute A ship must also be
able to start hitting the enemy first. 1t
is the initial advantage which will de-
termine the result of future conflicts
ITO develop the shooting efficiency
of the fleet two kinds Of target prac-
tees are held Notwithstanding
and battle practice. Both kinds OF
practices are held off the Virginia
CapeS in waters known as the south
drill ground. The elementary prepares
the ships for the battle practices. It is
= competition between units and indi-
viduals. The preliminary training Of
pointers and gun crews does not cost
the government q cent in powder or
shell. Instead a simple device called
u 'dotter.' which is given the actual
motion Of the target on which the
used. Every feature Of the practice /:
rehearsed line and again without act
ual firing.
About q month before tarket prac
tice the ships usual routine is some
what modified to give the gun crew
more chance. Except for an occasion
al moving picture show on the quartz
deck nothing interferes with the drill
ing for hits per gun per minute Sep
TENDER IL, 1913, the Atlantic flee
went on the range for the annual ele
mentary practice.
Game Of Competition.
Coming on the range Thes
were the words which were to ~electrif
every man on the fleet on that da!
They mean to officers and men tn
same as batter up" means to tn
players in q worlds series game. l
fact, modern target practice is a gam
OF competition. INT by appealing I
the sporting blood of the bluejacket
N zeal IN trofDtNn anh nrAnorasop he
developed. which has placed it on
plane never before reached. The dat
for the practice had been selected /
the admiral some time previouSl
When the day finally came, clear, wit
light breezeS and a gentle swell. it W:
an ideal day for shooting. There W;
rot a ship on the target range n
confident that h could break q ma
record.
The day before all boats were Sc
ashore. and the huge fighting m
chimes were stripped for actiO
Everything breakable was slowed b
low and other movable articles aboa'
the deck were securely dashed. Ev'
h pictures OF the wives or swee
hearts in the officers rooms we
taken down and slowed away. 1t h
been calculated that only about 20 p
cent Of the energy developed in a e,
gun, goes to propel the prOjectile; t
rest goes to make the noise and CO
cussion neal the gun. If one-fifth
this energy car cause a twelye-in
shell to pierce twelve to fourteen
ches of armor, think of the dana
the four-fifth can do?
The practice recently complet
was held by three divisions of the 4
lantic fleet simultaneously. abo
twenty miles Of water separating
visions. An auxiliary vessel towed
raft on which four screens We
for each division. Eve
gun chew was III direct competiti
with every other gun crew, not OIL
on the same ship, but OF every otf
ship. The main object of elements
practice is to develop the guns ere
by fostering the spirit of competiti
1t is held in the open sea. at sh
and accurately known ranges.
other words, all error due to the e
are eliminated. and. the target be.
just large enough to catch all p
fcct1N ain1ad ShnfS any niSc - .