Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-27
BATTLESHIPS AS TARGETS.
Studying the Effect of Gunfire on
Veteran and Obsolete Ships.
From the New York Sun.

from the New York Sun.
The intimation that the Indiana may
be used a target for the fleet re-
minds many people of the part that
this battleship took in the sea fight at
Santiago. and naturally there would
be sentimental regrets if the Indiana
| came to such 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
co... is made to serve as a test of the
penetration of shells and to demon-'
strate how. long a crippled warship
can remain afioat under fire. There
are, of course. other battle problems
to be solved. Thus experiments with
the Jena of the French navy proved
that there was no danger OF asphyxia-
tfon of a ships crew by fumes releae-
ed upon the explosion of shells; dogs
rabbits and pigeons imprisoned in the
Jena suffered no harm from the ex-.
perience.
1t is the practice of the French gov.
eminent to set aside obsolete " arships
| for target practice, not only by other,
ships OF the navy. but by the guns OF.
forts. In 1908 the battleship Admiral
Duperre was sunk sin shallow water.
from the shore. In the same year the
coast defense ships Tempete and Tom.
nerre Were riddled by the fleet. The
| coast defense battleship Fulminant.
served as a target in 1911. Every,
| year ships destined for the scrap heap.
are put to this use. The English are.
constantly selecting vessels in the OBJ
solete class for ordnance tSsts. A
yeritable bombardment OF the Hero. a
fife fighting type in her day. taught
the British gunners that IL was
comparatively easy thing TO shoot
away the fire control OF ship. In
one year the German admiralty desig-
mated four warships as targets. The
to the scrap heap. and do not let sem.
timent interfere with testing armor plate
and trying gun calibers.
The United States is still a little !
new al the game of sinking old ships
by shell fire dresdnoughts pass by /.
them at various ranges with guns
blazing away. Something was learned
from battering the monitor Puritan.
elaborate 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 foated. \ dis
carded warship can be put TO no bet
ter use. That being admitted. the
question arises. when shall unit in
the navy be moored or anchored in
the tide way to receive the fleets fire..
Only. we should say, when there il
no other use for her. IL she has any
value for coast defense or harbor duty
she should be withheld until there is
a surplus of such ships.
In England a protest against turn
ing the obsolete Renown over to the
gun crews was needed recently. and :
she is to serve as a receiving ship at =
Queensferry- In regard to the Indi-
ana. whose eighteen-inch belt is a
temptation to the ordnance sharps. her
time has hardly come for the ordeal
of battle practice. She has been i'm
commission less than twenty years.
and Secretary Meyer in his annual re-,
port of December. 1911. included herr
in the reserve feet for active service
IL needed in an emergency. For har-
Dor duty IL not for coast defense, the :
Indiana should have her uses for some =
time to come. At least one of the
ships of SIMPSONS feet that sank =
Cervera's squadron at Santiago might
be saved as a souvenir OF the tight 10
be always cherished. Public opinion
would decide the veteran TO be hon. ?
ored