Milford chronicle., 1914-12-04
naval Gun CREWS The MIDNIGHT sun
Warm WOrk Is Theirs When a
WarShip Is In Action.
RANGE FINDING AND FIRING
How the Target or the Enemy Is Lo.
caled and the Way the Monster Guns
ere operated-The Scene In the Con.
ing Tower and In the Turrets.

lhe gray battieship seems strangely
deserted anu bare, for her decks are
deuuded Of men. while all rails and
other Outstanding encumbrances have
been laid dat on deck for biz gun
practice
In the coming tower. with It's twelve
inch arunor. stands the captain. his
navigating officer. a midshipman or
two and several other officers and men
The small circular erection, barely ten
feet in diameter. seems very cramped
for all 1t has to contain.
Above the coming tower is another
armOred erection. containing a range
finder. and inside this is the gunnery
lieutenant. with half a dozen more
officers and men. He is surrounded by
strange looking instruments. while the
man at the range finder, with his eyes
at its rubber eyepieces is monotonous
ly chanting out the distance OF the ap-
prOaching target
Inside the turrets themselves the ex-
pectant men are grouped around their
monster thirteen inch guns The great
proiectiles and the cOrdite charges be
hind them have already been pushed
home by the hydraulic rammers. and.
since their weapons are thus fully load.
ed. the guns crews are idle for the
time being.
But the gun layers-the men who aim
and fire the guns-and the trainers
those who keep them pointing in the
right directiOn-are anxiOusly keeping
the sights on the target. and every now
and then, as they move their small
brass handles. there is a wheeling Of
hydraulic machinery, and the great
breeches rise and fall ever. so slightly
while the whole armored structure con
tanning them revOlves an inch or so at
a time to keep the sights on
A minute or two later after an order
has come through from the control
position. the lieutenant in charge Of
the foremost turret suddenly raps out
the order. Bring both guns to the
ready"
The men standing by the breeches
flick over their small levers Right
gun ready! Left gun ready" they re-
port in rapid succession
The range meanwhile is decreasing
rapidly. and about ten seconds later
there comes the strident rattling Of an
electric bell
II is the signal to open fire. The gun
layer holds his breath. sees the cross
wires of his telescope cutting the lat
ticewOrk Of the target and then presses
an innocent looking brass thumb piece
As he does so there is roar. and. with
a blaze Of orange fame and a pail Of
brown smoke, a prOjectile weighing
more than half a ton is sailing through
the air on its way toward the target
Outside the turret the cOncussiOn is
terrible. but inside 1t is barely felt. and
the only means the guns crew have Of
knowing their weapon has gone OF is
by the rocking of the turret and the
recOil Of the gun Back she slides
with the water whistling and gurgling
through the hydraulic valves far be
low. She stops and then. az the run
ming out springs exert their strength
is driven back to the firing position
The men meanwhile are working
like demons Some one. by moving IA
small lever which actuates a hydraulic
engine. has opened the breech A cloud
Of acrid cOrdite smoke fills the turret.
but another man. turning q tap. sends
a Jet Of water spOuting into the cham
Der to extinguish any still burning
fragments
Everything seems chaos. but every
one knows what to do he has done
Il time after time-and in less than
thirty seconds we hear sharp order
Alright gun lOad"
a man moves an upright lever. and
an arrangement looking like minia
turp lift climbs into view through the
anOr IL has come up from the shell
room below laden with the new charge
and proipctile and stops dead in the
-eHr Of the gun
RppuSiug IN tray Is the shot Itself.
mother lever is worked. and a flexible
,hain hydraulic rammer. looking like
snake. darts out Of its resting place and
pushes the shot before it into the
lreet'b Of the gun
II r. driven home with dull thud
The rummer is withdrawn an0ther
handle IL pulled ana two enormous
,rOwn cylinders of rurdite fall inrO
he tray just vacated by the prOipctile
They too are rimmed bOme. aud he
ore We quite realize what has nap
,ened the rammer and lif' have disap
lparpd. the breach of tbs gun has been
wung home and the ~srat weapon iS
eady for firing
In the fire runtrO. position tine gun
ery lieutenant dqS seen the first shot
ear Jagged hole in the target and
rnnlptN WHISPERS an order Ia man
{ mis- side The latter moves small
andlr and rhirty Seronds later there
, nuothpf discharge
In aIunt ten minuie> Il is al over
nd the shin Is approaching the target
D see rhe result OF her shooting Lon
on Answers