The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-11-16
Speed Has Been Sacrificed
to Obtain These Two
Qualifications
PRACTICALLY IMMUNE
FROM SUBMARINES
Offer Only a Small Target Both From
the Water and the Air-Did
Much Toward Helping
Allies Win Battle
by PHILLIP EVERETT

| The battle of the Flanders coast-the
first engagement fought simultaneous
| ~ on and under the seas and on and
the British by the three monitors
| Mersey, Humber and Severn. IT was
fortunate circumstances for the al
lies that British firm happened to
be building these three unique boats
Just when they were needed. The 100
pound shells from their guns and 3D.
pound projectiles from their howitzers
caught the Germans in the rear at
critical moment and undoubtedly had
great deal to turn the tide In favor of
the defenders
Meanwhile German submarines tried
In vain to strike the monitors from
below and aeroplanes from both sides
circled over the shore.
Few persons seem to have a good
idea what a monitor Is and how 1t
differs from other war craft.
monitor Is a heavily gunned and
well armored ship of slow speed and
light draugth-a kind of miniature
battleship. Having a few-only a few
powerful guns it can hit hard, and
pounding. Being of slow speed, it does
not require much in the way of en-
glnes or boilers and the engine and
boiler rooms being small. the displace-
ment can be kept down. The weight
of water displaced being small, the
vessel Is flat with very little draught
and can consequently maneuver in
shallow water. where other vessels
would run aground They can go right
| up to the coast and fire, instead of
| having to stand well out.
Are of Light Draught
| Even one of the latest British de-
| stroyers--of about 1000 tons though
she has no armor and mounts only
| three 4-inch guns throwing a S1-pound
| shell-draws 912 feet of water. These
| monitors with full load have a depth
of 81 feet and their mean draught 10
y feet only; and yet they have
| displacement of 1850 tons and are pro-
| vided with a belt of two and half inch
| armor
| The economy of weight is effected
| In the engines and boilers. The de-
stroyer has engines of 24,500 indicated
horse power to drive her at speed OF
| about 20 knots; the monitor has en-
gines of very small power to propel
her at only liz knots. Speed is sac
rificed
But the point of interest in the arm
ament. In exchange for speed they OBJ
tain first an armored belt for a con-
| siderable part of the length of the
hull and extending from the upper deck
down below the water line; secondly,
! a reduced target is provided for tor
pedo attack-indeed. 1T is doubtful IL
| they have much to fear from submar-
| ines owing to their slight immersion
~ 1T
| markable powerful armament
Armament of Each Vessel
! Each vessel carried the following
| weapons:
| 1. Two six-inch guns. They are
mounted in one armored turret on the
upper deck Well forward. Each gun
| weighs eight and three fourths tons,
and throws 100-pound projectile with
| velocity at the muzzle of 5000 feet
per second. with sufficient force to
penetrate 20 Inch of iron. 1t can dis
charge nine of these projectiles min
ute, or Is each minute from the two
| we<e ons.
.. Two 4-7-inch howitzers--that is,
guns which fire at a high angle-which
are mounted on the upper deck aft
| This type of gun weighs eight tons
and throws a projectile of % pounds
with velocity at the muzzle of 1850
feet per second
8. Four three FOUNDER guns on the
boat deck, which can fire 80 rounds a
minute.
T. Six rifle calibre guns on the boat
deck and on the forward and after
navigation bridges.
Like any battleship. these vessels
have coming towers heavily armored
and giving good protection against
shells from destroyers. From these they
are fought in action or can be fought;
| there are two powerful searchlight
| projections. and the hulls are well sub
divided They even possess ice-making
plants and refrigerators for the cold
storage of perishable food. Nor is this
all. The officers have quite spacious
cabins, with electric ventilators, on a
boat deck which runs above the upper
deck; and the commander has not only
a steel cabin, but a good sized recep-
ton room. Lastly, owing to the small
number of engine room hands, the
complement is only about 100-officers
and men.