Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-11-08
14-|N.5O CALDER
GUNS FOR SHIPS
NOW BUILDING
ORDNANCE EXPERTS BELIEVE THEY
WILL EQUAL i5-lNCH GUNS OF
THE FOREIGN NAvIES.
NAVY ORDNANCE BUREAU TOOK
BOLD STEP or ORDERING GUNS
WITHOUT MAKING TRIAL GUN.

Washington. Nov. S.-BattleShipS now
building for the United States navy
will carry 1l.inek, fifty caliber, guns
which are believed by ordnance experts
TO be the equal Of the l. inch weapons
II foreign navies although Of hghter
weight In his annual report. ihaue
public last night. Rear Admiral Joseph
Strauss. chief Of the navy ordnance bu-
reau says:
with the object of keeping pace
with the increased range OF m"dern
naval warfare the bureau has increase"
the power of the 1I-inch guns for the
California. Mississippi and l'iho by
increasin. the length Ct the gun To I"
calibers and enlarging it's chamber ca
pacity. In order that these latest addI
tions TO the Navy should carry the
highest type of artillery the bureau took
the bold step of ordering their guns
without manufacturing trial gun
The bureaus nntidem-c in its design has
been fully justified. The first gun
proved not only gave the designed ve-
locity and pressure exactly hut itS ~
,litional longitudinal strength which
has been proided for has resulted ~
these guns havin. less drcop than any
guns of large calibcr heretofore pro
.luced As il stands these guns. nj
though of lesser caliber and weight
than the 15-inch guns now mounted
abroad are capable of penetrating the
heaviest side armor at obliaue impacts
and at the greatest eiia"tlVe battle
range and give MS the advantage Of nat
tsttltl n
fire due to the increased number that
We are permitted To mount rn any snip
Of equal displacement
In August. 1911. type l6-lnch gun
of IL calibreS length was tested. This
gun fulfilled the highest expectations Of
its design. and the bureau believes u
to he as powerful a gun ~ Is IN existence
today"
The report shows that the uavy's ar
mament had been kept we'll up To date
older typer ; inch guns having been re-
placed on all ships Of the first line;
that anti aicraft ritles Of sizes M -
4 inch rifles have been designed and
that mounts for the disappearing guns
for submarines have been built The
latter weapons will be given ~ increaS
ed elevation SO that they may fire AZ
aercplanes.
Difficulty has been encountered in rla
cling contracts for sufficient number
of the new armor piercing prolectlleS
for big guns now being used by the navy.
The rise in price due To the war IS indi
sated bv the fact that proiectileS were
purchased i'm 1919 at $500 each while
those contracted for in 1918. cost Sll5.
Part Of the increased cost however. :
due TO the new design. Satisfactory
inch proiectiles have been produced at
the naval gun fartory AMI larger shells
are now being made there.
Az to the value If armor PIERCING
shells the report says experiments dur
ing the wear have strengthened tine
view that missiles of this type but car
rying high explosive in limited quantl
ties are superior 10 high explosive shells
that depend wholly upon the force of an
outside explosion to accomplish their
mission. A French official report IS
quoted 10 show that plain shells car
rving high explosive in large quantit.
were absolutely powerleSs" against ar
NOR Of any Importance
The Indian Head powder factory
Turned ont Tn00 pounds above its 1911
output last year a. result ~ improved
methods. and with increases authorized
bv congress Is expected 70 make ,.'Wo
600 mounds in 1916 and 6nOho00 IN 1917
the report states. In this connection
the report adsdN
Owing To the increase in the output
of the Indianhead powder factory. con
tracts for private Manufacture oi
smokeless powder have been greatly re-
sluced and az the present time there i
ONLY one contract outstanding. amount
ing to 100 0OO pounds with the tarneNS
Point plant 81 the du Pont 90. The
facilities for the prnincii"n of SmokelcS
powder and other explosives ia the
United States have been enormously in
creased owing tn the demands nf the bel
Ilgerents for these materials II has
taken many months of time and enor.
NOUS expenditures of money to develop
these facilities and their conservation
for the benefit Of the United States gov
ernment in time. Of war is a problem
which will require the most careful con
sisleration If the department when the
European war is over and the present
demand from abroad has ceased"
Great strides i'm DEVELOPMENT Of the