The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-03-18
BETTL[sHIPS
MAY HAVE HEAVY
]. ARMAMENT
Inch Rifles, Largest
Naval Guns Made, May Be-
come Part Of Equipment Of
Two Largest Vessels.

ever designed.
While tentative plans Tor the new
ships contemplate vessels similar In
general design to the 2~a-0oO.ton al
ants Of the California class now
building. details OF armament and
engine equipment are being given un-
usuai attention by navy designers and
the results obtained from the i5-iDch
main batteries OF the newest British
and German battieships are being
closely watched.
Already the new i6-inch navy gun
has been subjected To tests al the
indian head proving ground and
while details OF its construction aud
performance are closely guarded. Il
Is known that the gigantic weapon
has given proof OF In efficiency which
delighted navy ordnance experts. The
gun was built at the American naval
gun factory and has been undergoing
tests for several months.
Some idea OF the probable size Of
the new American u may be gath
cred from the act that each OF the
eight ib-inch guns OF the British bat
tleship Queen Elisabeth weighs &c
tons. while similar rifles designed In
the Krupp works for German battle
ships laid down this year each weigh
more han 50 tons. The if-ineh rifles
of the hattieships New YORK and
Texas for the five new American
dreadnaughts nov under construction
weigh 63.a toni each and Il IL GER
tain that the new 16-inch weapon
weighs more than 100 tons without
It's mounting.
krupp engineers have designed a
i6-inch sun which fires a proiectile
weighing 2,02s pounds. against the
i.675-pound mass OF steel hurled by
the ib.inch rifles adopted for the
German uuvy and the i.72O-pound
projectilcs poured into Turkish fort
resses Of the Dardanelles by the Brit
ish battleship Queen Elizabeth. None
OF he German or British vessels OF
the first line carry any weapon ox-
actiy similar TO the American if-inch
gun. a jump having been made last
year from the standard l2-inch rifle
to the i5-lnch type.
The New York. Texas. Nevada and
Oklahoma each carry ten If-inch
guns while the PENNSYLVANIA. Callfor-
MIA, Idaho and Mississippi each will
carry twelve. placed three to a tur-
ret. These weapons throw proiecules
weighing i,iO0 pounds as is the case
with the i4-inch u designed for
the four japanese batleships est
mated for In l9t4.
with the increase In size. the life
OF h u Is shortened by erosion,
due 10 the heat generated by the ex-
piosion OF the huge charge of powder
necessary TO hurl nearly q ton OF
1 NuaNuN nNfnnN waaNaa shat IL a.NN -. Lao
the range Of the American i6-inc.
weapon. The riiilng of the gun burns
out under the blast. Drops of melted
steel are visible In the bore after each
shot and It il said that the life Of ine
queen Elizabeth's i5-inch weapons b.
less than 100 shots ecah. After that
the sun Is 81 inaccurate as to be vir'
tually useless.
Navy gun designers have overcome
tina. obstacle somewhat. IL IL said
with the new American i6-inch gun.
but The life OF the gun II still FAR De
LON that Of the l4"lnch.
The Krupp works. before the out
break uf the present war. announced
that "a process of steel and powde'
manufacture had been evolved thai
decreased erosion, but the factory II
understood TO have refused to con
tract 10 supply a large lumber o
great guns under guarantee OF 25l
rounds -accuracy-Hre life.
In placing aboard the queen Eliz
abeth the i5-inch weapon designed
for her class. British navy ohicial
are understood To have depended up
on a cheap process for refining, per
fected by their engineers. Co onse
the short life Of the gun. II that b'
|, true IL is probable the queen Ella
abeth soon may oe compelled TO re
turn to England and have new gun
placed aboard II the steady poundinl
at the D~ardanellcs forts eNhausts ne
main battery.
I, II has been suggested hat i6-inci
guns could he substituted for the if
, inch batteries OF the American battle
, ships now under construction, placini
/ them two 10 a turret instead OF three
and giving the ships eight guns eaci
. instead of twelve. Navy officers say
however, that the cost OF SUCH an al
teratlon would be very great II
could be made at an. They also hol'
that the American it-inch sun IL IN
|. equal OF the British or German 10
! inch f0r all practical purposes.
with any target In plain view
Ia said, the American gun has equa
, range and nearly equal penetration
, the difference being more than coun
= terhalanced by the larger numoer q
guns carried. Thus, in action agains
such a ship as the queen Elizabetf
the Pennsylvania would have twelV
inch guns against eight la-lnc
and would have so per cent create
= opportunity for scoring hits. Fol 10
% direct are. such as the work IN Whlo
9 the queen Elizabeth shared In W
Dardaneiies. the ib-inch guns Etea'
! err range woald b. important; nut
. a not believed il would be "a factor
= a purely naval battle.
During the present war, big naNi
engaEemsnts have been fought al
. range OF from seven tO ten miles ~
y fectlve distance for either ~ or u
inch guns.
As a matter Of fact Il has bee
nointed out that the German Sine
D auns %outranged larger British guf
because Of the higher "a eleyatio
provided by German desiehers. GeI
man naval guns. as a rule, have
s maximum elevation OF 30 degree
3 ~asalnst IS degrees aboard British an
g American ships. That u anoth'
= nrobiem upon which American d'