The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-11-11
Pow ERFuL GUNS FOR
THE L. :. NAVY


:, TO be as Powerful as l5-inch Gun
It in Foreign Navies.
& Washington, Nov. 9 --Battleship.
e now building for the United State.
!, navy will carry 14-inch, so caliber
: guns which are believed by ordnanc,
!. experts To be the equal OF the l5-inci
: weapons in foreign navies, although
: of lighter weight. In his annual re.
e port, made public last night, Rear Ad
n miral Joseph Strauss, chief Of the
navy ordnance bureau says:
with the object of keeping pace
with the increased range Of modern
naval warfare, the bureau has increas-
ed the power of the l4-inch guns for
the California, Mississippi and Idaho
by increasing the length of the gun to
80 calibers and enlarging its chamber
capacity. In order that these latest
additions to the navy should carry the
highest type of artillery the bureau
took the bold step of ordering their
guns without manufacturing a trial
gun. The bureaus confidence in its
design has been fully justified. The
first gun proved, not only gave the
designed velocity and pressure exact
ly, but its additional longitudinal
strength which has been provided for,
has resulted in these guns having less
droop than any guns Of large caiber
heretofore produced As it stands,
these guns, although Of lesser caliber
and weight than the 15-inch guns now
mounted abroad, are capable of pene-
trating the heaviest side armor at
oblique impacts and at the greatest |
effective battle range, and give us the
advantage of fatter trajectory, with
greater volume of fire due to the in
creased number that we are permitted
to mount on any ship of equal dis
placement.
"In August, 1914, type I6-inch
gun of As calibers length was tested
This gun fulfilled the highest expec-
tations of its designs, and the bureau
believes it to be as powerful gun as
is in existence to-day"
The report shows that the navy's
armament had been kept well up-to-
date, older type fve-inch guns having
been replaced on all ships of the first
line; that anti-aircraft rifles of sizes
up to four-inch rifles have been de-
signed, and that mounts for the dis
appearing guns for submarines have
been built. The latter weapons will be /
given an increased elevation, so that 3
they may fire at aeroplanes. 0
Difficulty has been encounterd in y
placing contracts for sufficient num- q
ber of the new armor piercing projec- |
tiles for big guns now being used by i
the navy. The rise in price due to n
the war is indicated by the fact that h
projectiles were purchased in 1913 at I
1920 each while those contracted for h
in 1915 cost $415. Part of the in d
creased cost, however, is due to the |;
new design Satisfactory eight-inch Il
orojectiles have been produced at the Ii
naval gun factory and larger shells
are now being made there. d
AS to the value Of armor piercing O
shells. the report says experiments Il
Turing the year have strengthened the 81
view that missiles of this type but 7
high explosive in limited d
Quantities, are superior to high ex- 81
,losive shells that depend wholly upon Il
he force Of an outside explosion to Il
accomplish their mission. A French D,
'fficial report is quoted to show that re
lain shells carrying high explosive in ia
arge quantity were absolutely pow
rless' against armor Of any import D
nee. pt
The Indian Head powder factory fy
urned out 100000 pounds above its pc
9l4 output last year as result OF sli
improved methods, and with increases di
uthorized by Congress is expected to al
lake 100000 pounds in 1916 and ho
100000 in 1917, the report states. In wi
lis connection the report adds; SO
"Owing to the increase in the out at
ut of the Indian Head powder fac sii
,ry, contracts for private manufac- sh
ire Of smokeless powder have been ms
realty reduced, and at the present thi
me there is only one contract out foi
anding, amounting to 100000 pounds
ith the Carneys Point plant Of the
u Pont company. The facilities for
e production Of smokeless powder
ID other explosives in the United a. A.
ates have been enormously increas- =,
owing TO the demands Of the bel -
,erents for these materials. II has
ken many months Of time and
ormous expenditures Of money to
velop these facilities, and their con- Mr.
rvation for the benft Of the United VIII