Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-03-19
16-|NCH RIFLES
FOR NEW OCEAN
FORTS OF u. S.
HEAVIEST NAVAL GUNS EVER DE-
SIGNED ARE PROPOSED FOR
NEW WARSHlPS.
DETAILS OF ARMAMENT AND OF
ENGINE EQUIPMENT BEING
GIVEN ATTENTION.

Washington. ID. g.. March l9.-Thc two
battlc~hip- provided for m ,he current
naval bill may W. armed with l6-anrh rifles.
the heaviest naval guns ever designed.
While tentative plans for the new ships
contemplate vessels similar m general dc-
sign 10 thr $4,000 ton- slant a the Cali
fornia cla~~ ROW buildin4. dciail- 81 arna-
ment and engine equipment are being given
unusual attention IN navy designer and
the results obtained from the - inch main
battcrie- 1T ihc newest British and Ger
man hattlc~hip- are hcng closely watched.
Already the new l6-mch navy Gun ha~
been subjected a. tests at the Indian Head
proving ground and while details uf in
construction and performance are closely
guarded. II l. known that the gigantic
weapon has given proof ~ it~ efficiency
which delighted navy ordnance experts.
The gun was built Nv the American naval
gun factory and has been undergoing tests
for several months.
Some idea 81 the probable size III the
new American gun may ~ gathered from
the fact that each Of the clght l5-nch guns
Of the British battlc~hip Queen Elizabeth
weighs ninctv-~iN tons while similar rifles
designed IN the kmpp work. Tor German
battlc~hp- laid down lhi~ year weigh
more than ci.hty-tw" tom. The li-inch
rifles ct the battlc-hir~ New York and
Texas tor the five new American dread
nuu.ht~ under cun~trug nom. weigh G3.3
tons each and IL II certain that the ucw
16-inch weapon wci.h~ moro than 100 tons
without H. muutin"-.
krupp engineers have designed = IL
inch gun which fire 4 prolcctIlc weighing
POPS pounds aguiu-t the l.615 pound mass
of steel hurled hy the 1j-inrh rifles adopt
cd for the German navy and the l.720
pound pruicctilc- poured INTO Turkish
fortrc--c~ hv the British h=ttlc~hip Queen
Elizabeth. None 81 the German or Brit
i~h vessels III TIE first line carry amy
weapon exactly similar to the American
1l-iuch gun. 2 jump having been made
last wear from the standard l4iuch rifle
to the l5-mrh tyrc.
The New York. TeNa-. Nevada and ok
lahoma rach carry ton ll-nch guns while
the Pennsylvania, California. Idaho and
Mississippi each viii carry twelve, placed
three w 4 igrrct. These weapons throw
proicctllr~ weighing | ,4un pound D. the
ease with thc l4-inch guns DESIGNED for
the -four japanese huttlc~hip~ estimated for
~ 1914.
With the increase ~ size. the life of the
gun j. shortened ~ erosion. due "a the heat
generated hv thr explosion ut the huge
charge ~ powder necessary to hurl nearly
n ton Of metal Fifteen miles that Il said 10
b. the range ut the American lG-nrh
weapon. The rtimg ot the gun burns out
under the blast. Drops 81 melted steel
are visible M VII, bore after each shot and
II i- said that ihc lite 81 the Queen Eliza
beth l5-iHch weapon " les than 100
shots each. After that the Gun ~ -o m-
accurate a- tu hr virtually useless.
Navy .uu designer have overcome that
obstacle somewhat. ID Wy said. with thr new
American III n,n gun; but the lite at the
gun i still tar below that 1T the ll-lnch.
The krupp work. before the outbreak
~ tht present war. announced that "a pro-
cc-- p steel and powder manufacture had
been evolved that decreased erosion: hut
the Factory i- understood to have refused
t. contract tu supply : large number 81
great gun~ under guarantee vi 2jO ruund-
accuracy iirc lite.
IN placing aboard the Queen Elizabeth
the l5-iuch weapon designed for her class.