New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-16
His Count of Spring Tar
get Practice Only 80
Hits in 826 Shots.
ANSWERS DANIELS'S
LETTER OF PROTEST
Work of II Vessels Quoted TO
Disprove 95 Per Cent OF
Accuracy Claim.
[From The Tribune Bureau

IRON Inc lrNuHc huI'dul
Washington, Aug. l5.-Just 30 hits
out of $50 shots was the record OF the
seventeen vessels of the American oat-
tleship feet at spring target practice,
according to Representative Augustus
P. Gardner.
In broadside issued to-day Mr..
Gardner attacked Secretary Danieiss
defence of the navy's marksmanship,
particularly the record Of the battle
ship Michigan. He answered the Secre-
tary's criticism that the Gardner at
tack on the Michigan shooting was not
entirely accurate. He even admitted a
slight inaccuracy, and then added the
statement that the actual conditions
had been worse than he had pictured
them.
Mr. Gardner gave the actual figures
of the spring practice of the battleshlp
fleet, which showed that the New
Hampshire scored only ! hit out OF 70
shots the Minnesota, the Vermont and
the Louisiana only hits out of rs; the
Florida only 2 out of 10, and the Ar
kansas only out of 70.
Attacks So Per Cent Report.
Mr.. Gardner gave out this informa-
ton in a copy of letter which ne had
sent to Secretary Daniels. He called
attention to Henry Wysham Lanier's
analysis of the navy's Workmanship
and said: 81 simply cannot understand
why Secretary Daniels acquiesced in
silence with Lanier's statement that the
battle practice of 1914 scored about 30
per cent of hits"
The letter from Secretary Daniels to
Mr.. Gardner IN regard to the latter
criticism of the Michigan's target prac-
tice was dated August and read:
Referring to your letter of June 20
1915, | am in receipt of letter from
the commanding officer of the U. 5. 5.
Michigan protesting against the COM
parison of the Michigan's shooting this
last year with that of 1911 as being
misleading and calculated to give an
incorrect impression of the present ein-
cheney of his ship.
THE figures given in your letter are
not entirely correct, although the actual
percentage of hits in 1911 in the case OF
this particular ship was higher than IN
1915. Furthermore, mere compari-
son of percentage of hits is misleading
Difficulties Increased.
"The individual ship battle practice
of the Michigan this year was hred
with reduced charges, so that her
equivalent range was greater than that
Of 1911 by almost 1000 yards.
"The division practice Of the Michi'
gan was fired at about 600 yards greater
range than in 1911, but during part OF
this years practice, in order to simu-
late the possible exigencies of battle,
each turret was required to control its
own fire, obtaining and keeping the
range in so doing, condition which
added much TO the difficulties of the
practice.
an 1911 the Michigan stood 1 in
gunnery among the battleships, and
while the results Of this years practice
have not yet been completely computed,
her standing will again probably be
high.
~ assure you that every effort is
~.oJo H., tLnuo NTH W ON tho g.
sponsbiity rests to maintain and I'M
prove the gunnery of our navy, and the
circulation, through the medium Of the
press, of information incomplete and
based on gossip, and which tends to
discredit the navy, hinders rather than
helps their efforts"
To this Mr.. Gardner replied on Fri
day in a letter, in which he said:
"If in any way | seemed unkind to
the Y. S. S. Michigan ! hasten TO ex-
press my regret. Certainly | intended
no injustice TO that vessel, or to its
officers, or to its men.
Refers to "Mortifying Gossip"
an my criticism compared the prac-
llCt VI inc =. >. -. AIlCilIBdH III l'll
with the practice of that same vessel in
1915. | told how she had fallen from
her record of 10 hits out of 81 shots in
1911 down TO ; hits out of p shots in
1915, according to current 'mortifying
gossip You tell me that the figures are
not entirely correct That is a fact.
The actual record is even more alarm
ing than | supposed. | find that this
spring, instead of only firing twenty
seven shots, the Michigan fred no less
than ffty-six shots, and out of that
large number of shots made only FIVE
actual hits, as allowed by the chief UNI
pire who witnessed the practice.
you tell me that the conditions OF
the practice in 1915 differed from those
Of the practice in 1911. To a certain
extent that is the case. and If | had
known that the ammunitno charge was
lighter this year | should have said
so Well informed naval officers 'ell
me that with the heavier charge il is
probable that the Michigan might h We
hit the target eight or nine times out
OF fifty-six, instead of five times. un-
derstand that the difference in favor
Of the heavier charge can readily be
calculated
81 note your statement that in 'di-
vision practice the range this year was
coo yards greater than in 1911 and that
during part Of the division practice
each turret was confined TO individual
count Those facts have no particu.
lar bearing in this instance. for the