Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-11-08
EFFICIENCY IS
GREAT OBJECT
OF DEPARTMENT
Navy Is Being Rapidly Equip
ped With Powerful Guns
and Practical Tests Are
Made for Mine Laying.


Washington, NOV 7-BaulcshIp.
now building for the United state.
navy will carry l4-inch, 50-calibs-
guns which are believed by ordnape.
experts "a be the equal Of the 5-ipql
weapons in foreign nayics. althoucb
.of lighter weight. I'm his annual ra-
port made public tonight Rear AL
miral Joseph Strauss, chief of the MAJ
val ordnance bureau, says.
with the object Of keeping pace
with the increased range of modern
naval warfare the bureau has 81
creased the power Of the l4-inch gums
for the California, Mississippi and
Idaho by increasing the length of IN.
gun to fifty caliber and charging i'll.
chamber capacity In order that
these latest additions to the navy
should carry the highest type OF artu.
lery the bureau took the bold step
Of ordering their guns without man.
ufacturlng a trial gun. The bureaus
confidence in its design has been fully
justified
Proves Satisfactory
The first gun proved not only gave
the designed velocity and pressure ez.
actly but its additional longitudinal
strength which has been provided for
has resulted I'm these guns having less
droop than any guns Of large calibcr
heretofore produced AS it stands
these guns, although of lesser cali
Der and weight than the t5-inch guns
now mounted abroad, are capable of
penetrating the heaviest side armor at
obliQue impacts and al the greatest
effective battle range and give us the
advantage of flatter trajectory, with
greater volume of fire cue TO the ill.,
creased number that we are permitted
to mount on any ship Of equal dis
placement.
Powerful t6-Inch Gun Tested.
I'm August. 1914. a type Of l6-mch
gun of 45-calibers length was tested
This gun fulfilled the highest cXpecta-
tions Of its design. and the bureau be-
lieves it to be as powerful a gun as is
in existence today
As to the value of piercing
shells the report says experiments
during the year have strengthened
the view that missiles of this type but
carrying high explosive in limited
quantities. are superior to high eX-
plosive shells that depend wholly
upon the force Of an outside explosion
to accomplish their mission. A
French official report is quoted TO
show that plain shells carrying high
explosive in large quantities We're .ab-
solutely powerless against armor Of
any importance"
Great strides in development of
mine planting equipment of the fleet
in the last few months are recorded
in the report 1t says
Mine Layers Efficient
The Dubuque has been fitted out AS
a mine layer and mine inspection
ship. Six old torpedo vessels are be-
ing equipped for sweeping A mining
division has been formed in the fleet
All capital ships are being provided
with sweeping nets All destroycrs
are being fitted for sweeping A
mine-sweeping manual has been pre-
pared and submitted to the fleet tor
comment
A list of steam fishing vessels OF
over 100 tons has been prepared and
their owners communicated with aud
arrangements have been made for
their inspection with a view To- their
utilization as mine-sweopcrs i'm time of
war. These vessels are now being i'm
eunrtod - Recommendations t,.,ta hgau
made and approved that six gupboals
be fitted for mine-sweeping Portable
mine-laylng tracks have been ordered
for one division OF destroyers in each
of the fleets. These tracks are 20 bc
carried IN the destroyer tender, To- be-
shifted to the destroyers when neccs-
sity arises. ne-laying tracks have
been authorized on eleven vessels VI
the cruiser class