Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-11-08
HEW j. S. GUNS
ARE HIT HARD
Naval Artillery Capable Of Piercing
Any Ships Armor.
IMPROVED PROJECTILE USED.
Ordnance Bureaus Report Shows Navy
Armament Has Been Kept Well
Un 70 Date.

w ~ bdtC.
Battleships now building for the
United States Navy will carry 14-inch
50-calibre guns, which are believed by
ordnance experts to be the equal of
the 15-lnch weapons in foreign navses.
although OF lighter weight. In his
annual report. made public last week.
Rear-Admiral 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 ihcreas-
ed the power of the 14-inch guns for
the California, Mississippi and Idaho
by increasing the length of the gun to
.50-calibIe and enlareing its cham
Der capacity. I'm order that these la
test additions to the navy should
carry the highest type of artillery, the
bureau took the bold step of ordering
their guns without manufactu inc a
trial gun. The bureaus confidence
in its its design has been fully justi-
fed. The first gun proved not only
gave the designed velocity and pres
sure exactly, but it's additional long
itudinal strength which has been pro
vided for has resulted i'm these guns
having less drop than any guns of
large calibre heretofore produced.
"As it stands, these guns, although
OF lesser calibre and weight than the
15-inch guns now mounted abroadare
capable of penetrating the heaviest
side armor at oblique impacts and al
the greatest effective battle rangeand
give us the advantage of 1atter ploiec-
tory, with greater volume of fire due
the increased number that VIC arc
permitted to mount on any ship OF
equal displacement. In August191d
tyne of 16-inch gun of 45-calibre
length was tested This gun fllflled
the highest expectations of it's design
and the bureau believes it is as pow
erful gun as is in existence today"
The report shows that the navy's
armament had been kept we'll UP to
date, older type inch guns having
been replaced on all ships of the FIRST
line; that anti aircraft rifles of sizes
to 4-irch rifles have been designed
Tor disappearing guns for submarines
have been built
Difficulty has been encountered in
placing contracts for a sufficient num-
Der of the new armor- piercing aroiec-
tiles for big guns now being used by
the navy. The rise in price, due to
the war. is indicated by the fact that
proiectiles were purchased in 1913 at
$500 each, while those contracted for
in 1915 cost S415.
Part of the increased cost, however.
is due to the new design. Satisfacto-
ry S-inch projectiles have been pro-
duced at the naval gun factory and
larger shells are now being made
| there.
As TO the value of armor-picrcins
| shells, the report says, experiments
during the year have strengthened the
view that missiles of this tvpe. but
carrying high explosives in limited
| quantities are superior to high expIo-
sive shells that depend wholly upon
the force fro an outside explosion. A
| French official report is quoted to
show that plain shells carrying high
explosive in large quantity were "ab-
solutely powerless" against armor OF
| any Importance
The Indian Head powder factory
turned ont 100000 pounds above its
1914, output last year as result OF
improved methods and. with increases
authorized by Congress, is expected
I to make 100000 pounds in 1916 and
100000 in 1917, the report states. III
! this connection the report adds:
| Owing TO the increase in the out.
put OF the Indian Head powder factor,
contracts for private manufacture nj
smokeless powder have been greatls
reduced, and at the present time ther,
IS only one contract outstandirg-
amounting to 10000 pounds, with In,
Carney Point plant of the Dupont
company. The facilities for the pro
duction CT smokeless powder and %
other explosives in the United State,
have been enormously increased, ow
ing to the demands of the helligerent.
for these materials.
1T has taken many months of tim,
and enormous expenditure of none,
10 develop these facilities, and theiI
| conservation for the benefit Of fh,
United States Government in the tim,
of war is a problem which will re
quire the most careful considerable,
of the Department wnen the Euroreay
war IS over and the present deman,
from abroad has ceased.
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