Arizona republican., 1915-11-08
LIGHTER GUNS
| LONGER RANGE
| IS NAVY PLAN
New Battleships Will Carry
Fourteen Inch, Fifty Cali
Der Guns, Believed Equal
Of Fifteen Inch Guns of
Foreign Navies
Republican A. p. Leased Wire]


WASHINGTON, Nov. 7.-Battieships
now being built for the United States
navy will carry fourteenth inch, fifty
| caliber guns which are believed by
ordnance experts to be the equal of the
| 15-inch weapons in foreign navies al
though of lighter weight, says Rear
| Admiral Joseph S. Strauss, chief of the
navy ordnance bureau. in his annual re-
port made public tonight.
with the object of keeping pace with
| the increased range of modern naval
| warfare the bureau has increased the
power of the 14-inch guns for the
| California, Mississippi and Idaho by in
| creasing the length of the gun to so
| calibers charging it's chamber capa-
| city" said the report. In order that
these latest additions to the navy
| should carry the highest type of artil
lery the bureau took the bold step of
ordering their guns without manufac
| turing a trial gun. The first gun
proved, not only gave the designed We
| locity and pressure exactly, but its adj
| ditional longitudinal strength which
has been provided for has resulted in
| these guns having less drop than any
guns of large caliber heretorofe pro-
of lesser caliber and weight than the
| 15-inch guns now mounted abroad, are
capable of penetrating the heaviest side
armor at oblique impacts and at the
greatest effective battle range, and give
| US the advantage of latter trajectory,
with greater volume of fire due to the
| increased number that we are permit
| TED to mount on any ship of equal dis
placement.
I'm August, 1914, a 16-inch gym of
45 calibers length was tested. This
gun fulfilled the highest expectations
of its design, and the bureau believes
it to be as powerful a gun as is in eX-
istence today"
The report showed that the navy's
armament had been kept we'll up to
date, older type five-inch guns having
been replaced on all ships of the first
line, that anti-air craft rifles of sizes
up to 4-inch rifles have been designed,
and that mounts for the disappearing
guns for submarines have been built.
The latter weapans will be given an in
creased elevation so that they may fire
at aeroplanes.
Difficulty has been encountered in
placing contracts for a sufficient num-
Der of the new armor piercing projec-
tiles for big guns now being used by
the navy. The rise in price due to the
war is indicated by the fact that pro-
jectiles were purchased in 1913 at 1920
each while those contracted for in 1915
cost S415. Part Of the increased cost,
however is due to the new design
Satisfactory eight-inch projectiles have
been produced at the naval gun factory
and the larger shells are now being
made there.
As to the value of armOr piercing
shells the report said experiments dur
ing the year have strengthened the
view that missiles of this type but car
rying high explosive in limited quaint
ties, are superior to high explosive
shells that depend wholly upon the
force of an outside explosion to ac-
complish their mission French Of
fetal report was quoted to show that
plain shells carrying high explosive in
large quantity We're absolutely pow
erless" against armor of any impor-
tance.
The Indianhead powder factory
turned out 100000 pounds above its
1914 output last year as a result of
improved methods, and with increases
authorized by congress is expected to
6,000,0G0 in 1917, the report stated In
this connection the report added.
The report added:
Owing to the increase in the out
put of the Indianhead Powder Fac
tory, contracts for private manufac-
ture of smokeless powder have been
greatly reduced and at the present
there is only one contract outstand-
inc 10 lc I,
1.-THE Carney's Point plant of the
Dupont company. The facilities for
the production of smokeless powder
and other explosives in the United
States have been enormously in
creased owing to the demands of the
belligerents for these materials. 1t
has taken many months of time and |
enormous expenditures of money to |
develop these facilities, and their |
conservation for the benefit of the |
United States government in time of |
war is a problem which will require |
the most careful consideration of the |
department when the European war |
is OVER
Concerning development of the mine |
planting equipment of the fleet the |
report said:
THE Dubuque has been filled out as |
a mine layer and mine destruction |
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 sets. All destroyers |
are being fitted for sweeping.
"A list of steam fishing vessels of /
over 100, tons has been prepared and |
they. are being inspected with view |
to their utilization as mine sweepers |
in time of war. Recommendations |
have been made and approved that |
six gunboats be fitted for mine sweep |
ing. Portable mine laying tracks ,
have been ordered for one division of |
destroyers in each of the fleets. These |
tracks are to be carried in the de-
stroyer tender to be shifted to the |
destroyers when necessity arises. Mine
laying tracks have been authorized p!