Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-27
Try Associated prcss. |

rets house long fourteen and twelve
! inch rincs--thrcc or two to Il ,urrct.
ON high platforms guns used for de-
! fensc against airplanes point TO tho
| sky. Brass il always shining. steel
| in always polished. paint is always
new. decks are always white with
scrubbinE.
The men behind tho guns have los,
3htpmateS in the war--they were guns
crews on merchantmen sunk by Ger
man submarines. And other shpmates
now are on duty aboard the destroyers
operating with the British and French
fleets. The men with the Atlantic
! Fleet arc working to prepare them
selves to avengc the killing OF their
mates.
Here's what happened the other day:
\ crew was practcing with q Ave-
| inch gun. 4 bluejacket about seven
'een-he still had down on his chin
was pointing. He Rraspcd handles on
broad brass wheel: his eye was
steady at rubber cup at the end Of
long sight, through which he saw
ibe target. His duty 10 keep the
gun on the target 50 IL might he fred
any time.
READY TO FIRE WHEN CREW
COMPLETES IT'S PERIOD
Around this beardless youth were
grouped other guns crews ready TO
! fire when his crew had completed its
period
The breech snapped open. the load
was thrown home. the breech was hurl-
ed back in place. and then a buzzer
operated from the hre-control station
sounded: there was a fash roar the
J hiss OF projectile speeding through
: the air and the louder hiss OF com
I pressed air blowing smoke out OF the
| gun. Miles away the projectile struck
the target.
/ Guess that's bad" said an old man
'o-war's man looking on admiringly at
the third shot. as the guns crew got
the range and the pillar OF white water
leaped into the air
How would that do for Fritzyp
Suppose that had been submarine
| and"
The buzzer. the roar OF tho gun
and the hiss or mir interrupted him
Another hit: Gee whiskers that's
shooting"
! On the after deck latest arrivals
aboard the ship were set to work that
! day, and every other day. in fact upon
the loading machines. They consist
principally OF breach and block and
a slide that carries away dummy pro-
jectilcs and powder bags.
officers with stop watches in their
hands set one crew after another to
work: the idea being 10 develop en-
trcme loading speed by competition.
companies work for days at these
loading machines. The next step in
their training carries them to the guns.
But they are not Yet ready TO fire the
regular charges. One Founders. that
go with a sharp crack, arc dashed on
top OF the big guns. and the crews go
through all the motions OF firing. but
| instead OF a big shell. a little one,
weighing a pound, speeds for the tar
et l,Gn he ht,1 lie ~
the turret captains in charge of the
bigger rifles yell Fire"
| LATER GET DOWN TO REAL
PRACTICE FOR BATTLE
After period Of firing with the sub
| caliber arrangement, the crews get
down to real battle practice. There
are few buster places than turret
In action. Concave steel walls are all
around. and steel roof is just above
the heads Of the gunners Little seats
| like those on Il motorcycle are there
| for them and on every side are in
/ struments. As the turret begins 10
: fire.. a lift. bearing the huge projectile.
| bangs up from below. great bags OF
/ powder side from the magazines into
II long brass trough. Husky blue
! Jackets toss the powder into anoth er
brass trough that is slipped into po-
| sition at the gigantic breech. The
! projectile. almost az large a man.
meanwhile has been rolled into the
! trough, q long automatic rammer has
! jumped from the rear and showed it
/ into the barrel. The powder bags
are driven home. man at the breech
| swings a lever. ton OF steel swings
up with hiss OF compressed air
The brecch block turns and locks. a
! buzZer sounds. the charge is ignited
and with a rush OF air the guns re-
! coil about yard and then jump back
into position. There is a loud swish
! -----swish' as the gums come back and
then go forward. Inside the turre,
not much more than that is heard.
! Outside, il is much different. There
is flash. a roar, ring of smoke
and the loud whistle of the projectiIe
rushing through the air. So great is
! the conclusion that every man outside
has cotton or some other substance
| in his ears to save his ear drums from
being broken
Fifteen seconds from commence fir
ing" to fire" is considered pretty
good time for the big guns in the navy
they have new guns crews in train
ing now who never saw salt water
until three weeks ago who are doing
the thing easily In sixteen seconds.
Some nights the ships Of the fleet
cruise in waters nearby for night
battle practice. Other nights they are
anchored in the base waters. where
crews arc drilled at torpedo defense
The guns are manned and dummy tor.
pcdoes and submarines are picked ur
by the searchlights and Theoretical II,
destroyed.
The fleet has gained efficiency i'm tor.
pedo defense. They tell a story in TIL.
war rooms of an American submarine
which decided TO change its anchoraE,
without giving notice. The fleet /:
dark after a certain hour at night
Not light shows. but the watch |:
intensely alert.
One Of the deck officers saw th
} submarine outline itself and gu,
quickly was trained. The submarin
was hailed. but the men on it faile,
! to hear. The fact that the submersibl
, was running behind tho patrols wa
3 the only thing that saved IT, Ave
, inch gun probably would have blow,
: 1T to pieces II the maneuver had take,
/ place on the other side OF the ne,
Now submarines don't move aro,,n