Evening star., 1926-10-17

1dAT purpose a naval gun
M factory in peacetime? Why
" " build munitions of war
when the dogs Of conflict
are as silent as though de-
VOID OF bark? Why heat. mold, and
manufacture the finest steel known
20 industry into gigantic vehicles of
oestruction-long-ra guns that
Delch mighty loads of metal over un-
seen enemy many miles distant with
the deadly Workmanship of the
kentucky squirrel hunter?
In time of peace. prepare for war"
reads a venerable slogan, which is as
expressive today as when first
phrased, because it recounts the
multiplied experiences Of history in a
tew words
T.,e nations Of the world still MAIN
tAAh equipment for warfare on land
and sea-facilities curtailed by the
limitation of armament treaty
which can be mustered on short
notice for active service. The naval
gun factory at the Washington Navy
Yard, which produces the finest
ordnance ever made under the sun
Or, rather, under roofs of steel, slate
concrete, and glasS-iS a master fac
cory. ordnance supply base OF the
powerful United States Navy and a
oeltar of mechanical and manufac.
Wrliig efficiency such as industry
SNretY sees
AZ iong as war endures and gov
ernlhents engage in international
dtarcels the boxing gloves of mortal
cFintat must be made Our Govern
ment, like foreign powers, has to ex-
pend vast sums in order to be pre-
pared for strife. The capacities of
Its factories have to he as elastic as
they are efficient. They must he able
10 contract during peace and to ex-
pand during war.
Any one familiar with manufacture
ing knows that this elastic quality of
production plants i- difficult to main
tain. For example, our local navy
yard, with it's present peace-time
strength of $500 men, is designed and
IOrtlned so that 1t can increase to
10000 men on short notice. The nor
mai business Of it's & IN factory rep
resents an expenditure of about So
100000 a year. 1t is capacitated to
increase to $33.000,000 annual pro-
duction assignment, as it actually did
during the late war.
* X X
IKE the attraction which draws
steel to magnet, you are in
stinctively lured to spend much of
your time a the inirlitable gun fac
w. "lCIl SOu dIe IOTluI1dI6 enough
TO visit our local navy yaru. j .st as
the small boy is attracted by the dis
play of cap pistols in the toy shop
window, the average American citizen
is thrilled by the sight of big guns"
---mastodonic armament which spits
forth as much as a one-ton projectile
at shot. In the huge gun shop you
see amazing marvels of mechanics
Rumor reports our National Capi.
fraYr
ism, yet within our navy yard bor-
ders is mandatory unexcelled any
where in the world-a massive struc-
ture of concrete and steel, 572 feet
long, 243 feet wide, with a maximum
height of 1875 feet. equipped with the
finest tools of gun-making and pro-
duclng ordnance whose fame has
girdled the globe. Mammoth ma
chimes refine and reri1e huge guns:
electric cranes of herculean strength
lift and carry mighty steel tubes as
though they were jack straws; in
genious electric furnaces heat 16-inch
gun barrels so that subsequently
liners" may be shrunk skillfully
into position. A well organized work
shop repairs and maintains the ord
nance for the United States Navy.
Research and experimentation are
also constantly in progress to develop
new types of armament and to
remedy any deficiencies in those now
in use.
Guns from one-pounders to 16
inches. up to so calibers in length,
are manufactured and repaired in this
beehive of naval industry. The
largest guns weigh 2S6.135 pounds
apiece. Indeed. to the most Of us
it seems difficult task merely to
move these monster composites of
steel and technical skill. The guns
are built up by encircling one mighty
cylinder of steel over another by heat
processing methods. The 16inch
gun when completed is product of
10 such procedures. An eightinch
gun weighs 1s tons and fires a $50
pound projectie. A 12-inch gun tips
the scales at Sc tons and shoots a
charge of $40 pounds. The projectile
of the 16-inch gun weighs 2,100
pounds.
The rough forgings are turned and
bored to the finished dimensions and
then are heated in the shrinking pits
in electrical furnaces. The forgings
are thus expanded to the desired
diameters. Eventually they are low
cred over the smaller members upon
which they are to be shrunk. AS the
hot metal cools to ordinary tempera-