Evening star., 1935-04-14
By Thomas r. Henry.


the armistice is under way at
the Naval Gun Factory.
i There is an approach to the
feverish activity of World War
days as approximately 8,400 gum
makers are engaged in providing for
the Navy its full supply Of ordnance
and-by far the biggest job of all
turning out $50 five-inch guns to arm
the so new destroyers authorized for
the Navy.
Naturally, to the uninitiated, there
Is an air of mystery about it all. The
mysterious seems inherent in the very
nature of gun making, with the great
glares from the forges, the titan forces
involved in many of the operations.
the ant-like littleneSS of man when
set beside the machinery and the
natural censorship which tightens
around such a factory. But about
this particular job. despite wide
spread reports to the contrary Navy
authorities say that there Is nothing
exceptionally mysterious.
THE new guns for the destroyers are
not mystery weapons in the
sense of embodying some radically
new principle of construction or bal
listics. This has been reported widely
apparently on the basis of numerous
improvements in many directions that
have been introduced into naval ordS
nance during the past few years.
Naturally, considerable secrecy is be-
ing observed regarding such improve
ments, but most of the changes
hardly would be appreciable to the
layman. The general structure of
naval guns changes little. the i'm
provements from time to time being
effected in details.
OF chief significance to Washing
ton is the greatly increased personnel.
Two years ago less than 5000 were
employed at the gun factory Now
the force has been considerably more
than doubled and the factory is run
ming "a hours day. The program,
1t is estimated. will keep the gun fac
tory busy for the next two years. at
least. Recovery appropriation funds
are being poured into the Navy's only
gun plant at the rate of more than
S1.500,000 a month. in keeping with
the national security program. Fa-
cilities of the factory are such that
almost any sized weapon used on
Navy ships can be turned out there
This gun factory is the largest and
most important manufacturing plant
for naval ordnance. Through most of
the history of the American Navy 1t
has been the main source of supply
for the guns that have shaken the
seas around the earth as the Ameri-
can flag has gone from victory to
victory. 1t started making the 18, 80
and 6O-pounders-smooth bored muZ-
Zle loaders-for the frigateS and ships
of the line that carried the Stars and
Stripes in the War of 1912. when the
Navy rose to some of its most colorful
and heroic achievements, greatly to
the surprise of Great Britain. 1t
made the rifled "Dahlgrens" in Civil
War days and continued to keep
abreast of all the improvements in
gun making through the compare
lively peaceful years that followed.
At the outbreak of the World War
this factory was supplying the greater
part of the guns needed for new
ships. These guns were received as
rough, forged cylinders, from which
the finished weapons, of concentric
elements shrunk together, were ma
chined, assembled and completed.
The activities of the plant imme-
diately were pushed to full capacity.
More than 300 guns were manufac-
tured, varying from 16-inch So
caliber weapons to small 3-inch boat
guns and one-pounders. Nearly 5000
furnished by outside manufacturers
were finished and put in condition.
Besides, hundreds of gun mounts
were made and the finishing touches
put upon several thousand. The
total ordnance manufactured rose
from 31,6Oo,OOO pounds in 1916 to
52,6OO,0O0 pounds in 1918. At the
height of the war 1852 men were
employed there, with a total pay roll
Of $50,000,000 a year.
THIS Naval Gun Factory was basic
part of Americas World War
equipment and its efficiency was one
Of the bright spots of the Nations
war record. Naturally, activities
dropped off to a considerable extent
with the end of the conflict in Europe,
but 1t left a greatly enlarged plant
and a perfection of technique which
are proving of value to the Nation
today. No other plant in the country
would be capable of undertaking such
q program as this Government fac
tory has had put upon it.
The revived prosperity has affected
all branches of the gun factory. One
of the busiest places is gun shop No.
/, where most of the five and six inch
bore guns are manufactured. 1t is
q picture of concentrated power that
meets the eye as great electrical
cranes pick up the heavy cannon
and swing them about as if they were
toothpicks. These guns are made
of a number of parts, each telescoping
the other and shrunk on. First there
Is heating to cause expansion and
then cooling until the outer part is
reduced to the point where it grips
the surface beneath with such firm
ness that, for all practical purposes,
both might as well be made Of the
same piece of metal. A completed
gun of the IA or 16 inch type con-
sists of the liner with its rif1ing
grooves, a tube incasing the liner, and
q jacket composed of a series OF
"hoops" of varying diameters.
In the 16-inch gun, according to a
statement recently approved by the
Navy Department. 1.-The tube and
liner are about go feet long. After
the tube has been forged and is
cool the first hoop is placed in an
electric furnace and heated until it
has expanded sufficiently to slip over
the tube. AS it cools it shrinks itself
tightly upon the tube-so firmly that
nn machine could null them apart.