Evening star., 1937-08-19
NAVY MAKES TESTS
|NPREPARAT|ON To
BUILD BIG GUNS
Admiral PettengiII Will Di.
rect Work on 16-Inch
Weapons.
ACTON lAOLE PLACED
IN POSITION FOR POURING
Capt. Ducey Is in Direct Charge
of Work, With J. E. Crown
as Master Mechanic.

preliminary experimental work was
started today at the Washington Navv
Yard on building the 16-inch guns for
the two new battleships under con.
struction at the New York and Phila.
delphia Navy yards.
Under the direction of Rear Admiral
George T. Pettengill, commandant of
the local yard, the work will be carried
on Tor several months before the big
guns reach the final stages. The work
stlll is In the early stages. however
and today-for the first time since tho
oattleship West Virginia. which is
equipped with 16-inch guns, was COM
missloned about IA years ago-the big
sutton Iadle was placed in position
Tor the experimental pouring of molten
metal Tor the heavy slide that will hold
the big weapons.
ohclas at the yard pointed out
that the slide is the large housing
which contains the 16-inch gun itself
Wnlle the slide is being designed
large forglngs for the gun proper ere
olng purchased from private Arms
Delivery of the forgings is expected
10 February, and they will be ma
chined down at the yard here to meet
the requirements of the Navy's ord
nance experts. Slides for the guns will
oe constructed at the local yard.
Have 16-Inch Guns.
The battleships West Virginia
Maryland and Colorado are eo,,inned
with l6-inch guns. These were man
ufactured at the Washington Navv
Yard and at the time they were COM
mlssloned series of l6-inch spares
were made. From time to time. a.
needed, the guns have been refined here
as they have become worn down
through firing at sea, in battle pra2.
tice and elsewhere.
Some officials believe the new Is.
inch guns for the two new battleships.
which will be called the North Car
ollna and Washington, will not be
radically different from those on the
West Virginia, Colorado and Mary
land
But Uncle Sans ordnance experts
are keeping a close eye on the de-
velopments of foreign nations, par
tlcularly since the japanese recently
declined to be restricted by interna-
tlonal agreement to the 14-inch gun
type. Great Britain, the United States
and other powers are planning to
build 16-lnch guns with all the latest
Improvements embodied in them.
Process Is Costly.
Actually. it will be several months
before the new l6-inch guns take
shape, for the whole process is a costly.
exactlng and labOrious one The metal
that goes to make up the slide must be
OF the proper chemical composition,
and 1t must be poured at precisely the
right time. Although it takes but five
minutes to empty the Acton ladle into
the slide pit, where the slide is made,
there are months of preparation that
must precede that operation.
Capt. David F. Ducey, senior in
spector OF the Naval Gun Factory here,
is in direct charge of the work of pre-
pdrlng the great guns.
OF course, the Bureau OF ordnance
at the Navy Department, under Rear
Admiral Harold R, Stark. chief of that
bureau. directs the work through
Admiral Pettengill.
Lieut.. j. w. Ludewig, assistant pro-
duction officer of the Naval Gun Fac
tory, Is in immediate charge of the
shops in which the slides are being
prepared. A civilian, j. E. Crown,
is the master mechanic of the foundry
in which the slides will be poured,
and he is said to have an international
reputation for his work He has long
been associated with this type of work
and has been employed in the Navy
Yard here for many years.