NAVAL GUNS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 138, 10 June 1905, Page 9

NAVAL GUNS.

FAILURE OS , THE MAJESTIC'S ARMAMENT. j~;*-§ r - -"— '- ■ —= ". ' J —"" i - V " ~->

tired 102 full charges before being re-' lined. The guns now nlloat thai have fired the greatest number of nuinds arc on board tbe Mars. Caesar, ami •fupiier. 'rinse havr lircrl I :u- e()»iivnlimH of over sixty full c iiargc*. ami arc slill perfectly sorvicfnhlp." To the reasMininci-s thus given ihe I writer in "The ("impliir" replied: — i 1 am not going to quarrel with the Admiralty siiK-c they give the d.nnning evidence ol practice i:i llltit two of Ihe Majestic guns Lfave m.t at ordinary target t:;crci-c. when only ore full -rhrrjrr'-rc-lii-efl I'ldnrs.Tfli ■■run. l"»r th'> pnii-tical na\al ollieer it was quite eninigh to linrl that nnp gun had riacked ii s u'ii;v.l(.. ti> make him senrrb for signs o; identical wciikness in ibe other guns. The Admiralty show Him the Majt's- ; tie gnu- had lired iiimi , round- than 'the Mars, Cue-tH.! , and .lu|iiler. itnd ii rh.ev permit these latter vessels Io go Jon firing full charge- wo may c\;iec' , similar failures. 1 have been informI'll on reliable authority th.it the . r 'ins jof citliiM" ships havt> also been In tided ]to gn to Woolwich. The "(iunncry j Manual informs naval oflicers that tbe j guns may be expected I" live for l">i)

Snuie consternation was created in' England six weeks ago by the publication of statements asserting that a serious failure had taken place in the 12in. Mark VIII. Woolwich .sun. with which the Majestic and fifteen of England's tiiipst battleships are armed, and also that tbe new wire gim of Wool- I v.irh design for uur Inte.-t warship h;ul ' broken down. In crmsenuence >>f 1-tate-inents published in thc •'Daily Graphic" ihe Admiralty issued the following of- ! ficiiil aniU'UiieoiiK-'nt on tise subjeH: - "On? 12-inib Mark Y\U. g.in cracked its muzzle on bnsnl thc Majestic, aai i feeond gun showed sijrns of a crack in the inner A lube. They had Sired the cijuivalcm of sixty-six and seventy'ive full cLarges respectively, and on c\ ; amination the -tccl nf the inner A' tubes was. found to be sot';, and this was the probable cause of (ho weak- i ness. The lw> guns were eNpha;ige.d. ] and are being repaired, and will he Shortly reissued. With reference to! lhe statements which have hron \n\h- \ lished- it is siifliHent to quote the fuc: ; that the first 12-inch Mark YIU. gun I

■■> to 201) full charges in their hands. The * Admiralty, by lumping in the full ;| charges fired at the proof butts, have 11 swollen the total for the lansrost-lived ■ I guns i.-.-ued I fi- the Navy to sixty-six J 'j and seventy-live full charges. We are I not told if ihe Admiralty adopt, the ■j formula laid down in the "Gunnery J Manual" nf'sixteen half-charges to one 1 j fi:il charge, for this calculation. I'n■l dL Sir John Fisher in the Xlediterf raiieim. the nni-rs were for ships to •I liie noil" Inn full charges in bailie, and I I »■' they wore en Mcd upon to tire the ■ ! am'l'iiiui*ion they osirrv. the Ma-rs. •i ( ac-ar. and .lujiiter would eacli have I I tired, inclusive of Ihe full charges nt «j t!r. proof butts 1 !(> full ebargos. Is • thr-iT a .single TiDViil (illicer who be- ■ I lieves tiuit they coubl do t'lis. and 1 much less be "'perfectly serviceable" to 1 go into action a few weeks after, in-! 1 ) -tc.id of swinging round a buoy in har- i j h.iur liccausc no reserve of jruus ex- ■ ists'.----4 I It i- somewhat consoling to know. lj however, that Ihe guns with which Ad- '| iniral Togo smashed the Hal tic licet 'i were snlist nn I ially of the same cla-s aw ); t!i<.i-c now iucriiniiiatcd. ■