NAVAL GUNFIRE

Evening Star, Issue 19022, 18 August 1925, Page 8

NAVAL GUNFIRE

THE OLD AND THE NEW. In the days of Nelson, and indeed long afterwards, tlio guns of warships were “ aimed ” by ibe gunners at the object it was desired io strike (says the Melbourne ‘Argus’). At Trafalgar tlio .shooting of the Victory-—to take a typical example—would be very inaccurate at more than half a mile. Tins was not tiro fault of the gunners, but of the guns and of the projectiles—

“cannon bails” or round missiles, which, a few hundred yards after they bad left the muzzle of the gun, wore ant to take an exceedingly erratic flight. lint tin’s lias all been changed. Cylindrical-pointed projectiles fired from rilled barrels have replaced the cannon-balls fired from smooth bore barrels; and to-day the gun pointers, as they tire called in the Amcrwan navy, or gim layers, as they are called in the British Navy, never sec the target at which they arc aiming. This is known as director firing. They and the guns aro enclosed in a. heavily armored chamber, or turret, and through ports • in this the great electrically controlled guns protrude. The gun-pointer, to use the American term, receive instructions by telephone from officers outside the turret what elevation they are to give the guns, and how much they are to train them to the right or left (this is very unteclinicnl terminology), and then at a, given signal they lire. Those responsible for giving the range find it by means of range-liuding instruments. HOMAN ELEMENT STILL COUNTS.

But though these instruments are wonderful pieces of mechanism they aro not infallible when it comes to atmospheric vagaries. The human element still counts therefore. This is supplied by the “spotters” on the “figuring tops ” of the masts. After direction has been given to the gun pointers, and the gun has been fired, I lie spotters, from their high elevation, note where the projectiles have struck. They may have -struck the waiter, say, CUD yards -short of the hull of the enemy ship; or they may have gone that distance beyond their mark. The essentia! thing is to establish the distance of the error—too near or too far. Once this is established the rest is comparatively easy. The guns have overshot their mark by a distance which can bo determined with a fair degree of accuracy, and afterwards they have undershot it, and the amount of 1 ho nmler-shooting can likewise be determined with a fair degree of accuracy. The onomy lies somewhat between these two extremes. A few more trial and error salvoes (for it is usual to lir<* a. salvo rather than a single gun), and the exact range can be determined, and then shot after shot can be dropped on the enemy ship. Of course, the relative peril urns of the lighting ships aro continually changing, and allorvances must bo mado for this. But once the range-finders have found their correct range the allowance for increasing and decreasing distances between the comis easily provided for. It might bo supposed that those in tlio turrets would have a bad time when these immense weapons are fired. But that is nob tho case. The sound of tho discharge is ns that of a prolonged roar of thunder, but it is not tho car-splitting crack, as an officer of tho Pennsylvania described it, of smaller guns. "But in discharging the three guns of a turret (wo mount three in each turret on the Pennsylvania), “ bo said, “you get. a shock which is* apt to take yon off your feet unless you hold on to something; and you must hold on if you are stationed in tho fighting tops, for these maysway two or three feet when a salvo is fired. The noise, too, is much greater when heard from the tops.” In warships to-day there is always a largo clock-like dial, with two hands, mounted on the foremast. Tho officer explained that this was known as the “concentration dial.” It is numbered 1-2-34-5-6-7-8-9-0. Its purpose is to indicate upon what .ships of the enemy fleet the fire is to be concentrated. The flagship gives the concentration order on’tho dial of the flagship, and then all tlift other ships pjgaafiajl re&oat this

on their dial, and by ibis means it is known that the order is understood. Tho officer was asked how it would bo possible to direct that lire should be concentrated on, say, tho twentyseventh ship of tho enemy’s line by moans of this dial. Ho explained that in such a case one hand of tho dial would point to 2 and the other to 7.