THE MODERN NAT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18708, 14 May 1924, Page 11

THE MODERN NAT

WONDERS OF THE HQOQ. A COLOSSAL SEARCHLIGHT; HOW GUNS ARE WORKED. "1 thought she would look bigger," remarks a man in the ; crowd that <\i* *,i locking at the Hood lying placidly at har berth. The proportions o! the hall and upper structure are so perfect that 'the man in the crowd is misled by, tfte absence of the moans of making a comparison. Tf, a railway carriage were dropped into one of the funnels—and it i could easily be done— would gasp 'and ' 're-consider his judgment. uv'"'" /- . And as in the matter of external . appearance, so is it impossible for tha casual observer to realise the power and . . capacity of every gun and instrument on, the ship. The large searchlight - appears to be an ordinary searchlight -until one sees it play., But even then one -cannot appreciate its power. Its beam runs into ( hundreds of millions of candle power. , It : can reach to the farthest' sea horiton-^ I and from its height above the water the horizon is not the close line seen from the deck. At five miles the ray ; enables ordinary newspaper print to be read with ease. Such an instrument makes a tSjr of the helio of the South African war days which inspired a great poet to talk about "winking around a ninety mile square," because the helio is . dependent upon tho sun., In the Navy toi-day, ships talk to one another by searchlights so _ powerful that the flashes are read at great distances .through the blaze of the sun. Yet, it would , not occur to a sailor to draw attention, to any of the searchlights. It is as familiar to him, as his knife and fork. /„ V

On a Gigantic Scale. , So colossal is the scale •upon which many familiar things arc designed that one has almost to touch them to realise their size. Seen from Queen's Wharf, the anchor . at. the bows looks a tiny affair, but it weighs 10 tons. " Each linlc of the cable that holds it weighs 10 stone. The other day two strong men were - noticed lifting a. cable chain shackle up a ladder, and they -were using ropes. The anchor cable has' been tested to stand a dead-weight strain of no 1 less than 200 tons; and the cable' en board weighs 128 tons. ' Take the 15in. . shells I Each weighs 1920Jb., and 4281b. of cordite is required, to propel it • thus over one ton •of ; metal and explosive goes into the breech of each gun for every shot, sach gun can e"»it a . projectile every -■ minute. But 'a , shell standing on' the deck looks a small thing. Gun- and turret, and gigantic proportions, generally, dwarf ; it. : Down in the shell' room, 'however' one Bees a shell in its real dimensions. The projectiles are ' stored in bins, and yet : the mechanism by: which ; they are handled is so perfects that they / are .tossed up in cages to the guns with" a dexterity a i soldier ; might ; diaplay in loading S the magazine of > his ;, rifle. /A :r ;: travelling grab, guided by a : sure-handed --C- • Bailor, '• snaps up a shell and; lays it on, a , bogie; v The K, bogie * - travels v on; > cogs to the < point of the first delivery. A flash- ; proof* door opens for & second, th* shell is > ' : automatically transferred ' into the 'steel; . arms of v a . cage, :'; and:;? the shall, is :. on its ,; upward • way. Bui " this caae - • does not i take it to the gun..? •: The: ;'. carrier by. which it reaches . the breec'a comes - down, and again . the projectile is r mechanically manipulated on to it, and touch on' a lever .brings the cage tip to th > ■ gun with a clang and roar. , A chain-rammer that' resembles a long. black snake appnars fe from- nowhere : and drives in ; the shell.';. A * v ? touch on a lever : drops the oordite ; charge : * into [position,, and twice more the rammer 1 darts out from its hiding !. place : and drivca ! ; the explosive -home, ;c ; The breech block > i •; locks and interlocks, . and the gun .is Vr loaded.' - r , -

Overwhelming " Weights. k -•Each gun - weighs abo'jt' 100, tons, anil the revolving portion ' of j the turreli. that tcontains "r each " pair - is approximately ; 1000 tons ,/ iis ; weight, ye:; under hydraulic power the structure swings- > round as if under the touch of a hand 7 anii;" the guns lift and lower their shining muzzles as ,if .they .were tubes of cork on th"? • " balance. ' v Men " sit at instruments and. dial . faces with ; oVes at telescopic sights thafare ■ - fitted into the little sighting ports' in tb« ! armour;; that -ranges up to "loin, .of solid steel,'- but actually there is' no need* for any I ! : sighting to be done. The guns can' be •fouffht -without anyone inside the turret' seeing outside. What happens when action is opened -is this: The captain indicates' : the target to the gunnery officer, ' and' ho orders the director, .who. is. up aloft, to ■ train On, to it. With range-finders manned , ' and all means ;; of communication ready, . the whole- system is : started. JJ The. director i' * has -;Vvoiceijr pipes, an elaborate, tele- > phonic system, land' electric devices for in- ' dicatmg the « range and ;r elevation. : ThefslV : ; gun crews simply have "to 1 - follow tbo pointers on indicators. The director firea the gun;. electrically. tEach 1 turret and the Vshell room and magazine require -'a': total crew of four officers and '70 men,.' - - : v'. r : It was suggested to a sailor that to go through a ; battle : in a gun turret imust require a : particularly large amount -i'. of nerve. "I would sooner be in- a' turret than' on one of .the small gun#,'; he said. "There is an advantage in not seeing what ' is'.'happening. ' The crews of the smaller l 'f "V guns co; they have no protection from the - weather,"and the; noise of the heavy guns ■ and the blast of air they create are very nerve-racking. All .fittings" arid ."electric' - f lights have j: to be dismantled when J' the s heavy guns fire; even the cabin doors b have ;• to s be« removed. Inside l the turrets 1?: '5 I the report of the guns is noi> disturbing, • and' there is no ,rush of air. Yes! 5 My . • choice :'s a turret." ;•-<-> , - \ SMALL CRAFTS' DISPLAY; j-: ! ' HARBOUR BOARD'S' THANKS. I' mm ——. / ®*®i s ' Reference to the harbour display made" k by yachts - and launches " on . ; Saturday on the i arrival of the .! Special Service Squadron was/, made:* at the meeting of t the '"Harbour ' Board ' yesterday. The chairman,' Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, said the manner in • which the regulations were • carried out k reflected f. great credit, on -the J owners ; of 3 the crafts. , The harbourmaster had || nothing -.but praise lor the way , in , • which the navigation - rules were , observed.. ; ; J It , was decided to send a "letter of thanks ' to ' the owners. ■'• - ' '.The board also, decided, to send a letter - 'r; 3 of thanks to Mr. N. Wallnntt, who prc- || 5 pared the design of the memento f ' pre- v --- 3 seated "to the Governor-General on the * • occasion of the . opening of Prince's ;■ f Wharf. The plaque is of carved totafra, j in 'a carved purin frame. ~; The cabinet / to contain the plaque is of polished native , r „ ' timbers, the principal wood being puxiri. - A FORMER HOOD. ' SUNK TO BLOCK CHANNEL. [ >, Imperial Caesar, dead and turned to ' clay, might, it i has been ..written, " stop a .-- ■ ' hole to keep the.wind away." -the use- . 1 : fill,"- and not ■ inglorious • 'ending'- of. the u> ■ :previous fighting ship bearing the - nis- ' ; itoridTriame'; of Hood, was to " stop a hole . to keep; .enqmy; submarines fay. Js&ijy r in I the'-- day?-; of i hostilities "this;, battlship . •. " was sunk- .fry Sir Frederick ( Yoongf the V ; famous marine salvor, to block a Passage ! : :' known "as '"The Hole in .-the Wail, aft Portland Harbour, in Dorset. ijie mam ; , :^ *entrance to the .harbour^ remained otea I and guarded*, but so long as the other entrance existed it offered an invitation to anv sneaking Hun U-boat that might be prowling*about. Charges were placed in " lth« ; lower double-bottoms of the Hood, and sum-cocks were fitted on one side. The latter were opened, and as the, ship began to list the charges were fired. The., ?V .* vessel turned upside down across the entrance, and there she remains to thisdav. '• -