ACCURATE BRITISH NAVAL GUNNERY

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1934, Page 3 (Supplement)

ACCURATE BRITISH NAVAL GUNNERY

Second To None, In Opinion Of Authority REMARKABLE RESULTS OVER LONG RANGES TS BRITISH naval gunnery being x maintained at the high standard demanded by modern tactical developments, and is it equal to the shooting of other navies, including the German? These are questions of paramount importance, to which statements lately published in certain quarters at Home suggest a negative answer. As a result, it has been widely reported in the foreign Press that gunnery in the British fleet is no longer up to the mark. Inquiries made in well-informed circles reveal no grounds for such reports. In the past few years the average of hits to rounds fired at

battle practice has increased, though the condition's under which practice is held have become more onerous (writes Hector Bywater in the “Daily Telegraph”). It is true that the allowance of ammunition for full-calibre “shoots” has been reduced in the interests of economy, but this reduction has been compensated in part by improved methods of fire-control, in respect of which the British Navy is second to none. Further, the 15in gun with which all our capital ships save two are armed, is an exceptionalyy accurate weapon, hardly inferior to the 16in model in the Nelson and Rodney. The shooting of the two last-named ships has become better year by year. For some time after they were commissioned their gun-mount-ings, which were of novel design, gave some trouble. This was eventually overcome, and to-day the two Nelsons are probably unrivalled in accuracy of fire. Remarkable results are now achieved by the 15in battleships of the Home and Mediterranean Fleets. Targets towed at high speed are not only “straddled,” but repeatedly hit by ships firing at a range of 12 miles, and effective fire is opened at ranges much beyond this. I have actually seen a target riddled and wrecked by two successive salvos when the firing ship was barely visible above the horizon. Gunnery in the cruiser squadrons —Bin and 6in—is also very accurate. Unremitting and successful efforts are made to increase the rate of fire. Reports that the Ilin guns of the German pocket battleships have “an effective range” of 25 miles are authoritatively dismissed as nonsense. While the extreme range of these guns is about 35,000yds (20 miles), it would be practically impossible for them to hit a moving target at anything like that distance. The Nelson, Rodney and Hood are at ledst equal in gun-range to the German ships, and theix’ broadside is four to five times heavier.COINS IN RUBBISH HEAP MEWS that a dustman had found some gold coins in a rubbish heap between Mitcham and Croydon, England, brought a large crowd to the spot with spades and shovels. It is believed that treasure hunters unearthed over 100 coins which are believed to have been hidden in furniture which had been in the incinerator.