NAVAL GUNNERY EXPERIMENTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7666, 27 March 1903, Page 2

NAVAL GUNNERY EXPERIMENTS.

BATTERING THE . BELL'EISLE. OVERWHELMING EH FECT OE THE 9.2 GUN. . ' , - — '— The much-battered hulk of the old battleship Belleisle was last month made to furnish the Navy with another illustration of what would be likely to happen in actual warfare. By pounding the Belleisle with heavy guns the Admiralty ! has demonstrated the weakness of torpedo-net defence and the -practical invulnerability of the circular conning tower against certain forms of attack. They have ako acquired 1 other knowledge, which has been, turned' to account in designing our latest ships of war. The utility of the armoured 1 gratings used to 'protect engine-room hatches, and the splinter-nets spread over warships' decks when in action had still to be ascertained by actual experiment. It'was with this* object that the Belleisle was fired at- off the eastern end of 'the Isle of Wight. Over her engine-rooms and part of her defck a large hatchway had been made. This was covered in with, armoured gratings, beneath which were. splinter snet-s, and then more gratings. . .For the purpose of bursting the -shells over this hatchway a large .teei shield was erected on one side -of it. The attack waa opened by a 6in gun firing lyddite sheil. This tore #, large hole in the shield, and fragments' of the exploding shell showered on the ship and fell in the sea, for a great distance round her. Common shell was necxt tried, and this, though more local in its effect, proved very destructive. But vhen thfe 9.2 in gun, firing 3801 b projectiles, cspne into action the steel shield was ripped up as though \t had been, cardboard. -""'-'■■" , ./> '