520 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN December 9, 1911

All future battleships will mOllnt the new 14-inch gun for armor attack and the 5-inch gun for torpedo defense. Recent Development In Ordnance Demand for Higher Efficiency Met by Our Latest Guns and Armor

By Rear-Admiral N. C. Twining, U. S. N., Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance

ROGRE'SS in ordnance matters during the past to battleship design of this type, the main battery The latest type of gun and mounting for torpedo Pyear has been rather in the direction of improve­ consisting of from eight to twelve guns of the largest d·efense is shown below the 14-inch gun. This gun may ment and development of previously existing types caliber, mounted in turrets, and the torpedo defense be regarded as effective against torpedo bouts at its ex­ than in the line of marked changes. Naval warfare battery of from twelve to twenty or more guns of treme range of 12,000 yards provided the target is has not be-en "revolutionized," nor has any such up­ smaller caliber mounted in broadside. visible; at night or in other circumstances rendering heaval been even faintly indicated. The increasing In the United States Navy the standard heavy gun the target invisible, the. gun is naturally helpless. efficiency of the submarine boat, of the torpedo, and is at present the 14-inch, 45-caliber gun, while· for Modern high-;powered guns using smokeless powder of the aeroplane has caused ordnance officials and the torpedo defense a 5-inch, 51.,caliber gun is used. The charges have been proved to have a practically un­ navy in general to look ahead to the time when the following table shows the superiority of these guns limited life under normal conditions of firing; but development of these weapons and methods of attack over previous types: they erode in the bore very rapidly owing to the might demand changes in ordnance or in ship con­ high powder pressures they must sustain, and the struction to meet them, and tentative plans for such consequently high temperatures. This erosion is prob­ ., .; '" changes have been considered. The aeroplane can not, '" iii � � �w � ,;; .. , ably due to the action of the powder gases on the .c .D " 0 "'" �ti " ;=., 0" .c . ;� iii as yet, be regarded as a material factor in naval war­ :a t-< moo "''' �"-o Penetration in metal of the gun as softened by the high temperatures �£ ",-"" "0 ,:; Co) .E !>'lEo< fare; but its possibilities in the future cannot be .S :>ii' 0" ,,�>< Krupp Armor, ..; . .. �� -" " .. to which it is exposed-about 4,000 deg. F. As the " ::: :5 .c �� ,<:0 �o E",ojj Inche�. neglected. The submarine boat and the torpedo have eo .. NO or", :2 :5 ::: NC 'ii) ��.� parts of the gun not immediately in contact with the 1;,) '" 'iil �� l>'l gases suffer no deterioration, the life of the gun may fulne·ss and efficiency are on the increase. .... ------be indefinitely prolonged by renewing the bore. This The gun remains the principal offensive weapon 5 40 ]j' 3.1 2300 50 1852 7000 2.:; at 6000 yus. process is known as "re-lining" and has hitherto con­ afloat and armor the principal element of passive de­ 5 51 22 5.0 3150 50 3439 12000 3.0 at 6000 yds. sisted in boring out the interior of the gun (to a 12 45 46 53.6 2850 870 48984 22ODO 152ut 10000 yds. fense. The battle between the two, which has been' so 12 50 51 56.1 2000 870 5164 4 24QOO 15.6 at 10000 yd". depth of about one inch in the case of the 12-inch 54 1400 21000 15.9at 1()(l00 often declared lost or won by one or the· o-ther, still 14 45 63.3 2600 65687 yds. gun) shrinking in a new tube, and then boring and goes on; tqough the gun seems to have rather the bet­ rifling. The facility of re-lining will be enhanced and ter of it at the present moment. Already there are An examination of this table shows that the latest the cost of the operation will be greatly reduced in rumors of larger and more powerful guns and of armor turret guns and torpedo-d'ef,ense guns are markedly the future by building all new guns with conical liners, of greater resisting power. A year ago no modern vessel superior to their predecessors. The superiority of the susceptible of easy removal. The time of re-lining a built or planned carried a gun of caliber greater than 10-inch gun over the 12-inch, 50-caliber gun is due in gun will thus be reduced from seventy-five to twenty­ thirteen inches, and all of the latest battleships were part to the greater steadiness of the projectile in flight five days. armed with guns of 12-inch caliber. To-day there are due to its greater weight. The "hitting power" of numerous ships building at home and abroad which Gun Mountings. the gun is greater than that of its predecessor in spite are designed to carry 13.5-inch and 14-inch guns. of the fact that its extreme range as mounted on board For a number of years past rumors have been period­ Armor's answer to the bigger gun is, so far, increased ship is less. ically current that this or that foreign country was thickness; but new processes of heat treatment and On page 521 are shown the breech and breech-plug of about to incorporate a three-gun turret in some new the introduction of new alloys are rumored, which the 14-inch gun, together with an armor piercing shell battleship. Such advantages as such a system have will restore the former thickness with greater resist­ and powder charge. The shell shown is of the latest heretofore presented were mainly in the direction of ing power. "long point" variety, while t-he powder charge repre­ economy of armor weights, it being readily demon­ Guns. sents the present practice of putting up smokeless strable that six guns can be protected with less weight The "all�big-gun" battleship of the present day has powder in silk bags laced on the side to make them of armor if mounted in two turrets than if mounted its prototype in the British "Dreadnought," dating rigid. An idea of the length and general size of the in three. There have been, however, countervailing from 1906. Since that date all the principal maritillle 14-inch gun with the slide in which it is mounted in disadvantages in the increased complexity of ammu­ powers have shown a tendency to confine themselves a turret can be gained frOom the illustration above. nition supply, turret machinery, concentration of

Krupp plate of 1905, after attack by three armor-piercing shells. Krupp plate of 1911, after attack by fOUT armor-piercing No perforation, but excessive fl aking of hardened face. shells. No pe.rforation anrl practically 110 flaking of surface,

SIX YEARS' IMPROVEMENT IN ARMOR PLATE . S 5-- us T "7:,' 0· "0- -;

December 9, HI! I SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 5QI

weights, and other features of the system which have known is the fact that Its combustion produces but tion of this very simple device to steel shell increases rendered its adoption inexpedient. The time seems little smoke; such as is produced is largely gaseous their penetrative efficiency fully 20 per cent. Such now to have arrived when the necessities of ship de­ in nature, containing very little solid matter, and it is, caps have been in use for a number of years; it is sign and tactical considerations have forced the triple therefore, quickly dissipated. This fact gives to the only their form that has been recently changed. turret and it is interesting to note that Russia, Aus­ use of smokeless powder a great tactical advantage High-explosive bursting charges are a necessity in tria, Italy, and the United States have all incorporated for military and naval purposes. A second point of modern armor-piercing shell. T'he walls of these shell it in their lates{ baWeship design's. It is now decided superiority lies in the fact that the combustion of must be very thick in order that the shell may with­ that United States battleships Nos. A.Q,. and 37 wlll smokeless powder is practically complete, there being stand the terrific shock of impact on armor and that ea ,ch carry the triple turrets as a part of their main an exceedingly small percentage of solid residue reo it may penetrate; the interior cavity is thus too small armament. These turrets will embody certain new maining; the whole mass of the powder is, therefore, to contain a sufficient amount of "gun powder," as ideas in gun mountings which have not yet been em­ converted into gas, the expansion of which imparts commonly understood, to disrupt the shell. The use bodied in any foreign design. velocity to the projectile. of a more powerful explosive is, therefore, necessary. For secondary gun mountings compactness and The particular form of grain in use for all guns of As an alternative to the adopted method of attack lightness are essential, but to attain them without large caliber is what is known as the "multiperfor­ on armor, i. e., by means of a projectile designed to sacrificing the rigidity which is necessary for accur­ ated" form, in which the cylindrical grain is pierced penetrate and explode inside, the method of attacking ate firing requires ingenuity. The mounting for the by a number of longitudinal holes. When such a with shell exploding on contact has been suggested 5-inch, 51-caliber gun, shown on page 520, is torpedo boat can launch its weapon manufacture have been so perfected that these pow­ chase and muzzle, as was the case with guns designed while still invisible to the gun. Pickets and scouts ders, when not unfavorably affected by climatic and for use with quLck-burning black powder. are not thoroughly effective, since they may, them­ other unfavorable conditions, retain their qualities The quality of projectiles is being slowly but surely selves, be attacked and disabled, or they may be and are serviceable for from twelve to fifteen years. improved. The possible range has been increased by eluded. The "practical torpedo of the present day may In case deterioration occurs due to such conditions, changing the form of the head from the blunt type in be effectively used at a range of 8,000 yards; a range of ample warning is given by the physical appearance general use in recent years, to a long, sharp ogival. 10,000 yards at 27 knots speed is confidently expected of the powder, so that no spontaneous explosion or The above illustration shows the present tY"Pe of shell in the near future. The United States Navy now has combustion is ever to be apprehended; it is, in fact, for guns of 5-inch to 14-inch caliber. The point of the in course of building two types of torpedo which will, extremely doubtful whether spontaneous combustion shell, in all except the 5-inch, is a separate piece from beyond a doubt, fill these conditions and may exceed is ,possible, unless the powder should be subjected to the remainder of the shell and is made of soft steel; them. T'he reliability of the torpedo in the hands of abnormally high temperatures. the body of the shell is of very hard and tough forged the general service is, unfortunately, still questionable Powder which has changed in character to such an steel, containing alloys of nickel, chrome, vanadium and many failures and wild shots are to be expected. extent as to reduce its ballistic value is now re-worked and othe-r metals. It is in the quality and composition There is, however, nothing mechanically impossible and made over into new powder of the best quality of the slteel used, and in the methods of treatment, in the conditions of the problem of making torpedoes at a small cost. The re-working consists of grinding which give the shell hardness without brittleness, that reliable, and recent advances in this direction justify the grains in water, drying the resulting paste, and the "principal improvements have been made in recent the hope that in the near future a thoroughly accu­ then pressing it into rods or ribbons as required; the years. These points are, in the main, manufacturers' rate long-range weapon will be produced. methods pursued are much the same as those used in secrets, not disclosed even to government officials. The 'Vesuvius," built for discharging so-c1alled aerial original manufacture. The function of the soft steel cap is to support and torpedoes, is now employed at the Newpor{ Torpedo Smokeless powder possesses many points of superi­ guide the hard point of the shell and thus enable it to Station a.s a torpedo testing vessel. ority over black or brown powder; one of the best "bite" and �netrate the armor on impact. The add!-

Recent Development in Ordnance LEGAL NOTICES (Ooncluded from page 5911.) Armor. There has been no important advance 1'ATENTS in quality of armor since the Krupp pro­ LIDGERWOOD cess of hardening was introduced about If you have an invention which you wish to fourteen years ago; during this period patent you can write fully and freely to Munn the side armor belts of our battleships &I Co. for advice in regard to the best way of have been of from nine to eleven inches obtaining protection. Please send sketches or a model of your invention and a description of thickness. To meet the increasing power COALING DEVICES the device. explaining its operation. of guns and penetrative effect of projec­ All communications are strictly confidential. tiles, a tendency toward increasing this Our vast practice. extending over a period of thickness to twelve or thirteen inches is In the U. S. Navy more than sixty years, enables us in many cases evident, and the Bureau of Ordnance has to advise in regard to patentability without any even had one experimental eighteen-inch expense to the client. Our Hand Book on Patents " Without Coal our Battleships are as Helpless plate made and tested with a view to is sent free on request. This explains our possible future, demand for armor of that methods. terms. etc .• in regard to PATENTS. as a Dismasted Sailing Vessel in Mid-Ocean." TRADE MARKS. FOREIGN PATENTS. etc. thickness. That the art of armor making has not All patents secured through us are described stood still, in spite of there having been without cost to the patentee in the SCIENTIF IC AMERICAN. no radical changes in methods, is shown by the two photographs on page 520. The former shows an armor plate produced in MUNN & COMPANY 1905, and the latter a plate produced in 361 BROADWAY. NEW YO RK 1911, against each of which three projec' Branch Office. 625 F Street. Washington. D. C. tiles have been fired. In the one case the flaking of the hard surface was excessive, SECU FEE AT E N T S ll.fUR�rD in the other almost It will be no­ nil. Free reool't. 8S to Patentability. lJlustrated GUide ted that neither plate was completely P Book. and 'What '1'0 Invent wttb Li�t of . [nven. tion� \Val1ted and Prizes offered for invention::; penetrated. sent free. V JCTOIt .T. FlV ANS & CO.• Washington. D.C. Thin plates, which are not technically classed as armor, have been much im­ proved in resisting power by changing the alloy used; a nickel·chrome-vanadium alloy has been adopted, and this when Galvanized Rounds, specially treate·d produces turret and conning tower tops of great resistance. Half Rounds, Spikes, Experimental Work. Chains-in fact ANY­ COALING IN A SEAWAY Much valuable information has been obtained by experimental firing at the U. S. S. "Katahdin" and "San Marcos" THING Galvanized The U. S. Collier " Vestal," fitted with the (formerly "Texas"). Each of these is a vessel of small military value, but cap­ always in stock. Lidgerwood - Miller Marine Cableway, de- able of affording an actual target {-or ex­ perimental firing. The "Katahdin" was livered under test 72% tons of coal in one fitted with armor plate targets erected on her upper deck; one target repre­ J.C.H. hour to the U. S. S. "Virginia," 400 feet sented the side of a battleship, the other distant in tow, speeding 12 knots per hour. a turret barbette, and in both the armor plate was braced by appropriate framing GALVANIZING The Marine Cableway will operate in any and structures. Firing was conducted with a 12-inch gun on board the U. S. S. sea fit for towing a battleship. "Tallahassee" at ranges of 7,700 to 8,500 CO. yards, using service ammunition, but not with explosive shell, as the object was 1110-12-14 No. Front Street solely to determine penetrative effect. Philadelphia, Pa. Two hits were scored on each target with r'€sultant complete penetration of the armor, as was expected in accordance with theoretica.J calculations. The re­ sults of this test also proved that a pro­ jectile while in flight is at all times tan­ gent to the trajectory. The "San Marcos" furnished a target for more extensive firing, the greater part of which was conducted by the U. S. S. "New Hampshire" for purposes of gun­ nery training of the personnel. The most striking lessons of this firing were: Maxim Silencer (1) The fact that, at ranges of 10,000 and 12,000 yards, the "New Hampshire" could place her shots on any portion of the ship at will, thus proving the accu· racy of her spotting and pointing. Annuls Concussion, Reduces Recoil (2) The tremendous havoc wrought in and Stops Flinching the' "San Marcos" by the passage or Adopted by the United States War Department bursting of entering shell. for its military advantages and its great value in improving the marksmanship of the ordinary soldier. Modern Submarines Made in all calibres, for a11 military and sporting rifles. Provided with coupling for easy and im (Ooncluded f"om page 531.) mediate attachment. Interesting Catalog sent anywhere or the asking. HARBO R COALING therefore it is apparent that none of the MAXIM SILENCER, Hartford, Conn. surface elements can damage it. Its nat­ ural subdivision into tanIDS for submerg­ The U. S. Colliers, "Neptune," "Vestal," ing purposes gives it a safety which every surface craft strives for by putting in THE EDISON ARTICLES "Prometheus," "Mars," "Vulcan," and "Hec­ double bottoms. There is no smoke, no on the development of the leaky or hot steam pipes, or any other STORAGE BATTERY tor" are fitted with the Lidgerwood-Miller of the numerous di,sadvantages of the or­ can only be found in the leading Militaryand Naval publication,the Marine Transfers and Colliers Nos. 11 and dinary surface vessel. The reliability of the motive power, the internal combus- ARMY & NAVY JOURNAL 12 will be so fitted. tion engine, is assured, and the modern Published every Saturday at submarine being a twin-screw vessel is 20 VESEY STREET. NEW YORK readily maneuvered. The radius of ac· Thesf'instructiveand interesting articles began in the Oct. 2151 issue One Man on the Collier "Neptune" can and will run every weekfor a year. See page 5 I 0 of this Scientific tion of submarines now under construc­ American - then subscribe at once for the A. & N. Jou rnal. discharge 100 Tons of Coal per hour to tion exceeds 5,000 miles on the surface $6.00 Yearly. Single Copies, 15 Cent. and 100 submerged, the maximum speed a vessel alongside. The "Neptune" has on the surface being 13lh knots, that sub­ Admiral Mahan's New Work merged 10lh knots. Ten miles is the NAVAL STRATEGY twelve Marine Transfers. farthest that a submarine can be seen on Compared and Contrasted with the Principles rt,he surface, and its submerged radius of and p,.cllce of MIlttary OperatIOns on Land action is such as to permit many hours of By ADMIRAL A. T. MAHAN maneuvering be unseen and unsuspected, - This new work, just issued, contains the results LIDGERWOOD MFG. CO. neath the surface. The comfort of the of almost a lifetime's study of the subject, by cre·w depends entirely on the weather the world's foremost authority on naval matters. 96 LIBERTY STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y., U. S. A. and sea in The as it does all craft. sub- Wlth]3 Map; and Plans. 8'Vo. Cloth, $3.50nel_ marine may escape from heavy weather UTTLE. BROWN & CO.. PUBUSHERS (Concluded on paoe 536.) 34 Beacon Street. Do.ton