THE SUN, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1919. ,11 ems Isham's Diving Torpedo Shell Latest Marvel in Projeptiles New Invention Ef- fective Against Armor Where Old Type Would Fail Capable of Dealing Death :n in ii mil i iw mi ii Blow Even When Falling Short of the Target V . ..... .. ,r ?1HRM By ROBERT G. SKERRETT. R13 tho ordnance exports of our iii' i iy i I mim ii ii in if mm i navy any Hie wiser for tho Mil VJUtKT GATUMVV4N SUP.LI.S J-- vorld war? Aro tho men that Willi W Did to a target simlT- -i design tho guns and tho projectiles for Mil LATIMG TfTe WATERUHE 1 fighting Hoot going to profit by BELT Tf?& BATTLESHIP our tha " of IOWA lemons of tho battlo of Jutland? Aro ANCLE OP FAIL AT they going to depond upon tho samo 2QOOO YARDS methods of attack to which thoy hayo t(To &R.EAT long suspended piles. subscribed persistently for many Gr ATH and between two MANN GUN THAT was years? HULLED 18-IN- TORPEDO One run of sixty yards secured nnd others ot shorter length. Indicat Theso queries aro particularly pcrtl-no- nt SHELLS nt tho present tlmo In view of the ing, in my opinion, that If the action EQUIVALENT TARGtT of tho fuso to detonate the sholl culd fact that tho General Board of tho AT 20.000 fDf. Navy has recently recommended that bo depended on tho length ot the r was sufficient to wc mako our battlo squadrons second durincr a battle In tho nnnn fip.n with underwater run mako on element of value in naval to none within tho next fivo years, tho enemy vecsels zigzagging to in- - this "Whatever may bo the warrant for crcaso oonquity of impact and tho gunnery." such a policy, and theso tcchnlclsts rolllni? motion nf thnsn nlil na nt Inn - ANGLE OF FALL Rear Admiral, Fiske recommended ' no dOubt know facta of which the pub- rango also promoting acuto angles AT 50.000 YDS. that the experiments should bo con- of RICOCHET AT lic commonly Is "AnCIXOF FALL tinued. This wns not done. ignorant, the man in striking. Tho British still persisted -- 8.000YOS. tho street, tho taxpayer, will at leant In devislnc nrolectllos which Beforo tho world war tho British want to bo reasonably assured that tha effect penetration with delavpri hurst. -- 150'- Admiralty conducted experiments with tremendous sums potentially Invoivea Ing pursuing tha samo questionable torpedo shells, and tho Empress of ship, was In such a programme shall be expend- -' wcio or procedure that had previously India, an armored sunk at ed to tho beat advantage. AVhat is the failed. Admiral Jelll a, rango of 16,000 yards. According to prospect of tho nation getting its eludes; "Had our shina nosse3seil tha It. reports, "great gaps wero blown in money':? worth if tho suggested build- now typo of armor nlerclnir sholl nt her side as big as lock gates." But in - ing scheme be carried out? Jutland many ot tho enemy's vessels, A P R.ICOCHETING- ARMOR- - PI ER.CING SHELL tho early period of the recont conflict, purposo i wumu explosion Tho ,01 this article is to instead of being only damaged, would t.s. nivms Too.PF.nn quci wii.i owing to thu untimely of point out wherein wo have apparently SINrd A SHIP WHEN EXPLODINfe. 40 FEET AWAY projectiles loaded with picric acid, tho failed to seo aright somo vitally im- TT "EQUIVALENT TARGET" INDICATES TOTAL Grand Fleet, according to Admiral portant ordnance problems, and there AREA VULNERABLE TO Tftf TORPEDO SHELU Jelllcoo, was skittish of such missiles, is reason to believe that wo must mend nnd It is evident that the armor pierc- our ways unlesa we aro willing to in- ing shell becamo tho accepted weapon. vito a futuro conflict by weaknesses To-da- y wo know that TNT is a that would make us a relatively easy thoroughly B.ifo high explosive, not- prey for an enemy, not hampered by withstanding its enormous powers bureaucratic conservatism. Tho writ- when properly detonated; and MR ing has been upon the wall In tho years Isham Is thoroughly satisfied now tha gone for those that cared to read; nnd his fuso Is capablo of functioning cor cumulative evidence to the same end rectly. has been given frankly recently by no Hull IlenrliiK Failed. less an authority than Admiral Vis- CSs- count Jelllcoo of Scapa. As ho says, "I have improved my fuso since the tests wero made, and Xnvnl miles Mont lined. failure then was duo to a defcctlyo' baJl Even the layman knows that tha bearing, which could not stand the powers of a, battle craft of tho first prcssuro to which it was subjected. crder are variously divided between This could have been determined In th attack and defence ; and up to data first month of tests mado by tho Flsbe the principal medium of attack has board had that organization beonfu been the long range, powerful naval nlshed, as requested, with the usslsfc-anc- o rifle, depending for the most part upon ot fnsa men. High explosive different sorts of armor piercing pro iimiMii Timrn nwwrn nr wn have been used in shells for the last jcctlles to smash through tho foo's pro twenty years or more, but prior to th tfctlng walls of steel and then to burst war only In small quantities just sufr with a maximum of violence amid tho flclont to break up and spread out tlw enemy's "vitals." Thai is to say, to fragments us they oontlnuo in their spread flame and hurtling fragments forward movement. Tho great strength in the engine rooms, tho boiler com of high explosives mado it .possible to partments and the magazines and shell construct shells with thick wall3 that i rooms. could be fired through armor under Theoretically, the capabilities of y certain favorable conditions nnd break armor piercing shells to boro their up into pieces after effecting penetra- way through defensive steel in tlmo ricochet over the objective or strikJ But the Isham shell has another tion. This use In shrapnel and armor of time battlo havo been established whero they do but little serlous dam- characteristic which makes Us kin- piercing shells Is er.llroly different and tlmo again under ideal clrcum age. ship to the automatic torpedo still from tho manner In which I proposo Simi- stances on tho proving ground. .The shortcomings of tie armor closer than the Gathmann invention. to use high explosives In shells nnd larly, much tho samo thing has been piercing projectile were brought out If it strikes the water a hundred or from tho way they wero used In Bel-glu- achieved but with Ies3 bpectacular SHELL FAILS TO OITC by certain experiments conducts! more feet short of its target it will My aim is to employ the pro success on the tarfwt range, whore against the old monitor I'uilL-i- and cive nnd continue to ndvanco toward jectile merely as a carrier for tho de- fighting craft have blazed away at the target ship Siin Marcos somo tho objective. This is induced by a structive charge, whicli should, there- rjma obsolete battleship with wind, yiMrs ago liefore the wor.ld war, and cup shaped cavity In tlienoi'o of the fore, be tho maximum to secure-- tho atmosphere, and the state, of the water V similarly tlm potency of tho external missile which onuses it "to bite and greatest results. ontrlbutlng to accuracy of practlco V attack of a high explosive was dem- - penetrate tho water inttend of glanc- "Velocity Is useful merely because and the favorable impingement of tho enstrated hut belittled by our ura-- ing off from it a.nd ricocheting 'sky- - of lis necessity to secure range., On noses of the projectiles against tho nsnre expei ts then In power !n tha wain. lanil such missiles will destroy any PENETRATIVE LIMITATIONS As long as Mr. Isham not sheltering barrier of metal. ARMOR-PIERCIN- Bureau of Ordnance. They could not could structure may bo employed as a G prove that It was in tho faith Inspired by kin ofTfie alter their preconceived theories, lor that his torpedo shell would defence, nnd will fill up or bury any SHELL. DATA FURNISHED I'lve di ed tests that tho British Grand to do so would have meant the akin- - and travel for some distance un- earthwork or dugout employed to pro- TO CONGR.ESS Bu BUKEAL) der tho essayed to square accounts with Of ORDNANCE NAVy donment o instrumentalities whl:!i surface at a meuuclngly mod- tect men. At sea such projectiles will tho German forces In tho spring of they declared to lie Indispensable. erate depth, his critics weiv willing tho armored protections of DEPARTMENT to dfstroy IMG off tho coast of Jutland. To be brief, tho armor piercing concede that this form of attack, if battleships nt any rango within reach attainable, It Is protty projectile did measure up reasonably would be n pcill to battlo when presented angle, a matter of general Thoy or at an as is knowledge something wrong well at comparatively short range a craft. wouldn't admit, however, r.ow nearly always case In naval that went that his invention the during de- range well within tho effective roach would work. Con I aitles, which piercing that crucial conflict; and is gress had more at armor shelLi spite the splendid of men that a detonating shell will do dam- c.f the nutomobllo torpedo, but It was faith In Mr.