260 
WCOTPITING LYINLA 
ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1914. 
VGH) LATZOO/PE « 
Fig. 2.—Armor-piercing projectile. 
required to completely perfo- 
rate a 14-inch plate, and be 
in unbroken condition. The 
striking velocity for such a 
test is about 1,745 feet per 
second. 
For coast-defense guns two 
general types of such projectiles 
are employed. One of these, 
known as armor-piercing shell, 
carries a very large bursting 
charge and is equipped with a 
quick-acting fuse which deto- 
nates the explosive immedi- 
ately upon impact with an 
armor plate (pl. 4). This type 
is intended for the attack of 
lightly armored vessels, or the 
upper works of heavily ar- 
mored craft, and does its work 
by driving in the thin plates 
and destroying parts that are 
not protected by heavy armor. 
The other type, known as an 
armor-plercing shot, is thick 
walled and carries a smaller 
bursting charge. It is pro- 
vided with a delay-action fuse 
which permits the projectile 
to pass through a plate and 
detonate after reaching the in- 
terior of a ship. Plate 5 shows 
the effect of such a projec- 
tile fired against a target 
representing a section of a 
fairly modern battleship. This 
projectile passed through 
11 inches of the most mod- 
ern armor and_ detonated 
some distance in rear with 
the result shown in the illus- 
tration. Jt is evident that 
no human being could survive 
within that part of the ship. 
