1 8 NOTES ON THE ARMAMENTS OF BATTLESHIPS. 



of fire would be long maintained by the larger guns; but in any case the 

 unavoidable uncertainties attaching to naval gunnery make the larger 

 number of rounds fired and of hits made by the 12-inch guns a most impor- 

 tant feature in the comparison of their efficiency with that of larger guns. 

 For attack on the armored portions of modern battleships (as already 

 remarked), blows from the 12-inch guns are admittedly heavy enough so 

 that they would have a distinct advantage in this respect. In regard to 

 shell fire, trials made against the French battleship Jena and against several 

 British ironclads demonstrate conclusively that shell fire from 12 -inch 

 guns can rapidly destroy unarmored portions of battleships and can inflict 

 great damage on the armored portions and on protective decks, provided 

 projectiles of suitable design are used. The larger bursters possible with 

 13.5-inch shell — say about 40 per cent, greater in weight than the bursters 

 of 1 2 -inch shells — will undoubtedly inflict greater damage for each successful 

 hit; but the number of such hits will be smaller unless the weight assigned 

 to the principal armament and its protection is increased so as to have an 

 equal number of the larger caliber guns; and that means the construction 

 of larger and more costly ships. Fancy pictures have been drawn of whole- 

 sale damage which can be done by the explosion on board a warship of 

 one common shell from a 13.5-inch gun, and of its far-reaching and destruc- 

 tive effects as compared with those of a single shell from the 12 -inch gun. 

 The writer has witnessed many experiments with high explosives, and knows 

 that enormous local injuries may be inflicted by a single shell explosion. 

 Yet he ventures to doubt the accuracy of much that has been written both 

 as to the vastly greater relative power of 13. 5 -inch shells and as to the 

 absolute necessity for adopting guns of that caliber in order to secure effective 

 shell fire. Without assuming the role of a prophet, he is of opinion that 

 just as history is now repeating itself in regard to the adoption of larger 

 calibers, so in the course of a few years it is likely to repeat itself by a return 

 to more moderate calibers as experience is gained and extended firing trials 

 are made with the larger guns now being introduced. All the reasons given 

 above for preferring the 13.5-inch caliber to the 12-inch would apply also 

 to an argument in favor of still larger guns; and it may happen that, before 

 the tide turns, larger calibers than 14-inch will be again mounted just as 

 was done thirty years ago. But the turn will doubtless come in due course 

 and for the same reasons as before. 



TORPEDO ARMAMENTS OF BATTLESHIPS. 



In conclusion brief reference may be made to the questions of equip- 

 ping modern battleships with an armament of locomotive torpedoes. There 



