PENETRATION OF IRON PLATES BY STEEL SHOT. 429 



Rounds 1043, 1044, 1040, 1042 struck the O-incli plate, wliich, if un- 

 backed, would require a force of 112-1 foot-tons per inch of shot's circum- 

 ference to penetrate it. Round 1044 was thei'efore the only shot which had 

 sufficient force to penetrate the plate ; and this round struck both on a rib 

 and full on one of the rigid backings ; 1040 almost penetrated the plate, as, 

 although the absolute indent was only 4-5 inches, the piece of plate struck 

 was almost dislodged ; 1042 ought to have done more damage than it did ; 

 probably the steel was not of the best quality. 



The target was subsequently tested by firing at it with the 13-inch 

 wrought-u'on gun of 22 tons, using solid steel and chilled iron shot of 570 

 lbs., with 100 lbs. of powder. 



The gun was at 700 yards from the target. 



The results proved that the target was impenetrable when struck fair, 

 although it was penetrated by a chilled shot which struck just above a pre- 

 vious round. 



When it is considered that this target was only 18-2 feet x S feet x 4 feet, 

 and that it received blows amounting in all to over seventy thousand foot- 

 tons, it must be confessed it did its dutj'. 



The Small Plate. — This target represented a wooden ship armour-plated, 

 such as the French ' Flandre ' &c. 



It appears that this class of iron-clad is not quite as strong as that repre- 

 sented by the 'Warrior ' or 'Minotaur' (which are iron vessels armour-plated), 

 and of course not nearly so strong as the ' Lord Warden ' or ' Bellerophon,' 



Thus the 10-5-inch gun with a striking-" work *' of 1657 tons penetrated 

 the " small plate" target ; and we have seen that this gun would require a 

 striking-force of 2047 tons to send the same shot through the ' M^arrior.' 



It is hardly fair, however, to take this round (850) for the basis of a com- 

 parison with other guns, as it appears that the target had been previously 

 considerabl}^ shaken. 



On the whole, it may be assumed tliat vessels of the class represented by 

 the " small plate " target are something weaker than those represented l)y 

 the ' Warrior,' and that the remarks which apply to the latter are applicable 

 to the former in a greater degree*. 



The following Table shows the probable distance at which various guns, 

 firing solid steel shot, with full service charges, would penetrate iron-clad 

 ships at present (1866) in the service : — 



* This target is of equal, if not superior strength to the ' Warrior,' if struck on the 

 «3-9-inch plates. 



