THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARMOUR. 
589 
weighing 100 lbs., striking with a velocity of, perhaps, 2,000 f.s., 
delivers a severe blow, though not sufficient for belt attack, it is the 
speed of this fire, however, that gives it its specially formidable 
character. To give quick-fire its due weight it is necessary to take 
into account both the energy and the speed of delivery of both 
quick and slow fire. The simplest way to do this is to multiply 
the energy of a single round by the number of rounds fired 
per minute, which gives the energy of each piece per minute and by 
further multiplication and addition the ships energy of fire per minute. 
The following table shows the working of the energy of fire of a ship Ships ener- 
of the Majestic class, the rates employed being obtained from the pf^inute. 
Excellent. 
Name of 
vessel. 
Armament. 
Muzzle energy 
per gun 
foot - tons. 
Rate of fire per 
gun. 
Total energy of 
fire per minute, 
foot-tons. 
f 
4-12-in. 46 ton wire 
33-940 
3 rounds in 4 mins. 
101-820 
\ 
12 - 6-in. Q.F. 
3-356 
16 n in 3 n 
214-781 
Majestic J 
16-12.pr. Q.F. 
425 
c c 
67*680' 
12 - 3-pr. Q.F. 
80-3 
< 10 „ per mm. < 
9-636 
\ 
393-920 
It will be observed that the total energy of fire per minute of the 
Q.F. 6-inch guns is more than double that of the primary guns. As, 
however, a ship could generally engage with all her primary guns and 
only half of her Q.F. pieces, the energy of the fire of the 12-inch and 
6-inch guns may be considered to be nearly equal. It is delivered in 
the form of three blows by the 12-in. and 32 by the 6-in. guns. The 
former may undoubtedly produce a more decisive effect by a happy 
hit, in fact, “ belt attack ” with the possibility of reaching the so-called 
vital parts of the ship is open to the 12-in. gun and not to the 6-in. 
Nevertheless, in most naval engagements the chances are against such 
decisive success, owing to the few rounds fired and the movement of 
the enemy, whose armour will usually be obliquely struck. Conse¬ 
quently, more dependence can be placed on the effect of the 32 rounds 
of the 6-in. guns, which can hardly fail to work great mischief in the 
secondary or non-vital parts of the enemy including her Q.F. gun 
positions and conning tower. The 12 and 3-pr. Q.F. guns may do 
something so far as they have opportunity, but in close action it is a 
question if many of them could be manned without their detachments 
being swept away immediately, seeing that they are in a great measure 
unprotected. The bearing of these considerations od the disposition 
of ship’s armour is obvious. It is essential that the heavy Q.F. guns 
should be well protected and since both Harveyed and Krupp armour 
six inches thick, are able to defeat the attack of 6-inch guns, it follows 
that plate of this thickness or something approaching it should be if 
possible used to protect our secondary batteries and other important 
