28 
DEFENCE OF A COAST FORTRESS. 
Quantity of 
guns. 
Line of fire 
of guns. 
Sorting of 
ammunition. 
Morin g tor. 
pedoes. 
Eas’ly coun. 
teracted. 
peace practice it may be different. The main thing is a really good 
Commanding Officer possessing a staff so trained that be can feel con¬ 
fidence that bis instructions will be intelligently carried out, and that, 
wherever he is, he is in communication with that staff. 
The quantity of guns and ammunition for the defence of a Coast 
Fortress should not be stinted. It is not necessary or probable that a 
Coast Fortress should have all the latest patterns of guns, but a fort 
can carry ammunition to any extent, which a ship cannot. 
Forts will never equal their opposing ships in novelty of armament. 
A fortress favourably situated for defence has such enormous advan¬ 
tages over ships that it can afford the difference if its guns are really 
well placed. A ship may be destroyed without piercing her armour. 
The greatest forethought should be exercised to avoid mounting 
guns in positions where there is any chance of their fire destroying 
towns, villages, friendly forts, and shipping, if their projectiles miss 
opposing ships. The fire of such guns, from motives of humanity, 
would be nil, and artillerymen should not be placed in such a situation 
of responsibility. 
Where a fortress is unfavourably situated for defence, more expendi¬ 
ture is needed. Guns, &c., must be kept up to date, and at least as 
powerful as ordinary battle-ships’ guns. With much weaker guns a 
ship might be tempted to attack, and might do so with advantage. 
One of the most important aids to the good shooting of guns is 
good ammunition. Each cartridge for each gun and group of guns 
should be the same weight and of the same brand of powder. Shot 
and shell should be equally carefully sorted. Guns shoot very much 
alike when this is seen to properly. 
Every gun, and its adjuncts, to be really effective must be occasion¬ 
ally tested by actual practice. 
I have omitted all minute details. These become very technical, 
and are probably interesting only to specialists; but I return now to 
my earlier assertion, and I say that the great safety for Garrison Artil¬ 
lerymen against attack by skips consists not so much in their guns 
being protected nominally from all possible harm from an enemy’s 
projectiles, as in having them properly placed in the first instance, or 
if that has not obtained, in moving them to the proper place; and 
then in keeping them always, unceasingly, in perfect condition for 
action in all respects, for then I feel sure that no costly battle-ship 
will attack them. 
(2).—Moving Torpedoes. 
These are practically projectiles and in some cases are merely a deve¬ 
lopment of guns. I believe all artillerymen think they would probably 
be most effective if entrusted to people with their line of training. 
Moving torpedoes, which work under water, can be counteracted in 
a variety of ways, though their presence, if known, would act as an 
obstacle to the quick movement of ships. 
Dirigible torpedoes are, perhaps, among the most accurate, but the 
slowest and most easily warded off of any projectiles. They are the 
most useless in a fog, or with smoke blowing over, and they are very 
expensive projectiles. 
