378 
SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1893 . 
Hunt-Grubbe, who commanded the off-shore squadron, only tried the 
elliptical course in line ahead twice. He then anchored his squadron 
to get more accurate shooting.” 
Lieut.-Colonel Walford 1 2 3 was told that most of the hits on the off¬ 
shore squadron were received while in motion. 
Colonel Clarke, R.E., 2 a It is quite useless for ships to engage 
earth batteries by circling in front of them. They must either anchor 
or steam up to a buoy to fire, and the elliptical course, which theory 
has delighted in preserving, must be utterly given up where coast 
defences cease to proffer a target.” 
Lieut. R. Hyde Smith, R.N., referring to howitzers: 3 (e Ships could 
not remain at anchor where such ordnance was mounted, and no distant 
bombardment could be effective without their being so.” 
Admiral Right Hon. Sir J. D. Hay : 4 “ Captain Walford laid down 
rather hard-and-fast rules that for the future it would be better for 
ships, in all cases, to engage batteries at anchor. I should be very 
sorry to hear that made an invariable rule of naval tactics. It is quite 
true where you have not much sea-room, or where there is much 
motion, it would be the better plan to adopt ; but where there is per¬ 
fectly smooth water and you have plenty of sea-room, I think there may be 
occasions in which it would be better to attack with the fleet in motion 
than at anchor.” 
The Monarchy under weigh, at Alexandria, received no hit, while the 
Penelope was struck eight times and the Invincible eleven. 
At Port Royal and the first attack on Charleston the ships were 
under weigh, but at the subsequent bombardments of Forts Wagner 
and Fisher they anchored. 
Admiral Porter, U.S.N., has written regarding keeping the ships in 
motion : 5 “ The plan has the advantage of bothering the enemy's 
gunners, as the ships are constantly changing their range ; but it tends 
to lengthen out an engagement. At Hatteras, what should have been 
finished in six hours took twenty-four hours to accomplish.” On which 
Captain Jackson remarks : “ In these days, when the shore gunner has 
efficient range-finders while the sea gunner has none, which is the more 
likely to be bothered by change of range ?” 
Movement of the target or the gun generally renders the use of 
shrapnel with time fuzes almost impossible, which may be a disadvan¬ 
tage to the ships, but is not of much importance to the forts, because 
the upper works and unarmoured portions of the ships form excellent 
bursting screens, and shrapnel with percussion fuzes may be expected 
to be very effective. 
From the Defence point of view there seems to be a decided advantage 
to be gained by the ships in moving, because (a) the “ error of the day ” 
1 Bombardment of the Forts of Alexandria; Walford. R.U.S. Institution Journal. Vol. 
XXVII. 
2 Fortification; Clarke. 1890. 
3 Haval Essay, 1892; Hyde Smith. R.U.S. Institution Journal. Vol. XXXVI. 
4 Bombardment of the Forts of Alexandria; Walford. R.U.S. Institution Journal. Vol. 
XXVII. 
5 Ships versus Forts ; Jackson, R.E. Occasional Papers, 1889. 
