406 COMMENDED ESSAY, 1893. 
interfere with their steering by obscuring the view, they had better not 
fire at all. 
(3.) Bombardment .—We have seen in Part I. that the bombardment 
of a fortress by a fleet may be undertaken for any of the following 
purposes :— 
(1.) Moral effect. 
(2.) Creating a diversion and covering some other operation. 
(3.) Destroying forts, ships, stores, &c. 
(4.) Capturing the fortress. 
In cases (1) and (2) the object will be not so much to subdue the fire 
of the fortress, or destroy any of the elements of defence, as to in¬ 
timidate the garrison and inhabitants in the former, and in the latter 
to draw their attention away from some other operation (such as landing 
troops, destroying mines or obstructions, or an attempt to force a 
channel by other ships). It will not be worth while for the ships to 
commit themselves to a serious engagement, and risk being crippled, 
they will therefore engage : 
{a.) At long range, (b.) Under weigh. 
The range will be limited by the amount of elevation permitted to 
the guns by their mountings and ports. The shortest range at which 
the ships will be safe from direct fire can be calculated with accuracy, 
the thickness of their armour and the nature of the armament of the 
fortress being known. Locomotive torpedoes, mines, and the fire of 
machine and quick-firing guns will be avoided. 
The object of keeping under weigh is not so much to offer a more 
difficult target to the guns, modern improvements in position and range¬ 
finding having made it just as easy for them to hit a moving as a 
standing object, but to facilitate avoiding counter torpedo-boat attacks, 
and to enable the ships to retire at once if much annoyed by the fire of 
the fortress. Being under weigh will not affect the ships 5 fire very 
much, as great accuracy will not be sought, and at long ranges it can 
never hope to be very effective. 
Opinions differs widely as to the best formation to adopt. This will, 
of course, depend on circumstances, the nature of the fortress, &c., but 
as a general rule the best methods appear to be those of steaming to a 
buoy, anchored at known range, to fire, or for the ships to move in line 
ahead in an elliptical course. The fire should be well distributed and 
each ship know what to fire at. 
In case (4) the object will be to subdue the fire of the forts and to 
capture them or some object which they defend. Hence the ships 5 
fire must be effective and the attack direct and determined. 
The conditions necessary for a successful attack of this kind appear 
to be as follows :— 
(L.) Command of the sea. 
(2.) Badly situated or constructed shore batteries. 
(3.) Inferior garrison. 
