42 
MINUTES OE PROCEEDINGS OE 
breaking one rib and injuring some bolts and rivets. The shot of course 
broke up, and showed the great superiority over ordinary cast-iron of the 
metal used for projectiles by Mr Whitworth. 
A flat-headed shell of homogeneous metal, weighing 130 lbs., with a 
bursting charge of 9 lbs. 8 oz., was also fired from the same gun, and struck 
a 5-in. plate, at a velocity of 1240 ft. It punched a hole through the 
armour, and burst in breaking through the skin, in which it made a large 
irregular hole, carrying on some splinters and fragments of plate, skin, 
rivets, bolt heads, &c. 
A solid 130-lb. shot of the same metal and form from this gun, at a 
velocity of about 1200 ft., struck a 5-in. plate and went clean through the 
target, carrying a quantity of fragments into the box. 
The range at which the above were fired was 800 yards. 
The 70-pr. gun was next fired at the same target at 600 yards. A shell 
of homogeneous metal, weighing 81 lbs., fired with a charge of 13 lbs., and 
having a bursting charge of 3 lbs. 12 oz., struck a 4|-in. plate at a velocity 
of 1100 ft., and penetrated it, afterwards bursting in the teak backing 
which it injured very much. The skin was not penetrated. 
Another shell of the same kind burst immediately on striking a 5-in plate, 
in which it punched a hole 4J in. deep, but had no effect on the inside of the 
target. 
Another shell, weighing 721 lbs., with a bursting charge of 2 lbs. 10 oz., 
penetrated a 4|-in. armour plate, and burst in the wood backing, but did no 
damage to the skin; and a blind shell, weighing 70 lbs., striking with a 
velocity of 1140 ft., broke to pieces on a 5-in. plate, after making an indent 
of 1J in. 
All these projectiles were of homogeneous metal and flat-headed. 
The general result of these experiments may be summed up in a few 
words. Mr Whitworth has, by the use of a superior metal, produced shells 
which will penetrate, without breaking up, as much as 5 inches of armour 
and burst afterwards; but with ships of the “Warrior” class, these shells 
would have no great effect in board, as, although the skin is broken through 
by the explosion of the shells, in no case have they been made to pass 
through the skin before explosion. 
Whitworth 'Projectiles at Sloping Plates . Nov. 1862. 
In this trial some cylindrical flat-headed 12-pr. shot, and blind shell of 
homogeneous metal and of common cast-iron, were fired at a range of 200 
yards at 2^-in. plates, sloping back at an angle of 45°, the charge used 
being If lbs. 
It is almost needless to say that the cast-iron shot broke up and only 
made a slight indent. 
The homogeneous metal shell and shot completely penetrated the plates 
and were almost uninjured themselves. 
It is interesting to notice here that the fragments of the cast-iron shot, 
when picked up afterwards, were too hot to be handled, while the homo¬ 
geneous metal projectiles were quite cool. 
