THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
447 
•* All the little defects of detail were marked by such a searching process. Decks 
were cut through; cannon were worn out; side armour shaken; tops of pilot¬ 
houses crushed, &c. But all these were reparable, and no vital principle was 
seriously touched.”. 
“ The additions that were deemed advisable for strengthening the pilot-houses and 
turrets were also put on at this time, and the bottoms cleaned, for they had now 
become so foul with oysters and grass that the speed was reduced to three or 
three and a half knots, and, with the strong tide of this harbour, added consider¬ 
ably to the difficulties of working the vessels properly under fire. 
“On one night I was caught by heavy weather from the south-east while close up 
to Sumter, when I had gone to attack it, and it was well that the darkness of the 
night prevented the slowness of our motion from being perceived while extricating 
the monitors from their position. 
“ Power of ordnance .—Each turret contains two guns, and from the peculiar 
facility which it has for giving direction to the heaviest ordnance, no doubt, arises 
the desire to make these of the heaviest description. How far other considera¬ 
tions should control the character of the ordnance is necessarily an unsettled 
question. 
“ To strike an armoured ship it may be best to use a gun capable of the greatest 
power; but whether this shall be derived from a projectile of great weight, 
driven by low velocity, or of less weight, and high velocity ; whether it shall be 
a fifteen-inch gun, fired with thirty-five or forty pounds, or a thirteen inch, fired 
with fifty pounds of powder, is not here material; the weight of the gun for either 
purpose will not vary to any important degree. But in operations against earth¬ 
works', whose material cannot be damaged permanently, but only disturbed, 
and which are only to be dealt with by keeping down their fire, a much lighter 
projectile would be preferable, in order that the practice may be as rapid as 
possible. Hence a piece of 16,000 pounds for ten-inch or eleven-inch shot and 
shell. 
“ When a number of monitors are brought together it would be better also to 
have guns of like kind in each turret, and bring into action whichever might be 
preferable. Each of the monitors of this squadron had a fifteen-inch and a smaller 
gun, (eleven-inch or eight-inch rifle,) and hence the rapidity of fire, which was most 
desirable was not attained. That this was due to the calibre of the gun, and not to 
its being located in a turret, may be shown by one notable instance. 
“November 9, 1863, the ‘Montauk,’ Captain Davis, was engaged in battering 
Sumter. In so doing, the eleven-inch gun fired twenty-five shells successively in 
one hour, of which twenty-one hit the wall of the fort aimed at—distance sixteen 
hundred yards. This is at the rate of one shell in 2.4 minutes, which is not only 
rapid but also exceedingly accurate practice. There is no reason why another 
eleven-inch, if placed in the adjoining carriage, (instead of the fifteen-inch,) could 
not have been fired in the same time, at which rate that monitor would have delivered 
an eleven-inch shell every 1.2 minute. 
“ The rates of fire reported for the Ironsides, by Captain Rowan, are— 
Time. No. fired. Time for each fire. 
h. m. m. 
Most rapid . 0.50 25 1.74 
Continuous . 2.55 490 2.86 
Assumed . 1.00 360 1.33 
Montauk. 1.00 25 2.40 
“ It will be perceived that for a short space of time the frigate delivered a shell 
from each gun in 1.74 minute, for three hours in 2.86 minutes, and it is believed 
that a fire could be sustained at the rate of 1.33 minute. The last rate is therefore 
possible, but I am sure it would be difficult to sustain it long with much regard to 
good aim and considerable distances; and I believe, on the whole, that for every 
