FIRE CONTROL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 14

FIRE CONTROL.

A JEALOUSLY GUABDED SECHET. One ,of ±Lo. newest and. most wonderful tilings in modern naval warfare is the new system of firo control whiqli Las been devised and perfected during llio past six or seven years. Each Power has a firo control system of its own, and each guards its system as a close secret. The only Power whoso system is at all known is the United States and, from what little is known about it, it is believed to bo a very fine one. It is obvious that, in a bif armoured ship where all the cun positions are 60 entirely isolated and out of communica--1 tion one with another, unless some thoroughly organised system' of directing the firing were in operation there would bo a great deal of desultory , and ineffective shooting. The original plan for the direction of gunfire was by means of speaking tubes to the various turrets and casemates. - ■ But tho Eusso-Japanese 1 war proved conclusively what had already been pretty clearly foreseen: namely., the necessity for a more effective method of employing the powers of aggression of a battleship or cruiser if these were to be utilised to the fullest advantages.

masts of steel. These give the ship a somewhat peculiar appearance which is apparent from the plan of tho battleship O'ldahoirta which appears in this issue. In consequence of this change tho "look" of thb battleships comprising tho American fleet which visited Auckland somo years ago, has now been entirely altered.

Lord Haldano has, with the sanction of the King, accepted tho invitation' of tho American Bar Association to be its guest, and deliver the annual address at tho meeting of tlie association at Montreal on September 1. Lord Haldano will bo the guest of tho association. Ho will leave England on August 23, and will spend a few days in New York. "The Times" recalls tint Lord-Russell of Killowen, in 189G, when Lord Chief Justice, delivered an address nt Saratoga on "Arbitration: Its Origin, History, and Prospects."

bluejacket, with 'lis eyes glued to binoculars. "At tlio balloon"—and presently wo heard tho .weary pinions of the shelf, and saw the little puff of white Ijelow. "Ring- up Mr. Halsey," 6aid tho cap- : tain. Then I was aware of a sort of tarpaulin cupboard under fho breastwork of creeping trails of wire on tho ground, and of a couple of sappers. The corporal turned down his magazine, laid it on tho parapet, and dived under' tho tarpaulin. ' Ting-a-ling-lmg! buzzed tho telephone bell. ■ , Tho gaunt , up-towering mountains, the long, smooth, deadly* guns—and tho tele-, ' phono bell! ' Tho mountains and the guns went out, and there floated in that roaring office of tho' "Daily Mail" instead, and tho warm, rustling vestibule of on a December night. This is the way we make war now; only for the instant it was half joko and .half home-sickness. Where were we? What wero wo doingP , "Eight-hand Gun Hill fired, sir," come tho even voicc of the bluejackot. "At tho balloon." "Captain wants to speak to you, sir/' came tho voice of tho sapper from undel tlib tarpaulin. . Whistlo and rattle and pop went tho shell in ,tho valley below. "Give him a round bo.th guns together," said Mr. Halscy to tho telephone. ■ "Leit-hand Gun llill lircd, sir," said tho bluejacket to Mr. Halsey. _ . Nobody cored about left-hand Gun Hill; ho was only a '1.7 howitzer; every glass was clamped on tho big yellow emplacement. "Eight-hand Gun Hill is up, sir." Bang cougfhs the forward gun bolow us; bang-g-g coughs tho after-gnu overhead, livery glass clamped on tho emplacement. "WMiat a time they take!" sighs a lieu--1 tenant—then a leaping cloud a littlo in front and to tho right. "Damn!" sighs a peach-cheeked' mid-. shipinan, who ' "Oh, gooa snot!" For tho second has landed just over and behind tho epaulement. "Has it hit tho gun f" "No such luck," says the cifptaiii: he was down again five seconds nft<er wo fired. And tho men had all gone to earth, of course. Ting-a-ling-lingl Down dives tho sapper, and presently his face reappears, with "Headquarters to speak to you, sir." What tho captain said to Headquarters is not to bo by the profane; tho captain knows his mind, and speaks it. As soon as that was lover, ttng-a-ling again. "Mr. Jlalrey wants to know if ho may fire again, sir." "Ho may have ono more," for shell is elill being savod for Christmas. '' It was all quite unimportant and probably quito ineffective.- At first it staggers you to think that mountain-shaking bang can liavo no result; but after a littlo experience and thought you see it would bo a miracle if it had. Tho emplacement is a small mountain in itself; the men liavo run out into holes. Once in a-thousand shots you might hit the actual gun and destroy it—but shell 'is being saved for Christmas. If the' natives ami desertens oro' ndt lying, and- the sailors really. ,hit Popworth's Long Tom, then- that gunner may livo ou his exploit for the rest of his life "Wo trust we've killed a few men," says tho-captain cheerily;, "but wo can't liopo for mueh .more"- .' And yet, if they never hit a man, this handful of sailors have been the saving oY Ladysmilh. You don't know, till you have tried it, what a worm you feel when

6inco the water shipped was "pocketed" nil on one sido of her, and could not run freely across tho whole width of. tho' ship. The ship at onco took a heavy heel tor port, and Bottled considerably by tho bow. In order i to right tho ship tho starboard magazino was flooded, but insufficient size of. the valves made tho operation vory slow. At tho saiuo tiino tho ship had caught fire. Below all attempts to stop tho first leaks and a few new ones failed. Although tho margin of flotation of tho ship was ' still great, and there would have been no risk under ordinary circumstances,, tho dip of tho,bow, duo to tho original holes, enabled a tossinq sea to. enter through perforations, which presently began to bo numerous on tho stakes of tho armour higher up, and all on the port side, which happened to bo tho sido exposed to tho Japaitcso fire. Tho list increased, audj after half an hour, became so serious that tho sills of tho threeinch gun ports became intermittently immersed by tho movements of tho ship and tho sea. At this juncture two heavy shells, apparently fired from tho same turret, and arriving simultaneously, blov' down a fnuUel apiece. Other shots, from lighter guns, now struck tho gun ports, and partly demolished thorn so that they could not bn closed. At a heel of between 1G dog. and 18 deg. tho sills of tho gun-ports became permanently immersed, tho ship then rapidly lost her stability completely, and ennsized uiul sank. This hiippenod in less than an liour after tho commencement of tho battle, nnd was entirely tho result of steady gun lire.