FORMIDABLE SHIP.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1784, 24 June 1913, Page 6

FORMIDABLE SHIP.

Further, in the case of guns of similar calibre, it is necessary to remember that they do not all have equal hitting power. Taking the Japanese 8-inch gun as the unit in smashing power, then a. fortycalibre 12-inch' gun of recent make will "go" 4, but many 12-inch guns of moro recent mako will "go" more. A forty-five-calibre 12-inch gun will go 5, while some 'of tho heavier and more up-to-date United States guns will "go" as much as 7. How such a difference in notation works out in tho case of a fleet, is best seen by taking the case of a single 6hip. Tho Japanese battleship Aki is a suitable type to consider. Sho mounts four 12incli guns of 45 calibres, cach with a hitting power which may be represented by the figure 5. She also carries no fewer than twelve 10-inch guns, but only six of these can bear on either beam, and six have therefore to bo eliminated from the calculation. Each of these 10-inch guns has a hitting power at 8000 yards which may bo connoted by the figure 3. Her total hitting power in a beam action would therefore be 4 multiplied by 5, plus 6 multiplied by 3. The aggregate is 38 units of hitting power. Tlio armour of a ship, or a fleet call also' bo worked out in a similar way. Having done so, we get the following table:— United States Fleet,

It mil be seen that the. United States navy is about a hundred per cent, superior to the Japanese fleet both ill armour and hitting power. It has, however, to be always remembered that tho "man behind tho gun" is a n ]) ,c^K l ' e^ r fighting factor than the gun itself. Iho Japanese sailors and c&iccrs havo hart actual experience of what they call "blood ships/' aud who is there who could say with confidence that such, experience would not be sufficient to overcome aud beat down any mere weight in metal? • In conclusion, it is perhaps necessary to emphasise the fact that tlio <ibojo tablo does not represent tho total artillery of either navy. If it dul, the great gap in hitting power between the two fleets would not be ftarge. What it does represent i? the hitting foico of tho artillery disposablo for a plain a®* tion at about 8000 yards. It is tho likeliest form of battle, for either admiral can bring it on at will, no matter what tho opposing admiral feols desirous of doing. Manifestly this is 3 ust what tho United States fleet would do.

to have the University's arrangements so modified as to make the conditions as favourable as possible for the conduct of the ceremony; but the.negotiations have unfortunately resulted" in the ceremony for this year passing out of tho direct control of tho college. Now, it may seem at'first sight a paradoxical conclusion, but this result (iu tho opinion of the staff and of the councillors) accentuates the importance of doing everything in our power to make the ceremony a credit to the college in every way. And there is only one sound way of bringing that about. The working out of the solution rests with you. Otlwr means of safeguarding the good name of the college exists, and are at our disposal ; but no other way is even worth mentioning in comparison with that which puts tho affair with confidence into your hands, after such a statement of the position as I am making." The statement concludes as follow: "Tlio ono fact of supreme importance iu Togaid to the ceremony is that it is primarily a ceremony for the making of Victoria College graduates. The council of the board look to you to see that no disorder shall in any way detract from the honour wo oil wish to pay to our new graduates. And they look to you to win credit for our University College in tho estimation of the publiq this week. Tho council lias done its part, and has taken a strong lino of aotion. It remains for the undergraduates to do the college credit at tho ceremony, and thus to play their part, a respect 'in which Victoria' College has never been known to fail."

Ships in Hitting Class. Class. Armour. Tower. Texas 2 6 140 Arkansas 2 G 141 Utah 2 6 100 Delaware 2 .6 100 Michigan 2 6 80 Kansas 4 12 96 Idaho 2 4 48 Louisiana 2 6 48 Nebraska 5 15 90 Ohio 3 9 48 Alabama 3 12 30 Kearsage 2 8 3^ Iowa 1 2 i Indiana 3 9 36 Totals - 107 1002 Japanese Fleet. Ships in Hitting Class. Class. Armour, Power. Kongo 1 5 50 Kawachi 2 4™ Aid 1 2 38 Satsuma 1 "'!?<! Kurama 2 2 4s Tsukuba 2 ,2 . 40 Kashima 2 4 ' • Iwami 1 2 20 Mikasa 1 2 -0 Hizen 1 2 16 Suwo 1 2 16 Sagami 1 2 , -0 Shikishima 2 4 3^ Fuji 1.4 12 Okinoshima .... 11 -j Tango 1 1 » Nisshin 2 2 ° Aso 1 2 2 Asa ma 6 6 Totals — 51 539