AN 18-INCH GUN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3175, 28 August 1917, Page 9

AN 18-INCH GUN

MONSTER NEW NAVAJi WEAPON. A development of the war which , is pregnant with great possibilities -for futnro naval construction (eaye the "Scientific American") is thq increase in tho ciilibro of guns, and tho corresponding increase in the ranges at which future engagements will bo fought. The Britkh are credited with having built eomo extremely fast cruisers, which mount a new 18-inch gun. They are very slightly armoured, and honca their obvious tactics will bo to tight at the longest ranges at which thoir fire would tie accurate and etfectivo. ' . " ' Wo believe that, given good vision, 20,000 yards and over will be the selected lighting range of the ships mounting tho heavier guns, and.having thq speedgauge of tho euoiny. At such ranges tho average angle of fall of the shell will be over 20 degrees, and the horizontal target will be rabro than twice that which was presented by tho vertical target under the-old yards battle range. This Doing 60, heavy vertical side armour will give way to thinner and more widely distributed deck armour. Tho protective deck wil.l tako on added importance, and tho demand for keening everything vital as low down as possible within the ship will bo aiore imperative than ever. A solid shot of 14 to 18-inch cnlibro, coming down at that angle, would, of course, go clean through the ship, protective deck or no protective deck. But tho day of solid shot lias passed, and hence the effort of the naval constructor will be to insure the bursting of these big shells well up' in the upper Ktrncturo of the ship, so that only, tjje fragments will reacli the protective deck below. It is conceivable that, in future ships, thin side-armcJuT, covering the whole.top-sides, associated with a lightlrarmoured top deck, both of those to act merely as shell bursters, may bo associated with a heavy protoctivo deck below."