ON THE SPOT

Evening Star, Issue 21748, 16 June 1934, Page 19

ON THE SPOT

NEW CRUISERS GOOD GUNNERY. LONDON, May 30. Extraordinarily successful results are revealed by an analysis of the recent naval exercises, including _ gunnery practice, by the latest cruisers, the Leander, Orion, Achilles, and Ncptune, comprising the Second Cruiser Squadron. "... These are interesting, in view of Australia’s acquisition of a ship of the Leander type, and also because ‘ Jane’s Fighting Ships ’ describes the cruisers as “a return to sanity, compared with the over-grown, overgunned 10,000-ton treaty ships.” Furthermore, this is the first time since the war that the Second Cruiser Squadron has been composed entirely of the same class of ship. They are designed to protect trade routes and act as fast fleet scouts. Each fired independently eight rounds per gun and eight broadsides, representing the first practice under ordinary training conditions by the squadron’s Cin guns, and also the first exercises for the gun crews, some of which, from old ships, wore not experienced in the new factors of the Leander type and armament.

The broadside range exceeded 11,000 yards. The first straddled the target, the second was slightly short, and the third and fourth straddled. UNUSUALLY WIDE RANGE.

Each cruiser’s aeroplane circled overhead, observing the fall of the shells and informing the gunners by wireless. The authorities are pleased with the results. Nothing better than straddling could be expected with maiden broadsides. The new cquisers so closely resemble each other "that they can only be distinguished by minute details. The results reveal marked fighting efficiency within the particular lines that are crowded into a modest tonnage. They have an unusually wide cruising range, with a maximum, speed of 32J knots, and cruise comfortably at 29.