ARTILLERY EXPERIMENTS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2079, 22 October 1880, Page 3

ARTILLERY EXPERIMENTS.

A series of very interesting experiments, conducted under the supervision of the Select Committee on Ordnance, have just been brought to a close at Shoeburyness. The results have completely upset the theory of our modem artillerists. The object of these experiments was to prove whether an armor-plated vessel could be materially injured by rifled projectiles if her side only could be struck at angles of from 30deg. to 60deg. For this purpose a 12in. wrought-iron glance target was erected on the marshes, representing the section of a ship’s side, and placed at angles varying from 30deg. to 60deg. The weapon used was a 9in. or 12ton gun, with a charge of 721 b of P2 powder and a projectile weighing 2631 b. Although several forms of headed shell were used at only 95 yards range none succeeded in getting through the plate, thus showing that ships must bo at right angles with a battery in order for guns to obtain the maximum power of penetration, and that at an angle of 30 to 60 degrees an ordinary armor-plated ship can resist the penetration of shot. At the same range the 38-ton gun, with a powder charge of IGOib, and a Palliaer shell weighing 8001 b, was tried against a wrought-iron section of a ship’s turret 22in. in thickness. The muzzle velocity was 1700 ft. per second, and the result was that the section broke up into three pieces. The projectile did not penetrate, but completely crushed one-fourth of the turret. The result is one which completely destroys the old idea that although a turret might get starred it would not break up. Altogether four rounds were fired from this gun, and in three the same results were obtained. In tho fourth round the projectile was defective, or no doubt the gun would have again come out triumphant.