GOOD GUNNERY

Marlborough Express, Volume LXVIII, Issue 148, 25 June 1934, Page 4

GOOD GUNNERY

BRITAIN'S LATEST CRUISERS. LONDON, June 8. Extraordinarily successful. results are revealed by an analysis of the recent naval exercises, including gunnery practice, by the latest cruisers, the Leander, Orton, Achilles, and Neptune, eomprising the second cruiser squadron. These are interesting to Australia, in view of the latter's acquisitioii of a ship of the Leander type, and also beeause "Jane's Fighting Ships" describes these cruisers as "a return to sanity; compared with the overgrown, over-gunned 10,000-ton treaty ships." Furt her more, 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 6in guns and also the first exercises for the gun-crews, some of which, from old ships, were not experienced in the new factors of the Leander type and armament. The broadside range exoeeded 11,000 yards. The first straddled the target, the second was slightly short,. and the third and fourth. straddled. 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.