The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY. JUNE 17th., 1916. EVOLLTION OF NAVAL GUNS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1565, 17 June 1916, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY. JUNE 17th., 1916. EVOLLTION OF NAVAL GUNS.

THE inherent defect of the first large naval guns was their extreme liahalily to hurst. We read if historical accidents of this kind. This initial defect, renderin'; the gun dangerous, ]>rocccd<'d from what is known teclinically as lack of “circumferential strength." The explosion of (he pises ruptured tin 1 tube, Grasp this idea as the fundamental weakness in those early gnus, and understand the trend of most developments that have since taken place. One of the principal vl'l'nrts of the artillerist i> to •jet the gun as strong 1 as can he “circumferentially,” because until he attains adequate strength he can never allow to he employed in service a sullicienl explosive charge to hurl the projectile as far and as forcibly as is desiderated. Early gun artificers, handicapped by bad materials, saw one remedy only for this weakness —that was to add hoops or collars to the outside of the tube, so as to stiffen and strengthen it. On the evolutionary way towards the modern. perfected naval gun we can trace many queer and almost ludicrous efforts to attain this summon bonum of the artillerist. Hut before the artillerist obtained his perfect weapon tin 1 metallurgist, chemist, and engineer had to come in with their assistance. The metallurgist laboured to provide a metal of maximum strength, toughness, and elasticity. After decades of evolutionary development, secret, processes were introduced, whereby steel, with nickel chrome or other metals alloyed, and with special heat treatment and oil tempering, a material of marvellous qualities was produced. Ecach armament firm has its own formula, but. the 1 Admiralty still requires that the metal shall pass certain severe tests as to strength, toughness,- elasticity, elm