How a Warship Fights.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2109, 9 June 1898, Page 2

H ow a Warship Fights.

Before a battleship. goes into action all spare gear is stowed away, end her. decks made as bare as possible. This is in order that the enemy’s shpt may find but little to make splinters of should it come aboard. A warship possesses three means of attack,' i.e., her guns, ram, and torpedoes. - ! -Tha guns range from 111 ton weapons: that throw, a 18001 b projectile, with a charge of 9601 b of powder, down to three-pounder quick-firers. . Some of our battleships carry as many as 54 guns, 35 of-which' they are able to’ discharge in one broadside, thus throvrarg some 36181 b of iron per minute at : ; bhq> enemy. The effective range of the big - guns is ten miles, and ten shots per minute.’-, can be thrown by the quick-firing ones.; '. One of our big battleships lighting at* close quarters with her Maxims in. play would hurl at the foe about 2600 projectiles per minute, these varying in weight, from 18001 bto one ounce. Some of these projectiles would be filled with high explos- . ives, and would destroy everything for yards around the place where they explodedAs our possessions are so widely scattered' that our ships have to remain for a long . time away from ammunition bases, they carry much more shot per gun than do foreign men»®-war. When a ship ia commissioned, the first thing that her crew has to do is to practice general quarters, until they are able to clear for action and be ready to fire a brood side within three minutes from the order being given. Eventually, however, the crew get to know the-ship so well-that they can get her ready for action in a min. “ute arid a half. Tins they have to,, do by night as well as day. Probably the cap* tain chooses midnight when all watch are fast asleep to order quarters to be sounded. Immediately the bugle rings - out every man jumps frem his hammock and rushes straight for his station, each one endeavouring to be the first at his post. For a couple of minutes the clanging of iron doors and ; ae clanking of chains are heard throughout the ship; then all is silent again. The bright muzzles of the guns - glisten out at the ports ; down in the magazines are men ready to send ammunition to the gunners on the decks above; the torpedo crews havep ced W 'teheads in the tubes and every other prepa 'on has been made to give battle to • i enemy. Illuminated sights are used on the guns at night. Each big gun is worked by what is termed a ‘ crew ’ —that is a number of sailors or marine ' artillerymen specially told off to it. The captain, or uurriber ene, as he is called, lays the gun and fires it—the other members of the ‘ crew ’ stand in a file to pass the projectiles and load the. gun. There is also a crew to each torpedo tube, These tubes are now nearly all submerged, A Whitehead torpedo costs about .£4OO. It has an effective range of about 800yds and it’s warhead carries a bursting char go consisting of 1881 b of ‘gun-cotton Whitehead is propelled through the water by a beauti;ally-designed little engine, situated at its tailand. The weapon can be set to run at a given depth, inimy given direction, And either to float or sink at the end of its journey. It is fired from the tube by means of compressed air or a powder chargeBoth for the torpedoes and guns, the smartest men in the navy are chosen. These receive a special training in the schoola on shore, and get extra pay for performing their duties. For a ship to make the most effective use of her armament everything depends upon the skill of the crew. Theram is the one weapon that is manipulated by the captain, His object is te outmanoeuvre the enemy, so that he can bear down upon them without fear of their ramminghis ship. When the order to ram is given, everybody throws himself flat upon the deck to prevent being thrown down by the force of the impact. Bamming is, however, a very risky operation, as although the captain may succeed m a hole through the ij&my’s side, the enemy might probably blow up his ship by discharging her submerged torpedoes. ° • Our newer battleships, however, have a great superiority over foreigners in the greater height and steadiness of their gun platforms, '