TWO TONS OF SHELLS A MINUTE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 5, 30 January 1909, Page 6

TWO TONS OF SHELLS A MINUTE.

The AniericiUi Navy (silys a writer in an American magazine) iio\v leads the world in accuracy and rapidity of shouting ; six years ago it was behind Ihe navy of every first-class Power. Six years ago the standard of living heavy turret gnus—which aro now a battleship's sole weapon of consequence in battles-was once in live minutes; the average of hits on the target now in use would not, have been once an hour. At present these gnus lire an average of one and ahalf shots a minute ; they hit the large! once a minute. Six years ago the staudavd rate of fire for sixineli .Unas was less than two shots it ininulc: as shown by the test of l!ll)2. leas than one -hot in six hit the target. To-day these guns frequently make as many as twelve hits a minute, and the average of Ihe whole navv is six hits a minute. These arc the record- at the l.lillK vanl range. At ihe Inst, long raugo'targcf practice in Massachusetts Hay theliattleshi,, of the Xuilh Atlintif fleet, iiviii" hi n laiget from three to live miles awav. averaged neui'lv :ll) per cciil. of liils. Willi ii target one-third I lie -i/c of Ihe ships at Santiago, at distances lioin two to I liver- times a-. "Vf.lt. Ihe lle.-l made re than three 'times ihe percentage of hits. Translated into term- of war. llle-,. changes mean this : Six years ago an American battleship! would not "nil an enemy's vessel at n battle range of three miles or more ofteiier than twice an hniir. To-day every -hip of an ciiouiv's lleef steaming into range would he struck by two lons of steel shell every minute by every modern American ship firing lit her.' Solid metal spatters tike mud when these '.'rent projectiles strike il : when charged with 'iheir high explosives ||i,.s,. shells an- swept through Ihe ship in fragments ~f from ii I«111." in weight down lo the finest steel died. In all hiima.l probability no ship in Ihe world could stand sn.-ii a lire fifteen in'mules.