BRITAIN'S BIG GUNS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1916, Page 6

BRITAIN'S BIG GUNS.

THEY CANNOT'BE BEATEN That Britain's heavy guns—the 13.5 m and the lain—are of the highest possible quality is borne out by the world's artillerists. Sir Robert Hadficld, president of the Faraday Society, who is one of the greatest authorities on projectiles and guns, tells us that whatever the future has in store in the way of development in the power of big guns, our experts may be trusted to produoa the world's best. Sir Robert points out that the muzzle energy of British guns has outranked that of any other nation. So-called big German guns, about which there has been S'j much written, are,' as regards their mivzle energy, very small and inferior weapons in comparison with ours. St Robert also reveals the astonishir.g fact that the life of a modern high velocity gun is not much more than three seconds. By this he means that if one added up the length of time during which the projectile remained in the gun it would be found that under full service velocities the total time, and consequently the life of the inner gun tube did not amount to much more thou three seconds before ♦he erosion si-t up interfered with the accuracy of aT'i. Several interesting examples are given by Sir Robert of remarkable results that he has witnessed as being obtained from what he call that "modern highspeed and great-power heat-engine known m the big gun." One of these was that of a ftin wrought iron plate being attacked by a !).2in Whitworth shot. This plate was swung upon trunnions projecting from either side. In other words, before firing it would have been possible with comparatively little energy to make the plate swing backwards and forwards. To show how quickly the shot acted, wlnai the Whitworth shot was fired aga'nst this plate and perforated it the plate was lifted from its trunnions seating and was thrown away some 10ft or 12ft, yet the hole.was properly punched in the plate. In other words, before the plate had time to swing the shot passed through it.