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tection, our vessels would commence
firing at the longest efficient range, from
18,000 to 20,000 yards, in order that the
enemy might not immediately escape.
But, in the event of meeting dreadnaughts
of equal armament and speed,
fire would probably be reserved until
within a range of from 14,000 to 17,000
yards—care being taken at all times to
COFYMISHI—uMCtnwiCD & UNOHIWOOC
score the first telling shot, wdiich is just
as important in a naval battle as in a
personal combat. But weather conditions,
the number of ships in the opposing
squadron, the advantage of holding
the enemy until reserves can arrive and,
above all, the personal judgment of the
commander would tend to make every
engagement an individual problem, presenting
its own peculiar phases and
angles.
The recent Congressional appropriation
for the building of warships
equipped with eight 16-inch guns—more
than are possessed by any land fort in the
world—naturally brings up the question
of the ultimate limit of range at which
naval battles can be fought. Ordnance
experts declare that the only limit for
the future is that of visibility, now ranging
from 20.000 to 30.000 yards, according
to atmospheric conditions. The 16-
GETTING THE RANGE 381
inch guns are expected to be efficient at
23.000 yards, but there is good reason to
suppose that other and larger ships will
carry 18- and 20-inch guns. If experiments
which are now being conducted
with aeroplanes as range-finders prove
successful, naval battles of the future
may be fought with the opposing fleets
entirely out of sight of each other beyond
THE REAL SIZE OF A 12-INCH GUN
Twenty-three jackies can find seating space on the projecting barrel.
the curve of the horizon, for the trend
of land and sea fighting is inevitably toward
distance and invisibility, coupled
with efficiency.
As the Navy Department's target prac­
tice instructions phrase it: "The measure
of the battle efficiency of any vessel
is her ability to deliver the greatest number
of hits in the shortest possible time
and with the least expenditure of ammunition."
The increase in this efficiency in our
Navy is apparent from official figures
wdiich show that, in 1910. one battleship
received an Excellent rating at target
practice: two were Good : five were Fair
and twelve were Unsatisfactory. The
ratings for last year, at longer distances
and under more difficult conditions,
were: Excellent—five: Good—four;
Fair—two: Poor—four; and only three
Unsatisfactory.