1.
Brooklyn Navy Yard
–
It was bounded by Navy Street and Flushing and Kent Avenues, and at the height of its production of warships for the United States Navy, it covered over 200 acres. The tremendous efforts of its 70,000 workers during World War II earned the yard the nickname The Can-Do Shipyard, following the American Revolution, the waterfront site was used to build merchant vessels. Federal authorities purchased the old docks and 40 acres of land for $40,000 in 1801, many officers were housed in Admirals Row. Military chain of command was strictly observed, the nations first ironclad ship, Monitor, was fitted with its revolutionary iron cladding at the Continental Iron Works in nearby Greenpoint. By the American Civil War, the yard had expanded to employ about 6000 men, in 1890, the ill-fated Maine was launched from the yards ways. In 1937, the battleship North Carolina was laid down, in 1938, the yard employed about 10,000 men, of whom one-third were Works Progress Administration workers. The battleship Iowa was completed in 1942 followed by the Missouri, on 12 January 1953, test operations began on Antietam, which emerged in December 1952 from the yard as Americas first angled-deck aircraft carrier. At its peak, during World War II, the yard employed 70,000 people,24 hours a day, the Brooklyn Naval Hospital, constructed 1830–38 and rebuilt 1841–43, was decommissioned in the mid-1970s. It was one of the oldest naval hospitals in the United States, the 60, 000-square-foot complex was designed by Martin E. Thompson. The hospital had its beginning in 1825 when the Secretary of the Navy purchased 25 acres adjacent to the Brooklyn Naval Yard. The hospital was active from the Civil War through World War II with the Navy Surgeon General reporting in 1864 an average of 229 patients, the hospital also counted on its staff some of first female nurses and medical students in the United States Navy. On November 19,1964, based on the study, the closure of the yard was announced, along with the Armys Fort Jay on Governors Island and its Brooklyn Army Terminal. At the time, the yard employed 10,600 civilian employees and 100 military personnel with a payroll of about US$90 million. The closure was anticipated to save about 18.1 million dollars annually, the plan was never put in place. The Wagner Administration looked to the industry to build a car plant inside the yard. No U. S. car manufacturer was interested, and foreign car manufacturers claimed that with the conversion of the dollar, the Navy decommissioned the yard in 1966, after the completion of the Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Duluth. The Johnson administration refused to sell the yard to the City of New York for 18 months, when the new Nixon administration came into power, they signed the papers to sell the yard to the city. Leases were signed inside the yard even before the sale to the city was signed, cLICKs lease with the newly formed Seatrain Shipbuilding was not very business friendly
2.
Naval artillery
–
Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare, later also for naval gunfire support against targets on land, and for anti-aircraft use. The idea of artillery dates back to the classical era. Julius Caesar indicates the use of ship-borne catapults against Britons ashore in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico, the dromons of the Byzantine Empire carried catapults and fire-throwers. From the late Middle Ages onwards, warships began to carry cannon of various calibres, the Battle of Arnemuiden, fought between England and France in 1338 at the start of the Hundred Years War, was the first recorded European naval battle using artillery. The English ship Christopher was armed with three cannons and one hand gun, by the 15th century most Mediterranean powers were utilising heavy cannon mounted on the bow or stern of a vessel and designed to bombard fortresses on shore. By mid-century some vessels also carried smaller broadside cannons for bombarding other vessels immediately prior to an attempted boarding and these small guns were anti-personnel weapons and were fired at point blank range to accompany engagement with muskets or bows. From the 1470s both the Portuguese and Venetian navies were experimenting with cannons as anti-ship weapons, in 1489 John of Portugal further contributed to the development of naval artillery by establishing the first standardized teams of trained naval gunners. The 16th century was an era of transition in naval warfare, since ancient times, war at sea had been fought much like that on land, with melee weapons and bows and arrows, but on floating wooden platforms rather than battlefields. Though the introduction of guns was a significant change, it slowly changed the dynamics of ship-to-ship combat. As guns became heavier and able to more powerful gunpowder charges, they needed to be placed lower in the ship. Although some 16th-century galleys mounted broadside cannon, they did so at the expense of rowing positions which sacrificed speed, most early cannon were still placed in the forecastle and aftercastle of a ship where they might be conveniently pointed in any direction. Early naval artillery was a weapon to deter boarders, because cannon powerful enough to damage ships were heavy enough to destabilize any ship mounting them in an elevated castle. Being a crown industry, cost considerations did not curb the pursuit of the best quality, best innovations, the crown paid wage premiums and bonuses to lure the best European artisans and gunners to advance the industry in Portugal. This made broadsides, coordinated volleys from all the guns on one side of a ship, possible for the first time in history, at least in theory. Ships, such as Mary Rose, carried a mixture of cannon of different types and sizes, many designed for land use, and using incompatible ammunition at different ranges and rates of fire. The Mary Rose, like other ships of the time, was built during a period of development of heavy artillery. The heavy armament was a mix of older-type wrought iron and cast bronze guns, the bronze guns were cast in one piece and rested on four-wheel carriages which were essentially the same as those used until the 19th century. The breech-loaders were cheaper to produce and both easier and faster to reload, but could take less powerful charges than cast bronze guns, the majority of the guns were small iron guns with short range that could be aimed and fired by a single person
3.
United States Navy
–
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U. S. Navy is the largest, most capable navy in the world, the U. S. Navy has the worlds largest aircraft carrier fleet, with ten in service, two in the reserve fleet, and three new carriers under construction. The service has 323,792 personnel on duty and 108,515 in the Navy Reserve. It has 274 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of October 2016, the U. S. Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was effectively disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter. It played a role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy. It played the role in the World War II defeat of Imperial Japan. The 21st century U. S. Navy maintains a global presence, deploying in strength in such areas as the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean. The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Navy is itself a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The Chief of Naval Operations is an admiral and the senior naval officer of the Department of the Navy. The CNO may not be the highest ranking officer in the armed forces if the Chairman or the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, the United States Navy is a seaborne branch of the military of the United States. The Navys three primary areas of responsibility, The preparation of naval forces necessary for the prosecution of war. The development of aircraft, weapons, tactics, technique, organization, U. S. Navy training manuals state that the mission of the U. S. Armed Forces is to prepare and conduct prompt and sustained combat operations in support of the national interest, as part of that establishment, the U. S. Navys functions comprise sea control, power projection and nuclear deterrence, in addition to sealift duties. It follows then as certain as that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, the Navy was rooted in the colonial seafaring tradition, which produced a large community of sailors, captains, and shipbuilders. In the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, Massachusetts had its own Massachusetts Naval Militia, the establishment of a national navy was an issue of debate among the members of the Second Continental Congress. Supporters argued that a navy would protect shipping, defend the coast, detractors countered that challenging the British Royal Navy, then the worlds preeminent naval power, was a foolish undertaking. Commander in Chief George Washington resolved the debate when he commissioned the ocean-going schooner USS Hannah to interdict British merchant ships, and reported the captures to the Congress
4.
World War I
–
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history and it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the worlds great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war, Italy, Japan, the trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This set off a crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, the powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1 August. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, after the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, in November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. In 1915, Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, Romania joined the Allies in 1916, after a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives. By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, national borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Germanys colonies were parceled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four imposed their terms in a series of treaties, the League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings of humiliation eventually contributed to World War II. From the time of its start until the approach of World War II, at the time, it was also sometimes called the war to end war or the war to end all wars due to its then-unparalleled scale and devastation. In Canada, Macleans magazine in October 1914 wrote, Some wars name themselves, during the interwar period, the war was most often called the World War and the Great War in English-speaking countries. Will become the first world war in the sense of the word. These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria, when Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation. Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany
5.
Washington Navy Yard
–
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D. C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U. S. Navy, the Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrative center for the U. S. S. Navy Judge Advocate Generals Corps, Marine Corps Institute, the United States Navy Band, in 1998, the yard was listed as a Superfund site due to environmental contamination. The history of the yard can be divided into its history and cultural. The land was purchased under an Act of Congress on July 23,1799, the Washington Navy Yard was established on October 2,1799, the date the property was transferred to the Navy. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U. S. Navy, the original boundaries that were established in 1800, along 9th and M Street SE, are still marked by a white brick wall that surrounds the Yard on the north and east sides. The next year, two lots were purchased. The north wall of the Yard was built in 1809 along with a guardhouse, after the Burning of Washington in 1814, Tingey recommended that the height of the eastern wall be increased to ten feet because of the fire and subsequent looting. The southern boundary of the Yard was formed by the Anacostia River, the west side was undeveloped marsh. The land located along the Anacostia was added to by landfill over the years as it became necessary to increase the size of the Yard, the USS Constitution came to the Yard in 1812 to refit and prepare for combat action. For the first thirty years of the century, the Navy Yard was the Districts principal employer of enslaved African Americans. Their numbers rose rapidly and by 1808, the muster lists, the number of enslaved workers gradually declined during the next thirty years. While the total number of enslaved workers declined, free African Americans remained a presence on the shipyard. Sailors of Navy Yard were part of the hastily assembled American army, the Navy Yard sailors, and Marines of nearby Marine Barracks, Washington, D. C. were in the third and last line of defense at Bladensburg. Together, they fought hand to hand with cutlasses and pikes against the British regulars before being overwhelmed, as the British marched into Washington, holding the Yard became impossible. Tingey, seeing the smoke from the burning Capitol, ordered the Yard burned to prevent its capture by the enemy, both structures are now individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Following the War of 1812, the Washington Navy Yard never regained its prominence as a shipbuilding facility, the waters of the Anacostia River were too shallow to accommodate larger vessels, and the Yard was deemed too inaccessible to the open sea. Thus came a shift to what was to be the character of the Yard for more than a century, ordnance, the Yard possessed one of the earliest steam engines in the United States
6.
Gun barrel
–
A gun barrel is a part of firearms and artillery pieces. The hollow interior of the barrel is called the bore, a gun barrel must be able to hold in the expanding gas produced by the propellants to ensure that optimum muzzle velocity is attained by the projectile as it is being pushed out by the expanding gas. Modern small arms barrels are made of known and tested to withstand the pressures involved. Artillery pieces are made by various techniques providing reliably sufficient strength, early firearms were muzzle-loading, with powder, and then shot loaded from the muzzle, capable of only a low rate of fire. During the 19th century effective mechanical locks were invented that sealed a breech-loading weapon against the escape of propellant gases, the early Chinese, the inventors of gunpowder, used bamboo, a naturally tubular stalk, as the first barrels in gunpowder projectile weapons. Early European guns were made of iron, usually with several strengthening bands of the metal wrapped around circular wrought iron rings. The Chinese were the first to master cast-iron cannon barrels, early cannon barrels were very thick for their caliber. Bore evacuator Bore snake Cannon Muzzle Polygonal rifling Rifling Slug barrel Smoothbore
7.
Caliber
–
In guns, particularly firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel, or the diameter of the projectile it fires, in hundredths or sometimes thousandths of an inch. For example, a 45 caliber firearm has a diameter of.45 of an inch. Barrel diameters can also be expressed using metric dimensions, as in 9mm pistol, when the barrel diameter is given in inches, the abbreviation cal can be used. Good performance requires a bullet to closely match the diameter of a barrel to ensure a good seal. While modern cartridges and cartridge firearms are referred to by the cartridge name. Firearm calibers outside the range of 17 to 50 exist, but are rarely encountered. Larger calibers, such as.577.585.600.700, the.950 JDJ is the only known cartridge beyond 79 caliber used in a rifle. Referring to artillery, caliber is used to describe the length as multiples of the bore diameter. A 5-inch 50 calibre gun has a diameter of 5 in. The main guns of the USS Missouri are 1650 caliber, makers of early cartridge arms had to invent methods of naming the cartridges, since no established convention existed then. One of the early established cartridge arms was the Spencer repeating rifle, later various derivatives were created using the same basic cartridge, but with smaller-diameter bullets, these were named by the cartridge diameter at the base and mouth. The original No.56 became the. 56-56, and the smaller versions. 56-52. 56-50, the. 56-52, the most common of the new calibers, used a 50-cal bullet. Optionally, the weight in grains was designated, e. g. 45-70-405. Variations on these methods persist today, with new cartridges such as the.204 Ruger, metric diameters for small arms refer to cartridge dimensions and are expressed with an × between the bore diameter and the length of the cartridge case, for example,7. 62×51 NATO. This indicates that the diameter is 7. 62mm, loaded in a case 51mm long. Similarly, the 6. 5×55 Swedish cartridge has a diameter of 6.5 mm. An exception to rule is the proprietary cartridge used by U. S. maker Lazzeroni. The following table lists commonly used calibers where both metric and imperial are used as equivalents
8.
Shell (projectile)
–
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile that, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot. Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used, originally, it was called a bombshell, but shell has come to be unambiguous in a military context. Words cognate with grenade are still used for an artillery or mortar projectile in some European languages, shells are usually large-calibre projectiles fired by artillery, combat vehicles, and warships. Shells usually have the shape of a cylinder topped by a nose for good aerodynamic performance, possibly with a tapering base. Solid cannonballs did not need a fuse, but hollow munitions filled with something such as gunpowder to fragment the ball, needed a fuse, percussion fuses with a spherical projectile presented a challenge because there was no way of ensuring that the impact mechanism hit the target. Therefore, shells needed a fuse that was ignited before or during firing. The earliest record of shells being used in combat was by the Republic of Venice at Jadra in 1376, shells with fuses were used at the 1421 siege of St Boniface in Corsica. These were two hollowed hemispheres of stone or bronze held together by an iron hoop, as described in their book, these hollow, gunpowder-packed shells were made of cast iron. At least since the 16th Century grenades made of ceramics or glass were in use in Central Europe, a hoard of several hundred ceramic greandes were discovered during building works in front of a bastion of the Bavarian City of Ingolstadt, Germany dated to the 17th Century. Lots of the grenades obtained their orignal blackpowder loads and igniters, most probably the grenades were intentionally dumped the moat of the bastion before the year 1723. Early powder burning fuses had to be loaded fuse down to be ignited by firing or a portfire put down the barrel to light the fuse, other shells were wrapped in bitumen cloth, which would ignite during the firing and in turn ignite a powder fuse. Nevertheless, shells came into use in the 16th Century. By the 18th Century, it was known that the fuse towards the muzzle could be lit by the flash through the windage between the shell and the barrel, the use of exploding shells from field artillery became relatively commonplace from early in the 19th century. Until the mid 19th century, shells remained as simple exploding spheres that used gunpowder and they were usually made of cast iron, but bronze, lead, brass and even glass shell casings were experimented with. The word bomb encompassed them at the time, as heard in the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner, typically, the thickness of the metal body was about a sixth of their diameter and they were about two thirds the weight of solid shot of the same calibre. To ensure that shells were loaded with their fuses towards the muzzle, in 1819, a committee of British artillery officers recognised that they were essential stores and in 1830 Britain standardised sabot thickness as a half inch. The sabot was also intended to reduce jamming during loading, despite the use of exploding shell, the use of smoothbore cannons, firing spherical projectiles of shot, remained the dominant artillery method until the 1850s. By the late 18th century, artillery could use canister shot to defend itself from infantry or cavalry attack and this involved loading a tin or canvas container filled with small iron or lead balls instead of the usual cannonball
9.
Gun laying
–
Gun laying is the process of aiming an artillery piece, such as a gun, howitzer or mortar on land, or at sea, against surface or air targets. It may be laying for direct fire, where the gun is aimed similarly to a rifle, or indirect fire, the term includes automated aiming using, for example, radar-derived target data and computer-controlled guns. Gun laying means moving the axis of the bore of the barrel in two planes, horizontal and vertical. A gun is traversed – rotated in a horizontal plane – to align it with the target, Gun laying is a set of actions to align the axis of a gun barrel so that it points in the required direction. This alignment is in the horizontal and vertical planes, Gun laying may be for direct fire, where the layer sees the target, or indirect fire, where the target may not be visible from the gun. Gun laying has sometimes called training the gun. Laying in the vertical plane uses data derived from trials or empirical experience, for any given gun and projectile types, it reflects the distance to the target and the size of the propellant charge. It also incorporates any differences in height between gun and target, with indirect fire, it may allow for other variables as well. With indirect fire the horizontal angle is relative to something, typically the guns aiming point, depending on the gun mount, there is usually a choice of two trajectories. The dividing angle between the trajectories is about 45 degrees, it varies due to gun dependent factors. Below 45 degrees the trajectory is called low angle, above is high angle, the differences are that low angle fire has a shorter time of flight, a lower vertex and flatter angle of descent. All guns have carriages or mountings that support the barrel assembly, early guns could only be traversed by moving their entire carriage or mounting, and this lasted with heavy artillery into World War II. Mountings could be fitted into traversing turrets on ships, coast defences or tanks, from circa 1900 field artillery carriages provided traverse without moving the wheels and trail. The carriage, or mounting, also enabled the barrel to be set at the elevation angle. With some gun mounts it is possible to depress the gun, some guns require a near-horizontal elevation for loading. An essential capability for any elevation mechanism is to prevent the weight of the barrel forcing its heavier end downward and this is greatly helped by having trunnions at the centre of gravity, although a counterbalance mechanism can be used. It also means the elevation gear has to be enough to resist considerable downward pressure. However, mortars, where the forces were transferred directly into the ground
10.
Amphitrite-class monitor
–
The Amphitrite class monitors were a class of four U. S. Navy monitors ordered in the aftermath of the Virginius affair with Spain in 1873. A fifth ship originally of the design, Puritan, was later fitted with extra armor. Most of the vessels were commissioned in the mid-1890s—more than twenty years after the commencement of construction. They were eventually to see service in the Spanish–American War. On 1 October 1873, the American-flagged merchant ship Virginius was intercepted by the Spanish Navy on suspicion of supplying provisions, a few days later,53 crew and passengers of Virginius were summarily executed by the Spanish, including several Americans and Britons, creating a serious diplomatic crisis. The Amphitrite class monitors were designed with a displacement of 3,990 long tons and they had an overall length of 262 ft and a length at the waterline of 259 ft. They measured 55 ft 6 in at the beam with a 14 ft 6 in draft and they were manned by a total crew of 19 officers and 164 enlisted men. The Amphitrites were powered by steam engines, except Monadnock, which used triple expansion engines. The ships were armed with main battery of four 10 in /30 caliber guns, with 10-inch/31 caliber, later modified to 10-inch/35 caliber, the secondary battery consisted of four 6-pounder 57 mm guns. The main belt armor was 7 in in the middle tapering to 5 in at the ends, the gun turrets were 11.5 in. The Amphitrites also had a 1.75 in deck, in the years following the American Civil War, the US Congress had allowed the Navy to fall into disrepair as the nation focussed its energies on reconstruction and westward expansion. These vessels were in poor condition however, that Robeson took it upon himself to use the money to build five entirely new monitors instead. In furtherance of this scheme, he gave the new monitors identical names to the old, a fifth contract, for Monadnock, was accepted by a New York entrepreneur, Phineas Burgess. Continental Iron Works was the firm to decline Robesons offer. However, Continental Iron Works would still participate in construction of the monitors through its supply of prefabricated ship parts to Burgess. The terms for each contractor were identical—a set of three contracts which covered respectively the building of the frames, installation of hull plates, and installation of the engines, the third contract was left unsigned in each case until the first two had been fulfilled. Robeson resorted to cannibalizing many of the old Civil War era ironclads to sell as scrap to the shipbuilders in lieu of cash payments, the Cramp shipyard received four old monitors for scrapping, including Otsego. The scrap value of Puritan was estimated at $43,000, Roach also received several other vessels for scrap including the screw frigate Neshaminy and the screw sloop Severn—fourteen ships in total, including the monitors
11.
Monitor (warship)
–
A monitor was a relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s, during the First World War, during the Vietnam War they were used by the United States Navy. The Brazilian Navys Parnaíba is the last monitor in service, the original monitor was designed by John Ericsson in 1861 who named it USS Monitor. They were designed for waters and served as coastal ships. The term monitor also encompassed more flexible breastwork monitors, and was used as a generic term for any turreted ship. The term monitor also encompasses the strongest of riverine warcraft, known as river monitors, the Lord Clive vessels were scrapped in the 1920s. In Latin, a monitor is someone who admonishes—that is, reminds others of their duties—which is how USS Monitor was given its name. She was designed by John Ericsson for emergency service in the Federal navy during the American Civil War to blockade the Confederate States from supply at sea. Ericsson designed her to operate in water and to present as small a target as possible. Nathaniel Hawthorne described Monitor thus, At no great distance from the Minnesota lay the strangest-looking craft I ever saw, going on board, we were surprised at the extent and convenience of her interior accommodations. Forward, or aft, the crew are relatively quite as well provided for as the officers and it was like finding a palace, with all its conveniences, under the sea. A storm of cannon-shot damages them no more than a handful of dried peas, nothing, however, can exceed the confidence of the officers in this new craft. Yet even this will not long be the last and most terrible improvement in the science of war, the Battle of Hampton Roads, between Monitor and CSS Virginia, was the first engagement between ironclad vessels. Several such battles took place during the course of the American Civil War, however, fortification bombardment was another critical role that the early monitors played, though one that these early designs were much less capable in performing. She was followed by 14 more monitors, one of them, Kanonbåten Sölve, served until 1922 and is today preserved at the Maritiman marine museum in Gothenburg. Ericsson and others experimented greatly during the years of the American Civil War, vessels constructed included a triple-turreted monitor, a class of paddlewheel-propelled monitors, a class of semi-submersible monitors, and a class of monitors armed with spar torpedoes. In the 1860s and 1870s several nations built monitors that were used for coastal defense and those that were directly modelled on Monitor were low-freeboard, mastless, steam-powered vessels with one or two rotating, armoured turrets. The low freeboard meant that ships were unsuitable for ocean-going duties and were always at risk of swamping, flooding
12.
USS Miantonomoh (BM-5)
–
Miatonomoh steamed from Philadelphia to Washington and thence to New York where she decommissioned 13 March 1883. Completed at New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, between 1883 and 1891, the New Navy monitor commissioned 27 October 1891, Captain Montgomery Sicard in command, during the next year Miantonomoh cruised the east coast between New York and Charleston. Late in 1892 she was laid up at New York, but between 1892 and 1895 she supported fleet target practice and served the naval militias of Massachusetts and she decommissioned at Philadelphia on 20 November 1895. After the sinking of battleship Maine in Havana harbor 15 February 1898, Miantonomoh recommissioned 10 March 1898, on 21 April, the United States and Spain severed diplomatic ties, leading to the Spanish–American War. The following day, President William McKinley ordered Rear Admiral William T. Sampson to blockade ports on the northern coast of Cuba, after fitting out at Charleston, S. C. Miantonomoh joined the blockading force 5 May to serve until the blockade was lifted 14 August, Miantonomoh returned to Charleston 29 August and to Philadelphia 1 October. She decommissioned at League Island 8 March 1899, Miantonomoh remained in reserve until 1906 when she was loaned to the Maryland Naval Militia. She recommissioned at Philadelphia 9 April 1907, Chief Boatswain Eugene M. Isaacs in command, for the next several months she operated out of Norfolk and participated in the Jamestown Exposition commemorating the tercentenary of the first permanent English settlement in America. Returning to League Island 4 December, she decommissioned 21 December, laid up at Philadelphia until 17 December 1915, Miantonomoh was then authorized for use as a target by the 5th Naval District. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 31 December 1915 and this article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here
13.
USS Monterey (BM-6)
–
The second USS Monterey was the sole Monterey-class monitor. Laid down by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California,20 December 1889, she was launched 28 April 1891, sponsored by Miss Kate C. She was commissioned 13 February 1893, with Captain Lewis Kempff in command, each spring the monitor would make a voyage down the California coast or a trip to Washington for target practice. From April to August 1895, she made a voyage down the South American coast to Callao, Peru, via Acapulco, Mazatlán. Though not designed for extended ocean cruising, the big monitor departed San Diego, California,11 June in company with the collier Brutus for Manila. On 18 September she commenced 5 days of operations in Subic Bay with the gunboats Charleston and Concord and she remained in the Philippines until 6 April 1900, then sailing for China, where she received new boilers at Hong Kong. The Monterey continued her operations along the coast of China from Chefoo to Hong Kong and she returned to Cavite in the spring of 1903 for repairs, and was decommissioned 15 December 1904. The Monterey recommissioned in reserve at Olongapo Naval Station on 28 September 1907 and she remained at Olongapo, recommissioning in reserve through November 1911, and making brief voyages to Cavite, Manila, and Subic Bay for repairs and target practice. She was placed in full commission 9 November 1911 and two days later sailed for Amoy, China, the Monterey operated off the China coast to protect American interests at Foochow, Swatow, and Shanghai until, returning by Hong Kong to Cavite 16 November 1913. The Monterey returned to reserve at Olongapo 11 February 1913, the old monitor departed Cavite 13 November 1917, and was taken in tow by collier Ajax on the 15th. She proceeded by way of Guam to Pearl Harbor, arriving 19 December, assigned as the station ship for Pearl Harbor Naval Station, the Monterey remained in service at the submarine base until she was decommissioned 27 August 1921. She was sold to A. Bercovich Co, oakland, California in February,1922, and towed across the Pacific to be scrapped. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the entry can be found here
14.
Armored cruiser
–
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Varying in size, it was distinguished from other types of cruiser by its belt armor—thick iron plating on much of the hull to protect the ship from shellfire much like that on battleships. The first armored cruiser, the Imperial Russian Navys General-Admiral, was launched in 1873 and combined sail, by the 1890s cruisers had abandoned sail and took on a modern appearance. The invention of face-hardened armor in the mid-1890s offered effective protection with less weight than previously, at around the same time, the term light cruiser came into use for small cruisers with armored belts. Despite the fact they were now considered second-class ships, armored cruisers were used in World War I. A handful survived in one form or another until World War II, the armored cruiser was developed in the 1870s as an attempt to combine the virtues of the armored ironclad warship and the fast and long-ranged, but unarmored, cruisers of the time. Such a ship was desirable to protect trade and, especially for the French and British. Concern over obsolescence in official circles was fueled by the race between the increasing size of naval guns and of armor strong enough to withstand such fire. In 1860, one of the largest naval cannons in use had a bore of 8 inches. By 1884, guns with as wide a bore as 16.25 inches, firing an 1 and this gun could penetrate up to 34 inches of wrought iron, the earliest form of naval armor. These were muzzle-loading guns, as had been used on ships from the 1500s, breech-loading cannon, which were readopted into naval use in the 1870s, were more destructive than muzzle loaders due to their higher rate of fire. The development of rifled cannon, which improved accuracy, and advancements in shells were other factors, the adoption of rolled iron armor in 1865 and sandwich armor in 1870 gave ships a chance to withstand fire from larger guns. Both these protective schemes used wood as an important component, which made them heavy and limited speed. Powered by both sail and steam but without the weight of armor, these ships could reach speeds of up to 16 or 17 knots. The most powerful among them were the British Inconstant, the U. S. Navys Wampanoag, the British especially had hoped to rely on these vessels to serve the more distant reaches of its empire. Ship propulsion was improving but was taking time to develop. Naval engines in the 1860s were single-expansion types, in which steam was expanded into a cylinder, with greater efficiency came increasingly complex machinery and the larger potential for breakdown. By the 1870s, compound engines had become standard for warships, compounding by itself did not increase power or speed significantly, although it allowed for a much greater operating range
15.
USS Maine (ACR-1)
–
USS Maine is an American naval ship that sank in Havana Harbor during the Cuban revolt against Spain, an event that became a major political issue in the United States. Commissioned in 1895, this was the first United States Navy ship to be named after the state of Maine, originally classified as an armored cruiser, she was built in response to the Brazilian battleship Riachuelo and the increase of naval forces in Latin America. She dispensed with full masts thanks to the reliability of steam engines by the time of her construction. Despite these advances, Maine was out of date by the time she entered service, due to her protracted construction period and changes in the role of ships of her type, naval tactics and technology. It took nine years to complete, and nearly three years for the armor plating alone, the general use of steel in warship construction precluded the use of ramming without danger to the attacking vessel. The potential for blast damage from firing end on or cross-deck discouraged en échelon gun placement, the changing role of the armored cruiser from a small, heavily armored substitute for the battleship to a fast, lightly armored commerce raider also hastened her obsolescence. Despite these disadvantages, Maine was seen as an advance in American warship design, Maine is best known for her loss in Havana Harbor on the evening of 15 February 1898. Sent to protect U. S. interests during the Cuban revolt against Spain, she exploded suddenly, without warning, the cause and responsibility for her sinking remained unclear after a board of inquiry investigated. Nevertheless, popular opinion in the U. S. fanned by inflammatory articles printed in the press by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Became a rallying cry for action, which came with the Spanish–American War later that year, while the sinking of Maine was not a direct cause for action, it served as a catalyst, accelerating the approach to a diplomatic impasse between the U. S. and Spain. The cause of Maines sinking remains a subject of speculation, in 1898, an investigation of the explosion was carried out by a naval board appointed under the McKinley Administration. The consensus of the board was that Maine was destroyed by an explosion from a mine. However, the validity of this investigation has been challenged, George W. Melville, a chief engineer in the Navy, proposed that a more likely cause for the sinking was from a magazine explosion within the vessel. The Navys leading ordnance expert, Philip R. Alger, took this further by suggesting that the magazines were ignited by a spontaneous fire in a coal bunker. The coal used in Maine was bituminous coal, which is known for releasing firedamp, there is stronger evidence that the explosion of Maine was caused by an internal coal fire which ignited the magazines. This was a cause of the explosion, rather than the initial hypothesis of a mine. The ship lay at the bottom of the harbor until 1911, a cofferdam was then built around the wreck. The hull was patched up until the ship was afloat, then towed to sea, the Maine now lies on the sea-bed 3,600 feet below the surface
16.
Breech-loading weapon
–
A breech-loading gun is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel. Modern mass production firearms are breech-loading, early firearms, on the other hand, were almost entirely muzzle-loading. In field artillery, breech loading allows the crew to reload the gun without exposing themselves to fire or repositioning the piece. The main challenge for developers of breech-loading firearms was sealing the breech and this was eventually solved for smaller firearms by the development of the self-contained metallic cartridge. For firearms too large to use cartridges, the problem was solved by the development of the interrupted screw, breech-loading swivel guns were invented in the 14th century. The breech-loading swivel gun had a rate of fire, and was especially effective in anti-personnel roles. Breech-loading firearms are known from the 16th century, Henry VIII possessed one, which he apparently used as a hunting gun to shoot birds. More breech-loading firearms were made in the early 18th century, one such gun known to have belonged to Philip V of Spain, and was manufactured circa 1715, probably in Madrid. It came with a ready-to load reusable cartridge, patrick Ferguson, a British Army officer, developed in 1772 the Ferguson rifle, a breech-loading flintlock firearm. Later on into the century there were attempts in Europe at an effective breech-loader. There were concentrated attempts at improved cartridges and methods of ignition, the cartridge was loaded through the breech and fired with a needle. The needle-activated central-fire breech-loading gun would become a feature of firearms thereafter. The corresponding firearm was also developed by Pauly, Pauly made an improved version, which was protected by a patent on 29 September 1812. In 1846 another Paris Frenchman, Benjamin Houllier, patented the first fully metallic cartridge containing powder in a metallic shell, Houllier commercialised his weapons in association with the gunsmiths Blanchard or Charles Robert. In English-speaking countries the Flobert cartridge corresponds to the.22 BB, the first centrefire cartridge was introduced in 1855 by Pottet, with both Berdan and Boxer priming. The Dreyse Zündnadelgewehr or Dreyse needle gun, was a single-shot breech-loading rifle using a rotating bolt to seal the breech and it was so called because of its. 5-inch needle-like firing pin, which passed through a paper cartridge case to impact a percussion cap at the bullet base. It began development in the 1830s under von Dreyse and eventually a version of it was adopted by Prussia in the late 1840s. The paper cartridge and the gun had numerous deficiencies, specifically, however, the rifle was used to great success in the Prussian army in the Austro-Prussian war of 1866
17.
Built-up gun
–
A built-up gun is artillery with a specially reinforced barrel. An inner tube of metal stretches within its elastic limit under the pressure of confined powder gases to transmit stress to outer cylinders that are under tension. Concentric metal cylinders or wire windings are assembled to minimize the required to resist the pressure of powder gases pushing a projectile out of the barrel. Built-up construction was the norm for guns mounted aboard 20th century Dreadnoughts and contemporary railway guns, coastal artillery, velocity and range of artillery vary directly with pressure of gunpowder or smokeless powder gasses pushing the shell out of a gun barrel. A gun will deform if chamber pressure strain a gun barrel beyond the limit of the metal from which the barrel is made. Thickness of homogeneous cast metal gun barrels reached a limit at approximately one-half caliber. Claverinos 1876 treatise on the Resistance of Hollow Cylinders was published in Giornale dArtigliera, the innermost cylinder forming the chamber and rifled bore is called a tube or, with certain construction techniques, a liner. A second layer cylinder called the jacket extends rearward past the chamber to house the breechblock, the jacket usually extends forward through the areas of highest pressure, through the recoil slide, and may extend all the way to the muzzle. The forward part of the barrel may be tapered toward the muzzle because less strength is required for reduced pressures as the approaches it. This tapered portion of barrel is called the chase, very large guns sometimes use shorter outer cylinders called hoops when manufacturing limitations make full length jackets impractical. Hoops forward of the slide are called chase hoops, the jacket or forward chase hoop may be flared outward in the form of a bell at the muzzle for extra strength to reduce splitting because the metal at that point is not supported on the forward end. As many as four or five layers, or hoop courses, layers are designated alphabetically as the A tube enclosed by the B jacket and chase hoops, enclosed by the C hoop course, enclosed by the D hoop course, etc. Individual hoops within a course are numbered from the forward as the B1 jacket, the B2 chase hoop, and then the C1 jacket hoop. Successive hoop course joints are staggered and individual hoop courses use lap joints in preference to butt joints to minimize the weakness of joint locations. Cylinder diameter may be varied by including machined shoulders to prevent forward longitudinal movement of an inner cylinder within an outer cylinder during firing, shoulder locations are similarly staggered to minimize weakness. When the jacket is in position, it is cooled to form a tensioned shrink fit over the tube, then the next hoop is similarly heated so the assembled A tube and B1 jacket can be lowered into position for a successive shrink fit. The assembled unit may be machined prior to fitting a new hoop, the process continues as remaining tubes are heated sequentially and cooled onto the built-up unit until all elements have been assembled. When tensioned wire winding is used in place of a hoop course, burning powder gases melt part of the bore each time a gun is fired
18.
Caliber (artillery)
–
In artillery, caliber or calibre is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length. Rifled barrels introduce ambiguity to measurement of caliber, a rifled bore consists of alternating grooves and lands. The distance across the bore from groove to groove is greater than the distance from land to land, the depth of rifling grooves increases in larger calibers. United States Navy guns typically used rifling depth between one-half and one percent of caliber, projectile bourrelet diameter specification was 0.015 inches less than land to land diameter with a minus manufacturing tolerance so average clearance was about 0.012 inches. Driving band diameter was groove to groove diameter plus 0.02 inches, the length of the barrel is often quoted in calibers. For example, US Naval Rifles 3 in or larger, the effective length of the barrel is divided by the barrel diameter to give a dimensionless quantity.81 As an example, the main guns of the Iowa-class battleships can be referred to as 16/50 caliber. They are 16 inches in diameter and the barrel is 800 inches long, the bore to barrel length ratio is called caliber in naval gunnery,81 but is called length in army artillery. Before World War II, the US Navy used 5/51 caliber as surface-to-surface guns, by the end of World War II, the dual purpose 5/38 caliber was standard naval armament against surface and air targets. All three had a diameter of 5 inches. At sea, a weapon had to perform, without fail, there was no ready replacement, nor one that could be readily supplied. Over time, the terms of pound and bore became confused and blurred, eventually, when the technology existed, the bore came to be the standard measure. For naval rifles, the change was to actual bore. They then began to measure the length of the weapon in calibers. These were a measure of the bore of the barrel versus the rifled bore of the barrel. In other words, a 12/45 is 12×45= the length of the bore of that gun in inches. This explains the differences in both penetration and long range performance of naval rifles over the years. In addition to the improvements in overall performance, the increase in barrel length also allowed, in some circumstances. For example, the American 14/45, as introduced in the New York-class battleships, later improvements to the design, lengthening the rifle itself and also altering the breech, allowed a 1400 lb. projectile and, overall, a greater barrel life
19.
USS Amphitrite (BM-2)
–
Rapid changes in naval technology and doctrine during the two decades she was under construction had repeatedly delayed her progress, and she was redesigned twice while still under construction. Following post-shakedown repairs and alterations at Norfolk, Amphitrite sailed on 20 November 1895 for Annapolis, Maryland, dropping down to the York River and Lynnhaven Bay soon thereafter, the monitor conducted target practice at Hampton Roads before returning to Norfolk. She then proceeded south from Norfolk on 13 December 1895 for the eastern seaboard of the United States. She visited Charleston, South Carolina en route, and reached Key West on 9 January 1896 and she served on naval militia instruction at Norfolk until 9 July, when she accompanied the Atlantic Squadron on drills off Tolchester Beach, Maryland. She spent the several months operating between Norfolk, Charleston, and Tompkinsville, Staten Island, into early May 1897. While operating out of Charleston between February and April 1897, she conducted training on the average of three days per month. Detached from the Atlantic Squadron on 7 May 1897, Amphitrite served as a ship for the instruction of gun captains. As such, she was placed in ordinary at Norfolk, since she was not recommissioned until 2 October 1897. The men she placed in service proved to be invaluable in the war with Spain. Some 45 trained gun captains who had received exact training fit to match the modern gun, clearing Hampton Roads on 16 November, Amphitrite reached Port Royal on 19 November, and remained there for over a month. After visiting Charleston from 23 December 1897 –1 January 1898, she returned to Port Royal. In February 1898, tensions between the United States and Spain served as the backdrop for the explosion, in Havana Harbor, as the U. S. and Spain moved toward war, a flurry of orders began deploying the United States Navy to be ready for hostilities. Amphitrite sailed from Port Royal on 5 April, and arrived at Key West on the 8th and she remained there until the 22nd, before she operated from that place from 22–27 April. She was at sea when the U. S. declared war on Spain, because the monitors could not carry large amounts of coal, Sampson directed that the monitors be towed by the heavier ships. I was directed to tow the Amphitrite with the Iowa, the sea was very smooth, and we were soon pulling her along at nine knots, but before the job was finished I wished I had never seen a monitor. We found ourselves in the sea looking for an enemy who could steam at the speed of sixteen to eighteen knots while we could barely maintain seven. The prospect of catching him was not very bright, however, we were doing our best with the tools the Government had given us to work with. After many vexatious delays, Evans writes, the American ships arrived off their destination, San Juan, Puerto Rico, on the morning of 12 May, Amphitrite was assigned to the 1st Division, and steamed sixth in column as Sampsons ships stood toward San Juan
20.
USS Monadnock (BM-3)
–
The second USS Monadnock was an iron‑hulled, twin‑screw, double‑turreted monitor of the Amphitrite class in the United States Navy which saw service in the Spanish–American War. On June 23,1874 in response to the Virginius Incident President Ulysses S. Grants Secretary of Navy George M. Sumner in command, after fitting out Monadnock served as a unit of the Pacific Squadron along the west coast. During the next two years exercises and training cruises sent her along the Pacific coast from Puget Sound to the Baja California peninsula, after the outbreak of war with Spain, she was ordered to join George Deweys fleet in the Philippines. She departed San Francisco, California on 23 June 1898, touched at Hawaii early in July, on February 10,1899, several reports indicate the Monadnock participated in the Battle of Caloocan, a town a few miles north of Manila. She also participated in fighting, such as late February shelling of a city. She operated on blockade duty in the Mariveles-Manila-Cavite area, with voyages to Hong Kong. On 26 December, she sailed for Hong Kong and for the five years, cruised the rivers of China, particularly the Yangtze. On 3 February 1905 she returned to Cavite, operating out of Olongapo, she remained in the Philippines, with two interruptions for brief visits to Hong Kong, until decommissioned at Cavite on 10 March 1909. Recommissioned in reserve 20 April 1911, she resumed operations out of Olongapo, for the next seven years she cruised with submarines, and towed targets. Decommissioning for the last time 24 March 1919, her name was struck from the Navy list on 2 February 1923, the entry can be found here
21.
USS Terror (BM-4)
–
Her construction progressed over the next three years until suspended in 1877. Work was resumed six years later, and the monitor was launched on 24 March 1883, delivered to the Navy in 1887, the still-unfinished warship was taken to the New York Navy Yard for completion. Over the next seven years, she fitted out at a snails pace, Terror was finally commissioned at New York City on 15 April 1896, with Captain Purnell Frederick Harrington in command. The mysterious explosion which wrecked the armored cruiser Maine at Havana Harbor on 15 February 1898 materially increased tensions between the United States and Spain, Terror sped south from Tompkinsville to join the fleet concentrating in southern waters and arrived at Key West on 2 April 1898. Three days later, the United States declared war on Spain, Terror, which had arrived off Cardenas, Cuba, on the 24th, captured a Cuban vessel—Almansas—on the first day of hostilities, but later released her. Over the next two days, the monitor took two Spanish ships, Ambrosia Bolivar and Guido, and sent the prizes to Florida, meanwhile, the whereabouts of the Spanish Navys Caribbean Squadron under Admiral Pascual Cervera prompted concern in naval circles in Washington. Intelligence estimates which reached Sampson noted that the Spanish fleet had departed the Cape Verde Islands on the morning of 29 April, Sampson reacted by deciding to meet Cerveras fleet at San Juan, Puerto Rico, the nearest Spanish base in the West Indies. Terror and Amphitrite broke down en route and materially delayed Sampsons passage. At one point, New York took both Terror and Porter in tow, upon arrival off San Juan on 12 May, the Americans found only a couple of minor Spanish gunboats in the harbor. In order to develop their positions and strength, Sampson decided to conduct a bombardment of the shore defenses. The squadron stood in for their target at 04,00, on 12 May 1898, with the ships cleared for action, sounding general quarters at 05,00, the Americans opened fire within 15 minutes, and the Spanish began returning fire at 05,23. Terror stood in, fifth in column, duelling with the Spanish shore batteries in an engagement for the next three hours. As the action wore on, a volume of white smoke restricted visibility. Terror, which had moved close inshore to gain a firing position, kept up a spirited fire until 08,15. The monitor subsequently resumed her operations in the West Indies and off Puerto Rico for the duration of hostilities with Spain. At the conclusion of the war, Terror sailed north for Hampton Roads, placed in reserve at Norfolk on 18 October 1898, the monitor was decommissioned and placed in ordinary on 25 February 1899. Taken to Annapolis, Maryland, late in 1901, Terror was recommissioned for service at the Naval Academy and she conducted a summer midshipman cruise in 1905. Later taken up to Philadelphia, Terror was placed in reserve on 11 September 1905 and was decommissioned and laid up at League Island on 8 May 1906
22.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
23.
Capital ship
–
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships, they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a ship in a naval fleet. William S. Lind, in the book America Can Win, defines a capital ship as follows, These characteristics define a capital ship, if the ships are beaten. But if the rest of the navy is beaten, the ships can still operate. Another characteristic that defines capital ships is that their opponent is each other. The Mahanian doctrine was applied by the Imperial Japanese Navy, leading to its preventive move to attack Pearl Harbor. Four-deckers suffered in rough seas, and the lowest deck could seldom fire except in calm conditions, third rate,64 to 80 guns. Fourth rate,46 to 60 guns, frigates were ships of the fifth rate, sixth rates comprised small frigates and corvettes. Towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars and into the late 19th century, some larger and this applied mainly to ships resulting from the dreadnought revolution, dreadnought battleships and battlecruisers. In the 20th century, especially in World Wars I and II, typical capital ships would be battleships, all of the above ships were close to 20,000 tons displacement or heavier, with large caliber guns and heavy armor protection. Heavy cruisers, despite being important ships, were not considered capital ships, an exception to the above in World War II was the Deutschland-class cruiser. The Alaska-class cruisers, despite being oversized heavy cruisers and not true battleships/battlecruisers, were considered by some to be capital ships. In regard to design, however, the Kirov is simply a supersized guided-missile cruiser with nuclear propulsion. It took until late 1942 for aircraft carriers to be considered capital ships. The U. S. Navy was forced to rely primarily on its aircraft carriers after the attack on Pearl Harbor sank or damaged eight of its Pacific-fleet battleships. In the 21st century, the carrier is the last remaining capital ship, with capability defined in decks available and aircraft per deck, rather than in guns. Despite their significance to modern fleets, the U. S. Navy has never named aircraft carriers after U. S. states as was the practice when battleships were considered capital ships. Instead, U. S. state names are applied to nuclear submarines while Aircraft Carriers are named after famous Navy personel and presidents, such as Chester W. Nimitz
24.
12"/45 caliber Mark 5 gun
–
The 12/45 caliber Mark 5 gun was an American naval gun that first entered service in 1906. Initially designed for use with the Connecticut-class of pre-dreadnought battleships, the Mark 5 continued in service aboard the first generation of American dreadnoughts. The 12-inch /45 caliber Mark 5 naval gun was designed as an improvement upon the preceding American naval gun. As such, it was a similar weapon, having been lengthened by 5 calibers to allow for improved muzzle velocity, range. Designed to the specifications of the Bureau of Ordnance, the Mark 5 was constructed at the U. S. Naval Gun Factory in Washington, the Mark 5 weighed 53 short tons and was capable of firing 2 to 3 times a minute. With an initial velocity of 2,700 ft/s, the gun had a barrel life of 175 rounds. As designed, the Mark 5 was capable of penetrating 16.6 in of Harvey plated side armor at 6,000 yd,12.2 in at 9,000 yd, and 9.9 in at 12,000 yd. By comparison the 12-inch/40 caliber Mark 4 it replaced could only penetrate 4.6 in,11.6 in, and 9.4 in at those distances, respectively. The Mark 5 entered service in 1906 and remained the primary battleship gun for all American battleships commissioned before 1912, all told, the Mark 5 would arm 14 battleships of five different classes, making it the most-utilized main gun in American battleship history. Despite this distinction, the only Mark 5 guns ever to be fired in anger were actually in Greek, and not American, service. The ex-Mississippi-class battleships Kilkis and Lemnos, sold to the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1914, a Mark 5 Mod 8 gun is displayed at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York, representative of the general type of coast artillery guns the fort had. During the summer of 1916, Michigan blew out her hand gun in turret No.2 during target practice. This problem, known as copper choke, allowed the pressure in the barrel to increase to dangerous levels, lapping heads, to remove these deposits, were issued for all guns 12-inch and larger throughout the fleet. The lapping heads were replaced by wire and pisaba brushes. Following the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922, many of the Mark 5 guns in service were removed from sea duty, in this capacity, the maximum range of the Mark 5 increased to 30,000 yd, due to the greater elevation that was possible. These guns were not deployed by the US Army, and some were sold to Brazil, in Greek service, the guns removed from Lemnos were emplaced on the island of Aegina, where they helped to defend the approaches to the port of Athens. 305mm/45 Modèle 1906 French equivalent BL12 inch Mk X naval gun British equivalent Type 41 12-inch /45 caliber naval gun Japanese equivalent
25.
14"/45 caliber gun
–
They were installed aboard the United States Navys New York-class, Nevada-class, and Pennsylvania-class battleships as the primary armament for each battleship in the class. The gun also saw service in the British Royal Navy, where it was designated the BL14 inch gun Mk II, the design of the 14-inch/45 caliber dates to about 1910, and they entered service in 1914 aboard Texas, and then New York shortly after. At a 15 degree angle, the guns could fire a shell out to 23,000 yd, each individual gun weighed 140,670 lb without the breech and measured 642.5 in in length. Each of the original Mark 1 built-up guns consisted of a tube without liner, jacket, eight hoops, to compensate for the problem of gun drooping, four hoop-locking rings were added to the guns. The Mark 3 added three hoop locking rings and contained a slide, while the Mark 5 had five hoops total. Owing to the interchangeability of the guns, the battleships fitted with the 14-inch/45 caliber guns often had guns of various Marks installed on each turret. In the 1930s, the Mark 1,2,3, and 5 were upgraded to allow for increased charges and muzzle velocities, resulting in the Mark 8,9,10, and 12, respectively. All guns employed a Welin breech block and used a Smith-Asbury mechanism and these improvements enabled the guns to fire heavier 1,500 lb shells, and increasing the gun mount elevation to 30 degrees extended the range of the guns to 36,000 yd. New York bombarded North Africa during landings in 1942, Pennsylvania took part in the Aleutian Islands Campaign and Texas, due to the attack on Pearl Harbor, both Oklahoma and Arizona never fired their main batteries in anger. However, the 14-inch/45 caliber guns salvaged from the number 2 turret aboard Arizona were removed and installed aboard Nevada in the fall of 1944. The aft turrets from Arizona were moved to become United States Army Coast Artillery Corps Battery Arizona on the west coast of Oahu, eight US Navy standard 14-inch/45 caliber guns, complete with mountings, built by Bethlehem Steel, were supplied to the United Kingdom in World War I. They were mounted on Abercrombie-class monitors under the British service designation BL14 inch gun Mk II
26.
14"/50 caliber gun
–
The 14/50 caliber gun was a naval gun mounted on New Mexico- and Tennessee-class battleships. These ships also featured the first three-gun turrets, meaning that gun in each turret could be individually sleeved to elevate separately. The 14/50 caliber guns were designated as Mark 4 and 6, with later versions known as Mark 7,11 and these guns were more powerful than the main gun mounted on the previous two classes of US battleships, the 14/45 caliber gun. The ships were canceled in 1922 after the Washington Naval Treaty was signed. The 14/50 caliber gun was designed in 1916 and entered service in 1918 on the New Mexico-class battleships, the guns were capable of firing a 1,402 pounds armor-piercing projectile at an angle of 15 degrees, to a range of 24,000 yards. Each gun weighed approximately 179,614 pounds, including the breech, the propellant charge used for the ammunition weighed 470 pounds and was contained in four bags. Each Mark 4 built-up gun consisted of a tube, liner, three hoops and two locking rings were also included. The Mark 6 was slightly different in that it contained a single step taper liner, downward-opening Welin breech blocks and Smith-Asbury mechanisms were used on both Mark 4 and Mark 6 types. The Navy encountered dispersion problems at extreme ranges with these guns in the 1920s, several methods were used to correct these problems, including correction of range tables for errors, addition delay coils, reduction of chamber volume, and improvement of shot seating. The Mark 7 was designed in the 1930s and entered service in 1935 and this gun included a smaller chamber, a shell-centering cone, a single-slope band seat, uniform rifling, and a tube locking ring. Mark 11 was introduced later, with chromium plating added to the bore, New Mexico- and Tennessee-class battleships were rearmed with 14/50 Mark 11 guns, with the Tennessee receiving the upgrade in 1942. The dispersion problems that existed with Marks 4 and 6 were corrected with these guns, a newer version of the 14/50 caliber gun, Mark B, was designed in 1937. It was the original gun intended for use on the North Carolina-class battleships, although it was simpler and lighter than the older versions, the Mark B was the most powerful 14 inch weapon ever designed by the United States. However, the prototype of this gun was not completed because the 14 inch treaty limit was rescinded in 1937 which allowed the new battleships to be armed with 16 inch guns. The 14/50 caliber gun was installed on five battleships, New Mexico, Mississippi, Idaho, Tennessee, Mississippi, Tennessee, and California all participated in the last line battle to date, the Battle of Surigao Strait. As shore bombardment platforms, these five battleships participated in all phases of the war, such as the Aleutian Islands Campaign, the Battle of Kwajalein, during World War I, five of the 14/50 caliber guns served as railway guns on the Western Front in France. 119L2, a Mark 2 gun on a Mark 1 Railway Mount No,148, is located at the US Navy Museum, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC. 19, on an M1918 Railway Mount No,9, built by the Marion Steam Shovel Company, is located at the US Army Ordnance School, Fort Lee, Virginia
27.
Cruiser
–
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundred years, and has had different meanings throughout this period. In the middle of the 19th century, cruiser came to be a classification for the intended for cruising distant waters, commerce raiding. Cruisers came in a variety of sizes, from the medium-sized protected cruiser to large armored cruisers that were nearly as big as a pre-dreadnought battleship. With the advent of the battleship before World War I. The very large battlecruisers of the World War I era that succeeded armored cruisers were now classified, along with dreadnought battleships, in the later 20th century, the obsolescence of the battleship left the cruiser as the largest and most powerful surface combatant after the aircraft carrier. The role of the cruiser varied according to ship and navy, often including air defense, during the Cold War, the Soviet Navys cruisers had heavy anti-ship missile armament designed to sink NATO carrier task forces via saturation attack. The U. S. Adams guided-missile destroyers tasked with the air defense role. Indeed, the newest U. S. Navy destroyers are more heavily-armed than some of the cruisers that they succeeded, currently only three nations operate cruisers, the United States, Russia, and Peru. The term cruiser or cruizer was first commonly used in the 17th century to refer to an independent warship, Cruiser meant the purpose or mission of a ship, rather than a category of vessel. However, the term was used to mean a smaller, faster warship suitable for such a role. The Dutch navy was noted for its cruisers in the 17th century, while the Royal Navy—and later French and Spanish navies—subsequently caught up in terms of their numbers, during the 18th century the frigate became the preeminent type of cruiser. A frigate was a small, fast, long range, lightly armed ship used for scouting, carrying dispatches, the other principal type of cruiser was the sloop, but many other miscellaneous types of ship were used as well. During the 19th century, navies began to use steam power for their fleets, the 1840s saw the construction of experimental steam-powered frigates and sloops. By the middle of the 1850s, the British and U. S. Navies were both building steam frigates with very long hulls and a gun armament, for instance USS Merrimack or Mersey. The 1860s saw the introduction of the ironclad, the first ironclads were frigates, in the sense of having one gun deck, however, they were also clearly the most powerful ships in the navy, and were principally to serve in the line of battle. In spite of their speed, they would have been wasted in a cruising role. The French constructed a number of smaller ironclads for overseas cruising duties, starting with the Belliqueuse and these station ironclads were the beginning of the development of the armored cruisers, a type of ironclad specifically for the traditional cruiser missions of fast, independent raiding and patrol
28.
5"/51 caliber gun
–
5/51 caliber guns initially served as the secondary battery of United States Navy battleships built from 1907 through the 1920s, also serving on other vessels. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 5-inch in diameter, the different marks of the gun were Marks 7,8,9,14, and 15. The built-up gun consisted of a tube, full-length jacket, and single hoop with side swing Welin breech block, some Marks included a tapered liner. A24.5 lb charge of smokeless powder gave a 50-pound projectile a velocity of 3,150 ft/s, range was 15,850 yards at the maximum elevation of 20 degrees. Useful life expectancy was 900 effective full charges per liner, the 5-inch/51 caliber gun was designed to engage destroyers, torpedo boats, and other surface targets. It entered service in 1911 as secondary armament on the Florida-class battleships, most of the remaining guns were moved to redesigned casemates during the 1927–1930 refits. A1939 Table of Organization and Equipment shows Marine defense battalions were equipped with six of these guns each, 5-inch/51 shore batteries were used with great effectiveness by the 1st Marine Defense Battalion during the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941. These were eventually replaced in the defense battalions by the 155 mm Long Tom gun, six Tambor-class submarines were rearmed with wet mount 5-inch/51 guns during World War II, taken from Barracuda-class submarines or spares for that class. This list may not be exhaustive and they were grouped into two-gun batteries unless otherwise noted. During World War I three of these formed part of the coastal defences of Scapa Flow. In World War II a small number of these guns entered British service on ships transferred under the Lend-Lease arrangement. Some of these guns were transferred to New Zealand and deployed ashore for coastal defence. S. Jack, Roberts, Stephen S. Register of Ships of the U. S. Navy, 1775-1990, american Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Third Edition. Naval Weapons of World War Two, the Ships and Aircraft of the U. S. Fleet. The Ships and Aircraft of the U. S. Fleet, naval Weapons of World War One. List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts
United States Navy
.jpg){kind=small}