December 7, 1907
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmRemarkable Target Practice by the Flagship of the Pacific Fleet
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If the results recently obtained in target practice by Admiral Evans's flagship, the “Connecticut,” may be taken as- representing the average skill of the gunners on the sixteen battleships of the Pacific fleet, the fighting value of the fleet is established beyond all question. Two targets, each measuring 30 feet high by 50 feet long, were used, the fire during the earlier part of the run being directed at the first target, and the later shots being aimed at the second target. The “Connecticut,” steaming at 10 knots an hour, opened fire at four and a half miles. She continued firing for eight minutes; and, at the command to cease fire, she was five and a half miles from the second target. In that time she had put through the target four 12-inch, nine 8-inch, and seventeen 7-inch shells. Considering the great range and that the target was only one- eighth as long as a modern battleship, this was phenomenally good shooting.
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