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Story
April 16, 1906
The Providence News
Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island
What is this article about?
Lieut. Brady's crew on the USS Pennsylvania set a gunnery record, firing 17 hits in 1.5 minutes at 1,200 yards from a moving ship, showcasing improved training and physical prowess in the American navy compared to pre-Spanish War eras.
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PENNSYLVANIA'S CREW MAKES A FINE RECORD
Washington. April 16.-The record made by Lieut. Brady's crew when on the Pennsylvania. in hitting the target, distance 1200 yards. 17 times in a minute and a half while the big ship was moving at a 10-knot gait was naturally a source of gratification to naval men here.
Fine as was this performance it is said that there are many others fit to be written down with it. But for prudential reasons the navy department has adopted the policy of keeping these records secret as far as possible so it is not deemed advisable to let the world know how this Pennsylvania record with a six-inch gun compares with the shooting on other ships.
But on one point the officers of experience here are agreed and that is, that the shooting of the American bluejackets is due in great part to the men themselves.
It is admitted that the great improvement in the guns turned out at the Washington navy yard has much to do with the improvement in the target practice, but after all the painstaking training through which the gunners are being put is believed to be the secret of success.
This training can be had only by the expenditure of ammunition in actual practice.
Though useful in a degree, dummy practice cannot replace actual firing of the big guns with full charges.
The heavy shot and cartridge cases must be handled themselves in order to develop the muscles of the gunners, The amount of physical energy expended in this record shooting is almost incredible.
In the case of Lieut. Brady's gun one man of the crew was obliged to lift a shell weighing 101 pounds 17 times at the rate of one elevation per second. That would approach the development of a theoretical horsepower in the person of that particular sailor.
Moreover. he did not only lift the shell from the deck but threw it bodily three feet into the loading tray and breech of the gun. The result of this improvement in gunnery in the American navy is startling when attention is directed to the fact that eight years ago it was the regulation that just one shot must be fired from a six-inch gun in the period of time-so seconds-in which the Pennsylvania gun crew fired 17. That means that one gun now as manned by a trained crew would be equal to a whole broadside of guns in the days before the Spanish war.
Washington. April 16.-The record made by Lieut. Brady's crew when on the Pennsylvania. in hitting the target, distance 1200 yards. 17 times in a minute and a half while the big ship was moving at a 10-knot gait was naturally a source of gratification to naval men here.
Fine as was this performance it is said that there are many others fit to be written down with it. But for prudential reasons the navy department has adopted the policy of keeping these records secret as far as possible so it is not deemed advisable to let the world know how this Pennsylvania record with a six-inch gun compares with the shooting on other ships.
But on one point the officers of experience here are agreed and that is, that the shooting of the American bluejackets is due in great part to the men themselves.
It is admitted that the great improvement in the guns turned out at the Washington navy yard has much to do with the improvement in the target practice, but after all the painstaking training through which the gunners are being put is believed to be the secret of success.
This training can be had only by the expenditure of ammunition in actual practice.
Though useful in a degree, dummy practice cannot replace actual firing of the big guns with full charges.
The heavy shot and cartridge cases must be handled themselves in order to develop the muscles of the gunners, The amount of physical energy expended in this record shooting is almost incredible.
In the case of Lieut. Brady's gun one man of the crew was obliged to lift a shell weighing 101 pounds 17 times at the rate of one elevation per second. That would approach the development of a theoretical horsepower in the person of that particular sailor.
Moreover. he did not only lift the shell from the deck but threw it bodily three feet into the loading tray and breech of the gun. The result of this improvement in gunnery in the American navy is startling when attention is directed to the fact that eight years ago it was the regulation that just one shot must be fired from a six-inch gun in the period of time-so seconds-in which the Pennsylvania gun crew fired 17. That means that one gun now as manned by a trained crew would be equal to a whole broadside of guns in the days before the Spanish war.
What sub-type of article is it?
Military Action
Personal Triumph
What themes does it cover?
Triumph
Bravery Heroism
What keywords are associated?
Naval Gunnery
Target Practice
Gun Crew Record
Uss Pennsylvania
Six Inch Gun
Navy Training
What entities or persons were involved?
Lieut. Brady
Pennsylvania Gun Crew
Where did it happen?
On The Uss Pennsylvania, Washington
Story Details
Key Persons
Lieut. Brady
Pennsylvania Gun Crew
Location
On The Uss Pennsylvania, Washington
Event Date
April 16
Story Details
Lieut. Brady's crew on the USS Pennsylvania achieved a record by hitting a target 17 times in 1.5 minutes at 1200 yards while the ship moved at 10 knots using a six-inch gun. This success is attributed to the men's training and physical effort, contrasting with pre-Spanish War standards where only one shot was fired in 30 seconds.