The destructive power of guns is little known to the general public, and
many wild statements are sometimes put forward. Guns and plates have
fought their battle with varying success for many years. One day the
plate resists, another day the gun drives its bolt through. But it is
frequently overlooked that the victory of a plate is a complete victory.
If the shot does not get through, it does practically nothing. On the
other hand, the victory of the gun is but a partial triumph; it is
confined to a small arc. I mean that, when the plate is struck at an
angle exceeding 30 deg. or so, the shot glances harmlessly off; while, even
when perforation is obtained, it is at the expense of the more deadly
qualities of the projectile, which must be a nearly solid bolt, unable
to carry in with it heavy bursting charges of powder or destructive
masses of balls.
About six years ago, an experiment carried out at Shoeburyness taught a
lesson which seems to be in danger of being forgotten. We hear sometimes
that unarmored vessels are a match for ironclads and forts; and I will
conclude this paper with a short extract from the official account of
the results of firing shrapnel shell at an unprotected ship's side.
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