"In time of peace prepare for war" is a saying which is most appropriate to the conditions existing in a naval service, where we have placed, in time of peace, mighty engines of war with which we are expected, in time of war, to achieve mighty results. If we are to justify the trust placed in us we must utilize the time we have at our disposal, to the best advantage in preparing our weapons for the ultimate test.
This preparation has many subdivisions, but one of the most important is learning to shoot straight. This straight shooting depends on the training we give the men who are to handle the guns and it is with the object in view of devising the best method of training that this paper is written.
It is not supposed for a moment that the method here proposed cannot be improved, but the more views on the subject we have the more certain will we be that the method we finally select will be the best.
The duties to be performed by gun captains are of two kinds and those duties are of such a nature that one man cannot perform them both and, at the same time; make the service and firing of the gun efficient. Since there are two distinct sets of duties to be performed by men who might be called "Gun Captains," the use of titles, which describe these duties, seems advisable in order that no confusion may result when reference is made to them.
First of all a statement of these duties is necessary, then titles, which seem suitable, may be assigned. One set of duties consists in pointing and firing the gun. The man whose duty it is to point and fire the gun may suitably be called the "Gun Pointer."
The other set of duties consists of superintending the loading of the gun and in the general supervision of the crew. This man may suitably be called "Gun Captain."
That these duties cannot be combined without great loss of efficiency, is evident, for the gun pointer must give all his attention to his duty of pointing the gun and any duty which tends to distract his attention is to be avoided. For a like reason the gun captain should not be required to point the gun except in the case of emergency.
Throughout this paper I propose to use the terms "Gun Pointer" and "Gun Captain" only in the sense in which I have defined them.
Before discussing the nature of the training, the place to be used for this training should be selected. Shall we train the men on ships regularly commissioned for that purpose or shall the training be done on the ships commissioned for general service? The best answer to that question is yes and no; it is a success in so far that the men graduated know their duties and are, as a rule, good gun pointers, but it is a failure in so far that the number of men graduated is so much below the number required as to be a mere drop in the bucket. That this deficiency is due to the fact that we have at present only one training ship only goes to prove that our training facilities must be increased. How then shall we increase these facilities? By increasing the number of training ships or by training the men on the regular cruising ships? If we are able to obtain equally good results from both systems, and I see no reason why we should not, then train the men on board the regular cruising ships if for no other reason than that we get the services of the men during their term of training.
There is, however, an additional reason for training the men on board the regular cruising ships, and this reason is that in order to get the best results from any system of training the interest of the men must be aroused and a spirit of rivalry engendered. That this spirit of rivalry can be awakened on board training ships is very questionable, but that if can and has been done, not only between various ships, but also between guns' crews of the same ships, is certain. A very notable example of the success of training men on board cruising ships is shown by the results obtained on board H. M. S. Terrible, and in my opinion not a little of this success was due to the interest taken by the men under training and their efforts to be the best.
Record practice with prizes and the results to be published would be of inestimable value in awakening the necessary interest.
GUN POINTERS
In all occupations and trades there are men who are better than others. Some men are natural mechanics or natural mathematicians, so also some men are naturally good shots, and from these men we should expect to find our good gun pointers. How then shall we select, from the men available, these naturally good shots? The simplest and least expensive method is to look up the small-arm firing records, or better still, to have small-arm target practice and instruction for all the available men and let this be a preliminary course of instruction for gun pointers. This practice should not merely consist of firing a single string of shots for a record, but should be more in the nature of a weeding out process, and should be held somewhat as follows: Let every available man in a ship fire a string of shots under the personal supervision of a competent instructor. Tabulate the results and select from those who have made the best scores, twice as many men as are needed for gun pointers.
Continue this process of weeding out until you have the best shots, not by averaging the results alone, but also taking into consideration the regularity with which a man shoots. This last consideration is a very important one from the fact that reliability is very desirable in a gun pointer.
The selection of candidates having been made, the course of training remains to be given.
After the preliminary training and selection the first step is to assign the various candidates to the guns it is intended that they should point. This assignment should be permanent and nothing but the most important consideration should change it. If it becomes necessary to make a change it should not be a radical one, as for instance from a 6-pounder to an 8-inch gun, but if possible from one 6 pounder to another or from one 8-inch or 13-inch to another 8-inch or 13-inch. The reason for laying such stress on this point is that the value of a knowledge of the peculiarities, or you might say "the personal equation of the gun," to the gun pointer cannot be over-estimated. The small arm sharp shooter invariably uses the same rifle, and there is no good reason why a great-gun sharp-shooter, if I may use the term, should not do the same. Undoubtedly a sharp-shooter will do good shooting using most any rifle, but he will do the best with the rifle he is accustomed to firing.
The further training may be divided into four parts as follows:
1. Adjustment and use of sights.
2. Laying of gun.
3. Working of mechanism.
4. Corrections of errors from knowledge of fall of previous
shot.
1. Telescopic sights are liable to need adjustment from time to time and the gun pointer should be thoroughly instructed in how to make this adjustment.
Instruction must also be given in the use of sights and for what the various wires and devices are. First of all an explanation of the principle of the sight should be given. What is meant by the full, half, and fine sight, and the use of the sliding leaf, and in telescopic sights the effect of bringing the target on either of the vertical wires and in between them. This instruction may be given practically by the use of a subcalibre attachment. Point the gun at a fixed target exactly between the vertical wires in the telescopic sight and fire, noting where the shot strikes, then do the same thing bringing the target on the left vertical wire, noting in each case the fall of the shot relative to the target. Go through the same operation with the bar sights but instead of bringing the target on one or the other of the vertical wires use the sliding leaf. The effect of taking a fine, half or full sight can be shown in a similar manner.
2. After the gun pointer is familiar with the sight and the uses of its various attachments the next step in the training is to teach him to lay his gun properly. Some instruction has been given in this by teaching the use of the sight, but additional instruction can be given by subcalibre practice at a target whose range is known accurately.
3. Teaching the use of the elevating wheel is very important, for on its rapid use depends in a great measure the rapidity of the fire. This instruction must be progressive, that is, the gun pointer must first be instructed to lay the gun on a stationary target. There are several methods available for this instruction; all of them have their uses. First, the gun pointer should be taught to keep the gun horizontal by constant practice at keeping the gun on the horizon. The next step is to teach him to change his elevation quickly by constant practice with a device similar to Captain Scott's "Dotter." Another means, if there is any motion on the ship, is subcalibre practice. This practice will give the necessary rapidity, for the loading interval with the subcalibre attachment is very small. Connection should be made so that the gun pointer fires the gun, and provision must be made for a trainer to train the gun. Of the three things the gun pointer may do, the two most important are the elevating and firing of the gun, hence the need of a trainer. This portion of the training requires the longest time and it should not be left too soon and the next step taken up.
4. The next step, that of teaching the gun pointer the "personal equation of the gun" and the corrections to be made from the knowledge of the fall of the shot, can only be had by target practice. To teach him the "personal equation of the gun" firing should be had at a stationary target, the range of which is accurately known. This firing should be very slow and deliberate and not more than one gun should be fired at a time at the same target. The fall of each shot should be noted by the gun pointer. The observation of the fall of the shot not only gives the gun pointer exercise in correcting his pointing but also tells him what he may expect from the gun under given conditions. After a thorough knowledge of the allowances to be made for the gun has been obtained, firing at a moving target, with accurately known ranges, will enable the gun pointer to determine the allowances to be made for the motion of the target. As in the firing, to determine the range allowances the firing should be slow and the fall of shots noted. The object of this firing is not to teach the gun pointer to fire rapidly but to give him a knowledge of the allowances for various conditions, and for that reason the firing should be slow.
The most important lesson to be learned from target firing arises from a condition of things which is almost sure to obtain when firing guns from a movable platform, namely, that of knowing the range only approximately. It is therefore necessary to teach the gun pointer to correct his range from the observation of the fall of his shots. The best method of doing this is target firing at a target the range of which is only approximately known. As in the firing for teaching all the other corrections, this should be started at a stationary target where the firing can be slow and afterwards a moving target should be used, so that there is not only the error in the original range to be corrected but also the movements of the target between shots.
In the target-practice instruction particular stress has been laid on the necessity of firing slowly. This point is most important for the object of this target practice is primarily to teach the gun pointer how to shoot and rapidity of fire depends largely on the expertness of the gun crews. Practice in rapid pointing can best be obtained by subcalibre work and work with the "dotter."
After the completion of the proposed course of training the gun pointer may be considered to have qualified for the rafing, but the fact that he has so qualified should not mean that the exercise should be discontinued. The more practice and exercise he gets, the better gun pointer he will be, and for that reason that part of the instruction which tends to increase the rapidity of the pointing, namely, subcalibre and "dotter " work, should continue.
GUN CAPTAINS
The qualifications necessary to make a good gun captain may be briefly stated as follows: I. A cool head. 2. A thorough knowledge of the gun and its working parts. 3. A thorough knowledge of the gun mount and its working parts. 4. A knowledge of the ammunition and the means provided for its supply. 5. Some mechanical ability. 6. Ability to handle men. All of these qualifications are important, but with the exception of the first and last two, they can be taught to most any man of average ability. The selection of men to be trained seems to narrow itself down to men who possess a cool head, some mechanical ability, and can handle men. No such method, as that proposed for selecting candidates for gun pointers, can be given; consequently we have to rely on observation. In the working of large turret guns the importance of the gun captain's duties are second to none, and in cases where good gun pointers are available it seems advisable for the turret officers to perform the duties of gun captain.
The training of a gun captain is a much simpler problem than that of a gun pointer and requires less time. This training may be divided into seven parts, as follows: 1. Guns and gun construction. 2. Mounts. 3. Breech mechanism. 4. Firing attachments. 5. Ammunition. 6. Ammunition supply. 7. Drill book.
1. This part should consist of explaining the kind of gun and its parts and the method of construction.
2. Instruction under this head should consist of teaching the candidate the nomenclature of the mount and the uses of the various parts. This instruction should be of an entirely practical nature and for that reason the gun captain should be made to take every part of the mount to pieces and assemble it until he is thoroughly familiar with it and knows what small defects he is liable to meet under firing conditions.
3. Similar instruction should be given on the breech mechanism, and here again the instruction should be entirely practical.
4. The firing attachment should become thoroughly known. Included in this should be a knowledge of the electric firing circuits, and where breaks and defects are likely to occur also the remedies and tests to be applied. Some elementary knowledge of electricity is desirable.
5. A thorough knowledge of ammunition can be very readily taught and no method need be given.
6. A knowledge of the ammunition supply routes is very desirable and should be one of the things a gun captain should know.
7. The knowledge of the drill book is most important and this can be learned not only by study, but by requiring the gun captain to take charge of the drills of the gun's crew. This is one of the most important portions of the gun captain's training, for on this knowledge and the rapidity with which he is able to get the gun loaded depends very largely the rapidity of fire.
In conclusion, I want to call attention to several points which are of utmost importance and until they are adopted we cannot hope to get even good results. Too much stress cannot be laid on the necessity of keeping the gun pointer at his particular gun, his duty of pointing the gun is paramount, and just because he happens to be rated a coxswain or something else, he should not be taken away from that gun. With gun captains this is not so important, but it is still important, and when changes are made they should not be radical.
Another point is that we should not begin at the wrong end, so to speak, and a gun pointer should not be advanced from one stage of the training until he is thoroughly proficient in that stage. This is particularly true of the advance from stationary to moving target practice. Stationary practice should be continued until the man can make at least 8o per cent of hits at a fixed target, the range of which is known, then some progress at a moving target may be expected. If a man is not proficient at stationary target practice, moving practice is worse than useless and the ammunition so expended is simply wasted.
Another consideration is that, because a man has once qualified, it should not be assumed that he will always be good. He should be required to keep up his average, and if he does not, someone else who can should be put in his place. For this reason, gun pointer should not be a rating, which requires departmental sanction or a court martial to disrate, but should simply carry with it extra pay terminable at the discretion of the commanding officer.
With the end in view of keeping up the proficiency of the gun pointer, "dotter" practice and subcalibre practice should be kept up all the time.
In the selection of men to train, the small-arm target practice proposed should be held with the men, using an artificial rest if desired, for we want to find the men who know how to shoot, and no consideration such as inability to hold a rifle steady should interfere, for that is a condition with which he does not have to contend in firing a great gun.
There are many things in the construction of our guns and the appliances used on them which could be improved, but that is not within the province of this paper. There is one consideration which has a vital bearing on the subject and that is the routine. The routine should be so arranged that the training of gun pointers and guns' crews should be given its proper prominence, and all drills and exercises which tend to decrease this prominence should be at once eliminated, and in their places substituted gun drills and practical instruction.
Nothing can take the place of actual firing and for that reason the guns' crews should always be on hand at target practice, no matter for what purpose it is held. The advantage to the gun's crew of actually doing the work which they will have to do in actual warfare cannot be replaced by instruction. In that way the training of the gun captains and gun pointers can be carried on simultaneously.
One very important fact should be borne in mind in any scheme for training, and that is that the ammunition allowed is limited, therefore this allowance should not be divided up among several men, but should be used in perfecting one man rather than giving a smattering to several.