United States. Navy Department. Bureau of Ordnance

“ Whenever the magazines or shell-rooms are opened, he is to take every precaution to guard against accident by fire; to examine particularly that all the men stationed in any way in or about the magazine, embracing all stationed within the magazine screen, put on the magazine dress and shoes, and on no account have any thing metallic about them, and that no improper articles are introduced. He will also see that all the articles required for sweeping and removing loose powder are at hand, and that those operations are performed before the magazine is closed. ”

“ No one chain of scuttles should be required to supply cartridges for more than a single description of guns, [3] unless their cartridges be the same in diameter, weight, and form, and their passing-boxes alike, as in the case of the 8-inch shell-gun of 63 cwt. and the 32-pounder of 57 cwt. If, therefore, there be on a deck of guns but one differing from the rest in calibre, class, or assimilation of cartridges, that one should have a separate chain of scuttles for its supply, in order to guard effectually against confusion, or, at least, delay. ”

“ An admiral of any grade, when appointed as the commander-in-chief of a fleet or squadron, is authorized to nominate to the Navy Department an officer not below the grade of a commander to serve as the head of his staff, or as the captain of the fleet, and to be borne on the books of the vessel carrying his flag in addition to her established complement. ”

“ The terrible effect of the explosion of a Magazine or Shell-room, ashore or on board ship, can only be imagined. To avert it, by every human precaution, is an imperative duty with every one. The Bureau therefore directs that the Inspectors of Ordnance on shore and the Commanders of all vessels afloat will cause the existing Powder Regulations to be read, and copies placed within the reach of every officer and man connected in the remotest degree with the service of the Magazine and Shell-rooms ”

“ Commanders of vessels will carefully note and report the efficiency of all fuzes fired in action or exercise; giving the elevation of the gun, the estimated or measured range, the number fired, the name of the inventor, whether percussion or time, the number of failures to explode the shell, premature explosions, and satisfactory action. Great waste of ammunition is frequently occasioned by an under-estimate of the distance. ”

“ It must be apparent to every officer that both the rapidity and the accuracy of fire to be obtained from guns in vessels at sea, must depend, in a great degree, upon the care which may be taken to explain to the men the best mode of performing their respective parts of the exercise, and the particular object for which each part is intended, and especially on such frequency of exercise and target-firing as will make the men perfectly familiar with their prescribed duties. ”

“ At the termination of a cruise the guns composing the battery of every vessel-of-war of the United States, shall be carefully examined by the Ordnance Officer of the Yard, and such others as may be directed, with the view to discover and report any injuries which they may have sustained in service, or any defects which may not have been developed in the original proof. ”

“ He will see that the guns are very carefully pointed and properly aimed; that there is no firing until correct sight can be obtained, as random firing is not only a waste of ammunition, but it encourages an enemy, when he sees shot and shell falling harmlessly about and beyond him. ”

“ Direct Firing requires a good knowledge of distance, and precision both of elevation and lateral direction, in order to strike an object which is comparatively a point. It is always to be preferred when the distance is accurately known.
318. When the guns are so laid that the projectile makes numerous grazes between the gun and the object, and continues its flight, the firing is denominated ricochet.
That properly so called is performed at level, or at most at three degrees of elevation; shot will often ricochet at much greater angles, but it is not what is meant by ricochet firing. ”

“ So long as the wear of the vent is regular and without cracks, a mere [26] enlargement is not indicative of danger; but when it reaches a diameter of four-tenths (.4) of an inch the vent should be closed and a new one opened.
A gun of large calibre should not in service be expected to endure more than 400 or 500 rounds before it will be necessary to open the new vent, which, however, will be of no advantage, unless the old one be closed at its interior orifice, on which the gases would otherwise continue to act as a wedge. ”

“ The beat to quarters for action is therefore a signal to start fires in any furnaces not in use.
PROVIDING BROADSIDE-GUNS.
169. When the exercise of broadside-guns is to be confined to one side only, each gun's crew is to provide its own gun, on the side at which it is ordered to assemble, as follows: but when the guns on both sides are to be exercised at once, each part of a gun's crew is to provide its own gun; each Captain, Loader, Sponger, &c., doing separately what is done by both himself and his second when the exercise is confined to one side only. ”

“ Ricochet Firing, upon a smooth surface within certain distances, has some important advantages over direct firing. When the guns have very little or no elevation, and are near the water, as they are in a ship's battery, the projectile strikes the water at a very small angle; its flight is not greatly retarded by the graze, and it rises but little above the surface in its course. ”

“ It is generally expected that the Compressors are to supersede the necessity for a Breeching. But experience shows that in firing it is better to rely habitually on the Breeching, and use the Compressors to assist. Thus, in firing to windward at Sea, the Compressors are always to be set, but only so hard as may be required to ease the shock on the Breeching. In firing to leeward, the Compressors are not wanted, except to secure the gun in its place when in. When the Ship is not steady, but rolling, the discretion is to be exercised. ”

“ When the individuals of the guns' crews have become expert in the performance of their particular duties, then each man shall be instructed by the officer of his division, until he shall have become acquainted with the special duties of every station at the gun. ”

“ It is an old custom for the Gun Captain to keep the Priming-Wire in the vent while the loading is going on, feeling from time to time if the charge is home. It is a bad practice, because there is a liability of being caught by the charge as it comes along the Bore, and having the wire bent, thus spiking the vent, for a while at least. The mark on the Rammer handle is the best evidence that the charge is in place. The object now is only to clear the vent of pieces of cartridge stuff, which not unfrequently get into the vent, and choke it so as to prevent the primer from exploding the powder. ”

“ Should the alarm of fire be given when the men are not at Quarters, that alarm of itself is to be considered as a call to Quarters, and the men must repair to their stations at once. This must be impressed upon the men by the Division Officers. But the ordinary call for inspection is to be given as soon as practicable, by way of enforcing the order. ”

“ When the ship is steady, the gun should be fired when the line of sight is brought upon the object; but when the ship has much rolling motion, the moment for firing should be chosen a little before, so that the shot will probably leave the gun when the roll brings the line of sight upon the object aimed at.
When practicable, and too much time will not be lost, it will be best to fire when the vessel is on the top of a wave and just begins to roll towards the object. ”

“ Gun Captain "serves the vent with his priming-wire!" If at any time he should find the vent obstructed, and be unable to clear it with the priming-wire or boring-bit, he will at once report to the officer of division, who will order the vent-punch used; or, if this should fail, have recourse to the vent-drill and brace in charge of the Quarter Gunner. The boring-bit, vent-punch, and drills should be used with caution, as, being of steel, they are liable to be broken off in the vent and thus effectually spike the gun. After clearing the vent the bore should be sponged. ”

“ In distributing the Petty Officers, Seamen, and others to the guns and other stations in the several divisions, it is desirable, as a general rule, that those stationed at the same gun or near each other at quarters, should be drawn from different stations for working ship; so that a great loss at any one gun may not fall too heavily on any watch station. ”

“ A hook is pivoted on the inner side of the transverse branch, on one side of the groove, and so fitted that when the star-gauge is in the gun, it embraces one-half of that portion of the staff which is above the groove. Therefore, if the transverse branch be placed so as to coincide with the axis of the trunnions, the hook thrown over the staff, and the latter turned so that the centre line just meets the end of the hook, the perpendicular points will be perpendicular to the axis of the trunnions. If the staff is then drawn out carefully, the measurements will all be taken in the same plane. ”

“ When the boat has been cleared for hoisting out, lay the thwarts and traverses, and bolt the pivot-plates on the bows and quarters; if the stem and stern pivot-plates interfere with the purchases, they can be secured after the boat is in the water. If the field-carriage is to accompany the gun, lay the wheel and trail tracks.
In a sea-way, it may be better to place the howitzer in the launch, laying it athwartships, and bolting the two ends of the slide into the bow pivot-plates, which will hold it perfectly firm. ”

“ In order, therefore, to insure the great advantage of rapid firing, officers are enjoined [59] frequently to exercise the crews in setting the cartridge, shot, and wad home together, in one motion, of such guns as may be loaded in this manner, without inconvenience. This is the case with all the guns, chambered as well as unchambered, excepting the 8-inch shell-gun of 63 cwt. of patterns earlier than 1851; it is not recommended, however, to practise simultaneous loading with guns of higher calibre, such as IX-inch and upwards, as nothing will be gained by it in point of time. ”

“ If a greater elevation for broadside-guns should be desired for any special purpose, it may be obtained by placing inclined planes behind the rear trucks, for them to recoil over and produce a corresponding depression of the muzzle of the gun as it comes within the port. But it will be observed that, beyond the elevation which the ports will admit of, the sights can no longer be taken by the tangent or any other top sight, as the upper sill of the port interferes. The gun must therefore be laid by the quoin and pendulum. ”