Naval Ordnance, 1937 is a comprehensive U.S. Navy ordnance textbook covering the science, design, and operation of naval weapons systems. Seventeen chapters address explosive chemistry, propellants, interior and exterior ballistics, the design and manufacture of guns and their components, mountings, recoil mechanisms, gun sights, armor, projectiles and ammunition, the Naval Proving Ground at Dahlgren, the naval landing gun, and naval small arms. The 1937 edition notes that Chapter V (Elastic Strength of Guns) was omitted; readers are referred to the 1933 edition for that material.
Scanned pages available: Chapters IV, VI–XI, and XIV are available as scanned page images in the tab.
Chapter I — Explosive Reactions
Explosive Substances • Initiation of Explosion • Heat of Explosion • Velocity of Explosion • Pressure of Explosion • Gases of Explosion • Flame of Explosion • Flashless Explosion
Chapter II — Service Explosives
History of Development of Explosives • Explosive Substances — General Characteristics • Explosive Mixtures and Explosive Compounds • Uses of Military Explosives • Propellants, Igniters, and Detonating Charges • Manufacture of Smokeless Powder • Reworked Powder • Products of Combustion of Nitrocellulose Powder • Stability of Nitrocellulose Powder • Guncotton • Black Powder • Trinitrotoluene (TNT) • Trinitroxylene (TNX) • Picric Acid • Tetryl • Fulminate of Mercury
Chapter III — Interior Ballistics
Preliminary • The Powder within the Gun • Mean Powder Pressure • Distribution of Work • Development of Interior Ballistic Formulas • Application of Interior Ballistic Formulas • The Pressure Problem • Reduced Velocity Problem, Type I • Transfer-of-Powder Problem, Type I • Reduced Velocity Problem, Type II • Other Problems of General Interest • Other Interior Ballistic Considerations
Chapter IV — Guns
Types of Guns • Classification of Guns aboard Ship • Classification of Batteries aboard Ship • Designation of Guns • Component Parts • Exterior Parts • Interior Parts • Principles Underlying Gun Design • The Built-up Gun • The Wire-Wound Gun • The Radial-Expansion Gun • Practical Gun Design • Gun Projects • Rifling
Chapter V — Elastic Strength of Guns
In this revision this chapter has been omitted. Anyone interested in a comparatively extensive treatment of “Elastic Strength of Guns” is referred to Naval Ordnance, 1933.
Chapter VI — Construction of Naval Guns
Furnace Practice • Ingots • Whitworth Process • Forgings • Tempering and Annealing • Testing Machines • Summary of Steps of Manufacture of Built-Up Guns • Turning • Boring • Indicators • Bore Searching • Star Gauge • Shrinkage • Assembling the Gun • Shrinkage Pit • Lining the Gun • Finishing the Gun • Rifling • Determination of Droop • Lapping • Fitting the Breech Mechanism • Final Inspection
Chapter VII — Breech Mechanisms
Definition • Requirements for Breech Mechanism • Systems of Breech Blocks • Systems of Operation • Types of Breech Mechanisms — Intermediate and Major Caliber • Types of Quick-Acting Breech Mechanisms • Gas Check Design • The DeBange Gas Check • Types of Salvo Latches • 3-Inch Semi-Automatic • 5-Inch 25-Caliber A.A. • 5-Inch Mark VII • 6-Inch 53-Caliber • 14-Inch • 16-Inch Breech Mechanisms • Firing Lock Mark XIV • Safety Features
Chapter VIII — Firing Attachments
Definition of Firing Attachments • Methods of Fire • Turret Firing Circuit • Broadside Firing Circuit • Firing Keys • Care of Attachments • Gas Expelling Apparatus
Chapter IX — Naval Gun Mounts
General Features of Mounts • Stresses Due to Firing • Broadside Gun Mounts • Frictionless Bearings • Anti-Aircraft Gun Mounts • Turret Mounts, General Features • 14-Inch 3-Gun Turret Mount • Waterbury Hydraulic Speed Gear
Chapter X — Recoil and Recoil Brakes
General Considerations • Design of Brakes • Forces Acting During Recoil • General Features of Hydraulic Brakes • Turret Type Hydraulic Brakes • Intermediate and Minor Caliber Hydraulic Brakes • General Features of Counter-Recoil Mechanisms • Spring Counter-Recoil Systems • Spring-Pneumatic Counter-Recoil Systems • Pneumatic Counter-Recoil Systems
Chapter XI — Naval Gun Sights
Preliminary Discussion and Definitions • Fundamental Principles of Gun Sights • Elementary Open Sight • Basic Requirements of Installation on Gun Mount • The Peep Sight • The Telescope Sight • Types of Telescopes • Sight Scales • Yoke Sight Mounts • Turret Sight Mounts • Boresighting • Testing Sight Installations
Chapter XII — Armor
Historical Development • Iron Armor • Steel Armor • Compound Armor • Nickel-Steel Armor • Harvey Armor • Krupp Armor • Manufacture of Krupp Cemented Armor • Non-Cemented Armor • Class A Armor • Ballistic Test of Class A Armor • Penetration • Penetration of Nickel-Steel Armor • Penetration of Face-Hardened Armor • Oblique Attack • Class B Armor • Ballistic Test of Class B Armor • Armor Bolts • Light Armor • Distribution of Armor
Chapter XIII — Projectiles
Early Development • Length • Form of Forward End • Form of After End • Form of Body • Exterior Finish • Weight • The Bourrelet • The Rotating Band • Stability and Flight • Under-Water Attack • Types of Projectiles • The Armor Piercing Projectile • Manufacture of A.P. Projectiles • Penetration • Action of the Cap • Form of Ogive • Common and Thin-Walled Projectiles • Shrapnel • Illuminating Projectiles • Chemical Projectiles • Target Projectiles • Proof Shot • Line-Carrying Projectiles
Chapter XIV — Ammunition
Types • Separate Loading • Semi-Fixed and Fixed • Small-Arms • Trench Warfare • Chemical • Pyrotechnic • Bomb-Type • Impulse • Primers • Percussion Primers • Combination Primers • Fuzes • Percussion Fuzes • Time Fuzes • Frankford 21-Second Fuze • Ammunition Details • Detonators • Boosters and Adapters • Tracers • Projectiles • Cartridge Cases • Case Ammunition Tanks and Boxes • Powder Bags • Distance Pieces and Wads • Mouth Plugs • Powder Tanks • Assembly of Ammunition • Marking of Ammunition • Ammunition Stowage • Flooding • Cooling and Ventilation • Lighting, Magazine • Ammunition Supply
Chapter XV — The Naval Proving Ground
Proving Ground Facilities • Proof of Guns • Proof of Mounts • Proof of Powder • Test of Projectiles • Test of Armor • Ranging • Velocity Measurements • Pressure Measurements • Recoil and Counter-Recoil Measurements • Experiments
Chapter XVI — Naval Landing Gun
General Information • The Mount • The Recoil System • The Counter-Recoil System • The Elevating Mechanisms • Design Principle of Sights • The Effect of Trunnion Tilt • The Panoramic Sight • The Peep Sight • Operation, Direct Fire • Operation, Indirect Fire • Deflection Offset Corrections
Chapter XVII — Small Arms and Machine Guns
The Military Rifle • Principles of Operation, Automatic Arms • Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45 • Browning Automatic Rifle • Lewis Machine Gun • Browning Machine Gun • Browning Aircraft Machine Gun • Muzzle Attachments