§ ADMIRAL FIELD (Sussex, Eastbourne)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether any inquiry has been held into the cause of the bursting of a turret gun on board H.M.S. Ajax, after the conclusion of the Naval Manœuvres; and whether the manufacture of the gun was faulty; or whether any blame attached to any person engaged in working the gun?
THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. FOKWOOD, Lancashire, Ormskirk)The gun was a muzzle-loader, which had previously fired 105 rounds. The Ordnance Committee report that the accident was caused by the premature explosion of a common shell The manufacture of the gun was not faulty, nor is blame attributable to any one working the gun.