But the discovery off Cuba was from the same team that discovered the wreck of the U.S.S. Maine, scuttled after being raised from Havana harbor. That led to El Wik, which led to Harvey Armor:
Harvey armor used a single plate of steel, but re-introduced the benefits of compound armor. The front surface was converted to high carbon steel by "cementing". In this process, the steel plate would be covered with charcoal and heated to approximately 1200 degrees Celsius for two to three weeks. The process increased the carbon content at the face to around 1 percent; the carbon content decreasing gradually from this level with distance into the plate, reaching the original proportion (approximately 0.1–0.2 percent) at a depth of around an inch. After cementing, the plate was chilled first in an oil bath, then in a water bath, before being annealed to toughen the back of the plate. The water bath was later replaced with jets of water to prevent the formation of a layer of steam which would insulate the steel from the cooling effect of the water. The process was further improved by low temperature forging of the plate before the final heat treatment.
I hadn't known that case hardening wasn't just used on nice revolvers but on battleship plate armor as well.
3 comments:
You should seen the engraving work they did before it left dry dock.
As a (semi) quick side note, "How The Battleship Maine Was Destroyed" by Hyman Rickover is available online for very good prices.
I was not aware of this, but there was a reprint edition in 1995 from the Naval Institute Press which includes a new forward and new material in the appendix from Rickover's original research team.
In the modern technological age, the battle cry "Remember the Maine" should have a special meaning for us. With almost instantaneous communications that can command weapons of unprecedented power, we can no longer approach technical problems with the casualness and confidence held by Americans in 1898. The Maine should impress us that technical problems must be examined by competent and qualified people; and that the results of their investigation must be fully and fairly presented to their fellow citizens. With the vastness of our government and the difficulty of controlling it, we must make sure that those in “high places” do not, without most careful consideration of the consequences, exert our prestige and might. Such uses of our power may result in serious international actions at great cost in lives and money—injurious to the interests and standing of the United States.
https://www.navalgazing.net/Naval-Gazing-Index#ArmorTech
Enjoy :)
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