Difference between revisions of "King Edward VII Class Battleship (1903)"
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==Fire Control Systems== | ==Fire Control Systems== | ||
| − | The general system of wiring between the TSs in ships prior to [[Lord Nelson Class Battleship (1906)|''Lord Nelson'' class]] is illustrated in ''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914''<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).</ref> | + | The general system of wiring between the TSs in ships prior to [[Lord Nelson Class Battleship (1906)|''Lord Nelson'' class]] is illustrated in ''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914''.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).</ref> |
===Rangefinders=== | ===Rangefinders=== | ||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
===Evershed Bearing Indicators=== | ===Evershed Bearing Indicators=== | ||
| − | Installed by late 1914, these ships ''appear'' to have had a single transmitter with all-around training, addressing the fore and aft turrets as receiving stations<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', Plate 42, but glaringly not mentioned on pp. 39-40.</ref> | + | Installed by late 1914, these ships ''appear'' to have had a single transmitter with all-around training, addressing the fore and aft turrets as receiving stations.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', Plate 42, but glaringly not mentioned on pp. 39-40.</ref> |
===Gunnery Control=== | ===Gunnery Control=== | ||
| − | The ship's guns were organized in 5 groups<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 8.</ref> | + | The ship's guns were organized in 5 groups:<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 8.</ref> |
# Two 12-in turrets | # Two 12-in turrets | ||
# Two Starboard 9.2-in turrets | # Two Starboard 9.2-in turrets | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
===Local Control in Turrets=== | ===Local Control in Turrets=== | ||
| − | There was no provision in these ships for local turret control wherein the receivers in the turret could be driven by transmitters in the officer's position at the back of the turret<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50.</ref> | + | There was no provision in these ships for local turret control wherein the receivers in the turret could be driven by transmitters in the officer's position at the back of the turret.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50.</ref> |
===Directors=== | ===Directors=== | ||
| − | These ships never received directors for main or secondary batteries<ref>''Director Firing Handbook, 1917'', pp. 142-3.</ref> | + | These ships never received directors for main or secondary batteries.<ref>''Director Firing Handbook, 1917'', pp. 142-3.</ref> |
===Torpedo Control=== | ===Torpedo Control=== | ||
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
===Transmitting Stations=== | ===Transmitting Stations=== | ||
| − | These ships had fore and aft [[TS]] | + | These ships had fore and aft [[TS]]es.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).</ref> |
A [[C.O.S.]] allowed control options of | A [[C.O.S.]] allowed control options of | ||
| Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
===Dreyer Table=== | ===Dreyer Table=== | ||
| − | These ships never received Dreyer tables<ref>''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref> | + | These ships never received Dreyer tables.<ref>''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref> |
===Shipwide Network=== | ===Shipwide Network=== | ||
Revision as of 18:02, 20 September 2009
Fire Control Systems
The general system of wiring between the TSs in ships prior to Lord Nelson class is illustrated in Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914.[1]
Rangefinders
Evershed Bearing Indicators
Installed by late 1914, these ships appear to have had a single transmitter with all-around training, addressing the fore and aft turrets as receiving stations.[2]
Gunnery Control
The ship's guns were organized in 5 groups:[3]
- Two 12-in turrets
- Two Starboard 9.2-in turrets
- Two Port 9.2-in turrets
- Starboard 6-in guns
- Port 6-in guns
Local Control in Turrets
There was no provision in these ships for local turret control wherein the receivers in the turret could be driven by transmitters in the officer's position at the back of the turret.[4]
Directors
These ships never received directors for main or secondary batteries.[5]
Torpedo Control
Transmitting Stations
These ships had fore and aft TSes.[6]
A C.O.S. allowed control options of
- Fore
- After
- Separate
Each group had transmitters (of various kind, see Shipwide Network) with a pair of receivers, one wired directly to the transmitter as a tell-tale, and the other fed off the wires going to the distant guns (i.e., the aft guns for the fore TS and vice-versa) as a repeat. "These repeat receivers are necessary to keep the idle transmitters in step; when changing back from separate control they are required to enable both halves of the group to be set alike before being paralleled on to one transmitter."[7]
Dreyer Table
These ships never received Dreyer tables.[8]
Shipwide Network
The ships in this class varied in their instruments.
In 1905, Commonwealth, Hindustan, King Edward VII and Zealandia were slated to be equipped with Barr and Stroud Mark I range and order instruments (the range instruments probably changed to Mark II before installation), and Vickers deflection instruments. However, by 1909, these 4 were apparently equipped entirely with Barr and Stroud Mark II equipment.[9] I think it most likely that plans had changed before the ships received the earlier assortment of instruments.
The Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909 lists the Barr and Stroud Mark II equipment on this class (presumably, only Commonwealth, Hindustan, King Edward VII and Zealandia) as:[10]
- Combined Range, Order, Deflection: 10 transmitters, 46 receivers
- Group Switches: 5
- Rate: 4 transmitters, 12 receivers
- Bearing: 2 transmitters, 2 receivers (King Edward VII only)
Additionally, this class had the following Graham fire control equipment:[11]
- Turret fire gongs: 14 with 6 keys
- Fire Gongs: 10 with 4 keys
- Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 20 with 1 key
By 1909, Africa, Britannia, Dominion and Hibernia were equipped with instruments from Vickers, Son and Maxim paired with Barr and Stroud rate instruments. The Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909 lists their equipment as:[12]
- Vickers range transmitters: 10
- Vickers deflection transmitters: 10
- Vickers combined range and deflection receivers: 36 (28 in Dominion)
- C.O.S.: 5
- Check fire switches: 10 (6 in Dominion)
- Barr and Stroud rate transmitters: 4 transmitters
- Barr and Stroud rate receivers: 12 receivers
- Siemens turret fire gongs: 14 with 6 keys
- Vickers fire gongs: 10 with 4 keys (12 and 4 and Siemens in Dominion)
- Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 20 with 1 key (supplier not stated)
None of the ships had Target Visible or Gun Ready signals.[13]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, Plate 42, but glaringly not mentioned on pp. 39-40.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 8.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 50.
- ↑ Director Firing Handbook, 1917, pp. 142-3.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 50-1.
- ↑ Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 56.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 58.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 58.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 60.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 11.
Bibliography
Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1910). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. Copy No. 173 is Ja 345a at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1914). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. G. 01627/14. C.B. 1030. Copy 1235 at The National Archives. ADM 186/191. Template:BibUKDirectorFiringHandbook1917 Template:BibUKDreyerTableHandbook1918
