Minotaur Class Cruiser (1906): Difference between revisions
m (→Other Guns) |
mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
==Design and Construction== | ==Design and Construction== | ||
A fourth member of the class, ''Orion'', was sacrificed from the 1904-1905 estimates along with a third ''Lord Nelson'' battleship after the purchase of the two [[Triumph Class Battleship (1903)|''Triumph'' class battleships]] from Chile.<ref>McBride. "Lord Nelson and Agamemnon." p. 71.</ref> | A fourth member of the class, ''Orion'', was sacrificed from the 1904-1905 estimates along with a third [[Lord Nelson Class Battleship (1906)|''Lord Nelson'' battleship]] after the purchase of the two [[Triumph Class Battleship (1903)|''Triumph'' class battleships]] from Chile.<ref>McBride. "Lord Nelson and Agamemnon." p. 71.</ref> | ||
==Armament== | ==Armament== | ||
Revision as of 19:49, 7 August 2011
The three armoured cruisers of the Minotaur Class were completed in 1908 and 1909.
Design and Construction
A fourth member of the class, Orion, was sacrificed from the 1904-1905 estimates along with a third Lord Nelson battleship after the purchase of the two Triumph class battleships from Chile.[1]
Armament
Main Battery
This section is sourced in The Sight Manual, 1916.[2]
The four 9.2-in guns Mark XI were arranged in two double Mark VII mountings fore and aft, able to elevate 15 degrees and depress 5 degrees.
The sights (also used in Lord Nelson class) were gear-worked with a range gearing constant of 32, graduated to 15 degrees (likely 16,300 yards for 2 CRH projectiles).[3] Range dials were provided for full charge at 2825 fps, reduced charge at 2425 fps, another at 2300 fps (possibly only for Minotaur, but likely for all) and 3-pdr sub-calibre and .303-in aiming rifle. MV was corrected by adjustable pointer to +/- 75 fps. The deflection was on a gearing constant of 82.66, 1 knot being 2.49 arc minutes, calibrated for 2875 fps at 5000 yards.
Drift was corrected by inclining the sight carrier 1.5 degrees. The side sighting position with sight lines 32.65 inches above the bore and 32 inches abreast whereas the central position was 38 inches abreast the bore.
A "C" corrector was fitted, presumably also a temperature corrector.
Secondary Battery
This section is sourced in The Sight Manual, 1916.[4]
The ten 7.5-in BL guns Mark II were arranged in five single Mark II mountings on each broadside, able to elevate 15 degrees and depress 5 degrees. They could fire 2 CRH or 4 CRH shells.
The sights (also used in Warrior class) were gear-worked with a range gearing constant of 49.28, graduated to 15 degrees (15,700 yards for 4 CRH, 14,200 for 2 CRH). Range dials were provided for full charge at 2800 fps, reduced charge at 2325 fps and 3-pdr sub-calibre and .303-in aiming rifle. MV was corrected by adjustable pointer to +/- 75 fps.
The deflection was on a gearing constant of 72.65, 1 knot being 2.70 arc minutes, calibrated for 2800 fps at 5000 yards. An arrow at 4.5 knots right deflection on the deflection dial was inscribed "Zero for sight testing".
Drift was corrected by inclining the sight carrier 2 degrees and by applying an additional 4.5 knots permanent left deflection when firing 4 CRH shells. The sighting lines with sight lines 11 inches above the bore and 32 inches abreast whereas the central position was 38 inches abreast the bore.A practice gun could be mounted ont he turret roof 65.12 inches above the gun bore.
A "C" corrector was fitted, presumably also a temperature corrector.
Other Guns
High velocity 12-pdr 18 cwt guns were mounted on P IV* mountings, similar to those in the Lord Nelson, King Edward VII and Dreadnought classes.[5]
The mounting could elevate to 20 degrees and depress to 10 degrees, but though its sight could match the 20 degree elevation, the range dial was only graduated to 14.5 degrees (7,900 yards). This was fine, as there was limited fire control support provided for them and the weapons proved to have little effectiveness at the ranges where torpedo attack became deeply worrying.
The gear-worked sights were similar to the P IV type, but added a cross-connected trainer's sight. They had a range gearing contant of 54 and range dials for 2550 fps, 1962 fps, and 1-in and .303-in aiming rifles. The first series produced corrected for MV with detachable cams for 2600, 2575, 2550, 2525 and 2500 fps. The second series replaced these with an adjustable pointer for +/- 50 fps.
The deflection gearing constant was 63.38 with 1 knot equal to 2.96 arc minutes, corresponding to 2600 fps at 2000 yards. Drift was corrected by inclining the sight carrier arm 2 degrees.
The layer's and trainer's sight lines were 10 inches above the bore, and 10.25 inches abreast.
The sight lacked a "C" corrector. There do not seem to be temperature correctors or open sights.
Torpedoes
Fire Control
Rangefinders
Directors
In 1916, it was approved that the ships of this class should be retrofitted with directors as time, resources and opportunity permitted.[6]
Plans to outfit these ships with directors started in early 1915 but were slow to execute. Defence was lost before receiving hers, and the other Minotaur and Shannon received theirs in August and October 1918, respectively.[7]
Main Battery
Secondary Battery
Torpedo Control
Transmitting Stations
It is weakly implied that there were 2, as one is called the fore T.S. in a 1915 source. This may simply mean that there was a single T.S., and that it was forward.[8]
Dreyer Table
These ships had no Dreyer table.[9]
Fire Control Instruments
The ships in this class primarily used Barr and Stroud Mark II Fire Control Instruments.
The Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909 lists their equipment as:[10]
- Combined Range, Order, Deflection: 8 transmitters, 40 receivers
- Group Switches: 4
- Rate: 4 transmitters, 12 receivers
- Bearing: none
- Range: none
Additionally, this class had the following Siemens fire control equipment:[11]
- Turret fire gongs: 26 with 8 keys
- Fire Gongs: 8 with 2 keys
- Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 16 with 1 key
By 1915, however, some Barr and Stroud bearing instruments had been installed.[12]
The 9.2-in turrets each had 2 bearing receivers that could be driven by a transmitter in the fore T.S. or by one of two special master transmitters mounted port and starboard in the foretop. A C.O.S. in the fore T.S. selected whether the 9.2-in group was driven by the transmitter in the fore T.S. or by one of the masters in the foretop. The fore T.S. had 3 repeat receivers wired off the 9.2-in and both 7.5-in groups to facilitate in changing over. The 7.5-in guns each had a single receiver, and the "special bearing transmitters" in the foretop also had a repeat receiver for their group. The overall bill of fare ran to:
- 2 special bearing transmitters, Graham's type
- 3 Barr and Stroud bearing transmitters (2 in foretop, 1 in fore T.S.)
- 19 bearing receivers:
- 4 in the two 9.2-in turrets
- 10 at the ten 7.5-in guns
- 3 repeats in the fore T.S.
- 2 repeats in the foretop
- Three C.O.S. (one in fore T.S., and two in foretop)
It is not clear to me why "special" bearing transmitters were required, and how these were made compatible with the B&S receivers.
None of the ships had Target Visible or Gun Ready signals.[13]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ McBride. "Lord Nelson and Agamemnon." p. 71.
- ↑ The Sight Manual, 1916, pp. 53, 105, 108, 110.
- ↑ NavWeaps.com believes the 2 CRH ammunition only was provided to these weapons.
- ↑ The Sight Manual, 1916, pp 58, 105, 108, 110.
- ↑ The Sight Manual, 1916, p. 94, 108, Plate 47.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 175.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships, 1919, p. 15.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, p. 219.
- ↑ absent from table in Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 58.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 58.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, p. 219.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 11.
Bibliography
- Template:BibUKARTS1915
- Template:BibConways1906-1921
- 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:BibUKDreyerTableHandbook1918
- Template:BibUKFireControlInHMShips1919
