Difference between revisions of "St. Vincent Class Battleship (1908)"
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==Fire Control Systems== | ==Fire Control Systems== | ||
===Rangefinders=== | ===Rangefinders=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Evershed Bearing Indicators=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | All three ships were fitted with this equipment by late 1914, albeit ''Collingwood'' differed slightly fashion<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 35.</ref>. ''St. Vincent'' and ''Vanguard'' had swapped out the use of 'Y' turret as a transmitting position in favor of 'X', but ''Collingwood'' retained the old arrangement. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Transmitting positions were | ||
| + | * Fore control platform (transmitters to port and starboard with a local switch to select one in use | ||
| + | * 'A' turret | ||
| + | * 'X' turret ('Y' for ''Collingwood'') | ||
| + | * Upper aft conning tower | ||
| + | |||
| + | The protocols for how to handle [[Wooding|wooding]] of the turrets was outlined in the ''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914''<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', pp. 34-6.</ref>. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Gunnery Control=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Control arrangements were as follows<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 7.</ref>. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====Control Positions==== | ||
| + | * Fore top | ||
| + | * Main top | ||
| + | * 'A' turret | ||
| + | * 'Y' turret | ||
| + | |||
| + | Some ships had C.O.S.s within the control positions so they could be connected to either TS<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 7.</ref>. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====Control Groups==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The five 12-in turrets were each a separate group with a local [[C.O.S.]]{{INF}} so that it could be connected to | ||
| + | * Forward TS | ||
| + | * After TS | ||
| + | * Local control from officer's position within turret | ||
===Directors=== | ===Directors=== | ||
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Each ship was eventually retro-fitted with a Mark I Dreyer table<ref>''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref>, but was never given Dreyer Turret Control Tables<ref>absent from list in ''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref>. It appears reasonable to assume that ''Vanguard'' had a table fitted prior to her accidental loss. | Each ship was eventually retro-fitted with a Mark I Dreyer table<ref>''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref>, but was never given Dreyer Turret Control Tables<ref>absent from list in ''Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables'', p. 3.</ref>. It appears reasonable to assume that ''Vanguard'' had a table fitted prior to her accidental loss. | ||
| − | === | + | ===Shipwide Network=== |
| + | |||
| + | Just as in the previous class, by late 1914, all 3 ships were equipped with [[Barr and Stroud]] Mark II* instruments for range, deflection and orders<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', pp. 72.</ref>. | ||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
Revision as of 20:21, 18 August 2009
Fire Control Systems
Rangefinders
Evershed Bearing Indicators
All three ships were fitted with this equipment by late 1914, albeit Collingwood differed slightly fashion[1]. St. Vincent and Vanguard had swapped out the use of 'Y' turret as a transmitting position in favor of 'X', but Collingwood retained the old arrangement.
Transmitting positions were
- Fore control platform (transmitters to port and starboard with a local switch to select one in use
- 'A' turret
- 'X' turret ('Y' for Collingwood)
- Upper aft conning tower
The protocols for how to handle wooding of the turrets was outlined in the Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914[2].
Gunnery Control
Control arrangements were as follows[3].
Control Positions
- Fore top
- Main top
- 'A' turret
- 'Y' turret
Some ships had C.O.S.s within the control positions so they could be connected to either TS[4].
Control Groups
The five 12-in turrets were each a separate group with a local C.O.S.[Inference] so that it could be connected to
- Forward TS
- After TS
- Local control from officer's position within turret
Directors
Main Battery
The ships were completed without a director, but were eventually fitted with a geared tripod-type director in a light aloft tower on the foremast along with a directing gun in 'Y' turret[5]. The battery was not divisible into groups for split director firing[6].
Secondary Battery
The 4-in guns never had directors installed[7].
Torpedo Control
Transmitting Stations
Like all large British ships of the era prior to King George V and Queen Mary, these ships had 2 TSs[8].
Dreyer Table
Each ship was eventually retro-fitted with a Mark I Dreyer table[9], but was never given Dreyer Turret Control Tables[10]. It appears reasonable to assume that Vanguard had a table fitted prior to her accidental loss.
Shipwide Network
Just as in the previous class, by late 1914, all 3 ships were equipped with Barr and Stroud Mark II* instruments for range, deflection and orders[11].
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 35.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 34-6.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 7.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 7.
- ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. pp. 88, 142.
- ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 88.
- ↑ absent from list in The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 143.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 6-7.
- ↑ Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
- ↑ absent from list in Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
- ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 72.
Bibliography
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
