Difference between revisions of "St. Vincent Class Battleship (1908)"

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===Evershed Bearing Indicators===
 
===Evershed Bearing Indicators===
  
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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.
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All three ships were fitted with this equipment by late 1914, albeit ''Collingwood'' differed slightly.<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  
 
Transmitting positions were  
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* Upper aft conning tower
 
* Upper aft conning tower
  
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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>.
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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===
 
===Gunnery Control===
  
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Control arrangements were as follows<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 7.</ref>.
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Control arrangements were as follows.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914'', p. 7.</ref>
  
 
====Control Positions====
 
====Control Positions====
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* 'Y' turret
 
* 'Y' turret
  
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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>.
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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====
 
====Control Groups====
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====Main Battery====
 
====Main Battery====
  
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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<ref>''The Director Firing Handbook, 1917''.  pp. 88, 142.</ref>.  The battery was not divisible into groups for split director firing<ref>''The Director Firing Handbook, 1917''.  p. 88.</ref>.
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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<ref>''The Director Firing Handbook, 1917''.  pp. 88, 142.</ref>.  The battery was not divisible into groups for split director firing.<ref>''The Director Firing Handbook, 1917''.  p. 88.</ref>
  
 
====Secondary Battery====
 
====Secondary Battery====
  
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The 4-in guns never had directors installed<ref>absent from list in ''The Director Firing Handbook, 1917''.  p. 143.</ref>.
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The 4-in guns never had directors installed.<ref>absent from list in ''The Director Firing Handbook, 1917''.  p. 143.</ref>
  
 
===Torpedo Control===
 
===Torpedo Control===
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===Dreyer Table===
 
===Dreyer Table===
  
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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.
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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 Table]]s.<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.
  
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===Shipwide Network===
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===Fire Control Instruments===
  
 
As in the previous class, by 1909 all 3 ships were equipped with [[Barr and Stroud Mark II* Fire Control Instruments]] for range, deflection and orders.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'', p. 56.</ref>
 
As in the previous class, by 1909 all 3 ships were equipped with [[Barr and Stroud Mark II* Fire Control Instruments]] for range, deflection and orders.<ref>''Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909'', p. 56.</ref>
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{{BibUKDreyerTableHandbook1918}}
 
{{BibUKDreyerTableHandbook1918}}
 
</small>
 
</small>
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[[Category:Ship Class]]
  
 
{{Template:St. Vincent Class (1908)}}
 
{{Template:St. Vincent Class (1908)}}
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[[Category:Ship Class]]
 

Revision as of 17:10, 22 September 2009

Fire Control

Rangefinders

Evershed Bearing Indicators

All three ships were fitted with this equipment by late 1914, albeit Collingwood differed slightly.[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 TSes.[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.

Fire Control Instruments

As in the previous class, by 1909 all 3 ships were equipped with Barr and Stroud Mark II* Fire Control Instruments for range, deflection and orders.[11]

The Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909 lists the Barr and Stroud Mark II* equipment on this class as:[12]

  • Combined Range, Order, Deflection: 10 transmitters, 27 receivers
  • Group Switches: 11
  • Rate: 4 transmitters, 8 receivers
  • Bearing: 4 transmitters, 8 receivers
  • Range: 4 transmitters, 8 receivers

Additionally, this class had the following Graham's fire control equipment:[13]

  • Turret fire gongs: 10 with pushes in lamp boxes
  • Fire Gongs: none
  • Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 12 with 1 key

The ships also had Target Visible and Gun Ready signals, with indications of which turret could see the target and which guns were ready being visible in the TSds and control positions[14].

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 35.
  2. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 34-6.
  3. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 7.
  4. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 7.
  5. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. pp. 88, 142.
  6. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 88.
  7. ↑ absent from list in The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 143.
  8. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 6-7.
  9. ↑ Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
  10. ↑ absent from list in Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
  11. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 56.
  12. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 58.
  13. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 58.
  14. ↑ 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

Template:St. Vincent Class (1908)

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