British Adoption of Director Firing
The Royal Navy's adoption of the director occurred in a blizzard of activity immediately prior to the war and throughout its duration. Priority was placed on the ships with the largest guns and those most likely to see front-line service in the face of the enemy: dreadnoughts, battle cruisers and monitors.
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Early Trials in H.M.S. Africa
Directors of various forms had been tried for over twenty years, but the type used in the war traced its lineage to that proposed by Percy Scott in 1905.[1] H.M.S. Africa conducted the first tests of an elevation-only director in 1907[2], and a variant from Bacon was tested in Dreadnought and Bellerophon.
Successes in the 1909 Battle Practice and thereafter built support for the concept, culminating in successful trials in May 1910, although Hugh Evan-Thomas argued against it.[1]
Trials in H.M.S. Neptune
Even then, a final change from a fixed-elevation system (where the guns would fire when own ship's roll brought the sights on) to one allowing adjustable elevation as well as training. Neptune tried this Vickers-produced director. By early in 1911, confidence was sufficient that the Orion- and Lion-classes were to be completed with the extensive wiring required for the directors, but a variant in Thunderer was required to address issues of reliability and accuracy in the Neptune design.
Trials in H.M.S. Thunderer
Issues of reliability and accuracy in the Neptune system prompted some alterations and another trial fitting reflecting the changes in Thunderer. This system was subjected to a competitive shoot-out against Orion, which clearly demonstrated the advantages and utility of director firing.
The acceptance of the refined Thunderer prototype in 1913 pushed the Royal Navy to the point it was ready to deploy the equipment in new construction and also to equip its existing fleet.
Early Orders
At the outset of the program of equipping the fleet, a large number of suitable platforms for retrofit were on hand, and they were handled in sets as finances, dock time and equipment availability permitted. Vickers was to perform most of the work of manufacture and installation.
The "Twelve Ship Order" was to replace the prototype director in Thunderer with production gear, and to provide sets also for Monarch, Benbow, Emperor of India, Marlborough, Iron Duke, King George V, Ajax (which received the first production set), Centurion, Audacious, Queen Mary and Tiger.
The successive "Seventeen Ship Order" covered Orion, Colossus, Hercules, Neptune, St. Vincent, Collingwood, Bellerophon, Superb, Temeraire, Dreadnought, Lion, Princess Royal, Indefatigable, New Zealand, Invincible, Indomitable and Inflexible.
The combined result of these orders and the trial installations was that 8 dreadnoughts were equipped with director firing for their main battery: Neptune possibly still with her prototype gear from 1911, Thunderer with her director from 1912 possibly updated, Ajax from 1913, and Iron Duke, Marlborough, King George V, Centurion and Monarch from earlier in 1914.[2]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:BibBrooksDreadnoughtGunnery, p. 48.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:BibUKFireControlInHMShips1919, p. 4.
Bibliography
