Courageous Class Battlecruiser (1916)

From The Dreadnought Project
Revision as of 06:23, 14 May 2010 by Simon Harley (Talk | contribs) (Made Changes.)

Jump to: navigation, search

Design

In a letter to D'Eyncourt of 29 January, 1915, Fisher made mention of the two large light cruisers:

I had a fierce time with the First Lord - Very fierce! but we are to have two 1 at H&W 1 at Elswick if only we can make out a good story for the Cabinet:
a) They must be both ready to fight within the year.
b) They must be said to cost quite approx in Round terms probably not more than a million but in view of the cost it is difficult to forecast what they will cost.
c) We must state that the construction of these two ships are (?)demanded by these two firms who can undertake them without interfering with current gov't work. For example riveters and such like today can't affect current work as these classes of workmen are only (?) required in the (?) initial (?) stages and cannot be turned into joiners or submarine work. The First Lord thinks you can be any d--d thing at any moment.
d) We must stick to it that draught of water will not exceed 22½ feet this is vital for Baltic work. It's on the Baltic undertaking (?) that he will carry them through in the Cabinet.
e) Speed 32 knots - don't say anything about being deep or light.
f) Enlarge on the unprecedented combination in one hull of 4 15 in guns 22½ feet draught of water & 32 knots speed with a radius of 11,000 miles and so small a personnel------- in lieu of 1,000 in the 'Derfflinger' and the (?) 885 in the 'Moltke'.
Please explain to Third Sea Lord.[1]

Fire Control

Phones

Main Battery

There is significant information on this in Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, possibly more than is given here, as I did not photograph pages 240 and 241.[2] An exchange board was situated in the TS with four Pattern 3330 Navyphones for the local operators and a single line to the main telephone exchange. Additionally, a dedicated 3330 was wired directly to a Pattern 3331 Navyphone in 'Y' turret's working space to convey orders. Two Pattern 3334 Navyphones went directly to 'A' and 'Y' for ranges.

Turrets:

  • One Pattern 3333 Navyphone with Telaupads for orders
  • Another 3333 with telaupads for spotting orders
  • One 3334 for ranges (presumably wired directly to the pair in the TS)

Spotting top:

  • One 3331 to torpedo control tower
  • One 3331 to main TS exchange for orders
  • One 3331 to main TS exchange for ranges

Light aloft director:

  • One 3331 with telaupads to TS for ranges
  • Another 3331 without telaupads to TS as "director firing navyphone"

Armoured director tower:

  • One 3331 with telaupads to TS as "director firing navyphone"

Gun control tower:

  • One 3331 to TS for ranges
  • One 3331 to TS for orders
  • One 3331 to TS as "control phone"
  • One 3331 to torpedo control tower

Secondary Battery

Possibly some data provided on pages 240 and 241 of Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915. I did not photograph those pages.

Rangefinders

Evershed Bearing Indicators

Both ships were likely fitted with this equipment upon or soon after completion.[Inference][3]

One might reasonably assume the particulars resembled those of the Revenge class.[Inference]

Mechanical Aid-to-Spotter

At some point, both ships were likely equipped with four Mark II Mechanical Aid-to-Spotters:

  • one on each side of the foretop, driven by flexible shafting from the Evershed rack on the director
  • one on each side of the Gun Control Tower employing an electrical F.T.P. system.

As the need for such gear was apparently first identified in early 1916, it seems likely that these installations were effected well after Jutland.[4]

Gunnery Control

These ships were well documented in Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915along the following lines.[5]

Control Positions

Main battery:

  • Spotting top
  • Gunnery control tower
  • 'Y' turret

Secondary battery:

  • Spotting top
  • Forward night defence shelter
  • After night defence shelter

Control Groups

Main Battery

Turrets 'A' and 'Y' were separate groups.

Secondary Battery

The 4-in guns were arranged entirely in triple mountings and in 4 groups, numbered 1 to 4. Groups 1 and 2 had a port and a starboard mounting.[6] This meant that the forward broadside-disposed triple mountings could not cleanly engaged targets on both broadsides while all enjoyed both director or instrument-based relay of ranges and deflections. It seems possible, however, that one side could be under director fire and the other under local laying firing with data supplied from the 4-in TS.

Directors

Both ships were completed with directors for main and secondary batteries installed.[7]

Main Battery

These ships were completed with 2 cam-type, tripod-mounted directors, one in an armoured tower and one in a light aloft tower.[8] The battery was divisible into forward ('A' turret) and aft ('Y' turret) groups, and a C.O.S. in the TS allowed the following modes of control:[9]

  • All guns on aloft director
  • All guns on armoured director
  • Forward group on aloft director, aft on armoured director

Secondary Battery

Directors for 4-in Battery
As shown in Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915.

[10] The 4-in guns for both were supported by a pair of pedestal-mounted directors situated on the centre line, one forward and one aft.[11] A C.O.S. in the TS allowed the following modes of control:[12][13]

  • All groups on forward director
  • All groups on aft director
  • Groups 1 & 2 on forward director, groups 3 & 4 on aft director

Each gun on a triple mounting had a 5-way C.O.S. for the firing circuit:[14]

  • local, simultaneous firing from any of the 3 sets of main or auxiliary firing keys
  • director firing by director main and aux on local main and aux
  • gunlayer individual firing
  • director firing main, and local firing aux
  • local simultaneous firing, but with main and aux crossed over

Torpedo Control

Transmitting Stations

Dreyer Table

Each ship had a Mark IV* Dreyer Table and 2 (?) Turret Control Tables.[15]

Fire Control Instruments

These ships were well documented in Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915along the following lines.[16]

Main Battery

  • Spotting Top (control position):
    • Mark I Barr and Stroud fall-of-shot receiver wired from 'A' turret
    • Mark I Barr and Stroud fall-of-shot receiver wired from 'Y' turret
    • Captain's cease fire gong
    • Mark III Barr and Stroud single range transmitter with key
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III range repeat receiver wired from "Out position" panel in TS
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III deflection repeat receiver wired from "Out position" panel in TS
  • Light aloft director tower:
    • Captain's cease fire gong
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III range receiver wired from "Out position" panel in TS
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III deflection receiver wired from "Out position" panel in TS
  • Armoured director tower:
    • Captain's cease fire gong
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III range receiver wired from 'Y' turret panel in TS
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III deflection receiver wired from 'Y' turret panel in TS
  • Gun control tower (control position):
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III range repeat receiver wired from 'Y' turret panel in TS
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III deflection repeat receiver wired from 'Y' turret panel in TS
    • Barr and Stroud Mark III* range transmitter wired directly to receiver in TS
    • Barr and Stroud Mark IV bearing transmitter wired directly to receiver in TS
    • Captain's cease fire gong
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III range receiver wired from 'Y' turret panel in TS
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III deflection receiver wired from 'Y' turret panel in TS
    • B & S Mark I fall-of-shot receiver wired from 'A' turret
    • B & S Mark I fall-of-shot receiver wired from 'Y' turret
  • Conning tower
    • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III[Inference] range repeat receiver wired from "Out position" panel in TS
    • Captain's cease fire gong push
  • Turrets ('Y' is a control position):
    • B & S Mark I fall-of-shot transmitter to TS
    • Auto range transmitter for turret RF to TS
    • B & S Mark IV Combined R.O.D. transmitter with tell-tale receiver to TS ('Y' only)
    • Fire push to TS ('Y' only)
    • B & S Mark IV bearing transmitter to TS ('Y' only)
    • B & S Mark III* rate transmitter to TS ('Y' only)
    • B & S Mark III* rate receiver from TS (perhaps a repeat? 'Y' only)
    • Captain's cease fire bell from TS
    • B & S Mark IV bearing transmitter to TS
    • Local C.O.S. for O.O.Q.'s local control or TS control, connected to:
      • Vickers F.T.P. Mark IV range transmitter with repeat receiver in O.O.Q. position
      • Vickers F.T.P. Mark IV deflection transmitter with repeat receiver in O.O.Q. position
      • Fire push in O.O.Q. position
      • B & S Mark III* single[Inference] order receiver in O.O.Q. position
      • Four Vickers F.T.P. Mark III range receivers at sighting positions
      • Four Vickers F.T.P. Mark III deflection receivers at sighting positions
  • Main Battery TS:
    • Three panels ('A', 'Y', and 'Out') each with:
      • Vickers F.T.P. Mark IV* range transmitter w/ Mark III repeat receiver
      • Vickers F.T.P. Mark IV* deflection transmitter w/ Mark III repeat receiver
      • B & S Mark III* single order transmitter ('A' and 'Y' only)
      • N.B.: the 'Out' panel's range and deflection transmitters feed Vickers F.T.P Mark III repeats in the 4-in TS
    • Two B & S Mark IV bearing receivers from 'Y' and GCT
    • Two B & S Mark III* rate receivers (from 'Y' and GCT "through a 2 way C.O.S. giving either TS panel or plotting table.")
    • Two rate transmitters to 'A' and 'Y' turrets
    • Four B & S Mark III single range receivers from 'A','Y', spotting top and GCT
    • Two B & S Mark I[Inference] fall-of-shot receivers from 'A' and 'Y'
    • B & S Mark III Combined receiver (from 'Y'[Inference])
    • Buzzer

Secondary Battery

  • Upper conning tower:
    • Captain's cease fire push
  • Spotting Top (control position):
    • Two portable Vickers F.T.P. combined range and deflection transmitters with repeat receivers to C.O.S. for groups 1 & 2 in 4-in TS
    • Wired to a distribution box in the 4-in TS thence to C.O.S. for each group:
      • Fire gong pushes (one for each group? likely only groups 1 and 2 -- see below)
      • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III range repeat receiver
      • Vickers F.T.P. Mark III deflection repeat receiver
      • Vickers F.T.P. Mark IV* deflection transmitter
      • Range clock
      • Captain's cease fire gong
  • Forward night defence position (control position serving groups 1 & 2, port and starboard):
    • Two portable Vickers F.T.P. combined range and deflection transmitters with repeat receivers and fire pushes to C.O.S. in 4-in TS
    • Two-pin plug to connect to Captain's cease fire push
  • After night defence position (control position serving groups 3 & 4):
    • Two portable Vickers F.T.P. combined range and deflection transmitters with repeat receivers and fire pushes to C.O.S. in 4-in TS
  • Forward 4-in gun director tower:
    • One continuous-ringing fire gong (from group 1, P & S in TS)
    • Two combined range and deflection repeat receivers (from group 1, P & S in TS)
    • Captain's cease-fire gong
  • After 4-in gun director tower:
    • Vickers (F.T.P.?) Mark III range receiver from group 3's instruments in TS
    • Vickers (F.T.P.?) Mark III deflection receiver from group 3's instruments in TS
    • Captain's cease-fire gong
  • 4-in TS:
    • Four sets of instruments to address groups 1 through 4:
      • Vickers Mark IV* range transmitter (Mark III receiver arranged on gun side of C.O.S. as repeat)
      • Vickers Mark IV* deflection transmitter (Mark III receiver arranged on gun side of C.O.S. as repeat)
      • Fire gong push
    • Two 4-way C.O.S. for groups 1 and 2, port and starboard:
      • # TS instrument control
      • # forward night defence shelter
      • # spotting top
      • # range clock in spotting top
    • Two 3-way C.O.S. for groups 3 and 4:
      • # TS instruments control
      • # after night defence shelter
      • # range clock in spotting top

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Quoted in McBride. "Note: Fisher's Follies; Their Real Origin?". The Mariner's Mirror. 76 (1990): 2. p. 134.
  2. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, p. 239.
  3. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914
  4. ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships, 1919, pp. 25-6.
  5. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, pp. 236-242.
  6. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, Plate 123.
  7. ↑ The Technical History and Index: Fire Control in HM Ships, pp. 9-11, 16.
  8. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 142.
  9. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 89.
  10. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, p. 231.
  11. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 143.
  12. ↑ The Director Firing Handbook, 1917. p. 91.
  13. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, p. 239.
  14. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, p. 239.
  15. ↑ Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
  16. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, pp. 236-240.

Bibliography

Template:CatClassUKBattlecruiser

Template:Courageous Class (1916)

Retrieved from "http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php?title=Courageous_Class_Battlecruiser_(1916)&oldid=15176"