Difference between revisions of "Dreyer Fire Control Table"

From The Dreadnought Project
Jump to: navigation, search
(Distribution of Dreyer Fire Control Tables)
(Installation of Dreyer Fire Control Tables)
Line 181: Line 181:
  
 
These examples illustrate the perils of reading a document in a naive manner.  A loose analysis of the page suggests that many of the editorial marks were made around 1922-6, as ''Ajax'' was decommissioned in 1924 and scrapped in 1926 and its name is left in place, while ''Princess Royal'' was sold for scrap in 1922.  Interpretation can be sound or simply an exercise in self-deception; such possible pitfalls are certainly worth footnoting.
 
These examples illustrate the perils of reading a document in a naive manner.  A loose analysis of the page suggests that many of the editorial marks were made around 1922-6, as ''Ajax'' was decommissioned in 1924 and scrapped in 1926 and its name is left in place, while ''Princess Royal'' was sold for scrap in 1922.  Interpretation can be sound or simply an exercise in self-deception; such possible pitfalls are certainly worth footnoting.
 +
 +
Here is a facsimile of the table, with the circled ''Marlborough'' being expressed as '''bold text''', the hand-written entries as <i><font face="Comic Sans MS">this font</font></i> and
  
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
Line 187: Line 189:
 
| bgcolor=CEDFF2|'''Fitted In'''
 
| bgcolor=CEDFF2|'''Fitted In'''
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark I Dreyer Table|Mark I]]
+
| [[Mark I Dreyer Table|Mark I Tables]]
| [[H.M.S. Dreadnought (1906)|<del>''Dreadnought''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Colossus (1910)|<del>''Colossus''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Hercules (1910)|<del>''Hercules''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Neptune (1909)|<del>''Neptune''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Collingwood (1908)|<del>''Collingwood''</del>]], [[H.M.S. St. Vincent (1908)|<del>''St. Vincent''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Agincourt (1913)|<del>''Agincourt''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Erin (1913)|<del>''Erin''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Bellerophon (1907)|<del>''Bellerophon''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Marlborough (1912)|'''''Marlborough''''']], [[H.M.S. Superb (1907)|<del>''Superb''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Temeraire (1907)|<del>''Temeraire''</del>]], [[H.M.A.S. Australia (1911)|<del>''Australia''</del>]], [[H.M.S. New Zealand (1911)|<del>''New Zealand'</del>]], [[H.M.S. Inflexible (1907)|<del>''Inflexible''</del>]]
+
| [[H.M.S. Dreadnought (1906)|<del>''Dreadnought''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Colossus (1910)|<del>''Colossus''</del>]],[[H.M.S. Hercules (1910)|<del>''Hercules''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Neptune (1909)|<del>''Neptune''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Collingwood (1908)|<del>''Collingwood''</del>]], [[H.M.S. St. Vincent (1908)|<del>''St. Vincent''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Agincourt (1913)|<del>''Agincourt''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Erin (1913)|<del>''Erin''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Bellerophon (1907)|<del>''Bellerophon''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Marlborough (1912)|'''''Marlborough''''']], [[H.M.S. Superb (1907)|<del>''Superb''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Temeraire (1907)|<del>''Temeraire''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.A.S. Australia (1911)|<del>''Australia''</del>]], [[H.M.S. New Zealand (1911)|<del>''New Zealand'</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Inflexible (1907)|<del>''Inflexible''</del>]]
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark I* Dreyer Table|Mark I*]]
+
| [[Mark I* Dreyer Table|Mark I* Tables]]
| <del>''Cavendish''</del>, <del>''Effingham''</del>, ''Frobisher'', ''Hawkins'', <del>''Raleigh''</del>, [[H.M.S. Glatton (1913)|<del>''Glatton''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Gorgon (1914)|<del>''Gorgon''</del>]]
+
| <del>''Cavendish''</del>, <del>''Effingham''</del>, ''Frobisher'', ''Hawkins'', <del>''Raleigh''</del><br/>[[H.M.S. Glatton (1913)|<del>''Glatton''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Gorgon (1914)|<del>''Gorgon''</del>]]
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark II Dreyer Table|Mark II]]
+
| [[Mark II Dreyer Table|Mark II Tables]]
| [[H.M.S. Ajax (1912)|''Ajax'']], [[H.M.S. Centurion (1911)|''Centurion'']], [[H.M.S. Conqueror (1911)|<del>''Conqueror''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Orion (1910)|<del>''Orion''</del>]]
+
| [[H.M.S. Ajax (1912)|''Ajax'']], [[H.M.S. Centurion (1911)|''Centurion'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Conqueror (1911)|<del>''Conqueror''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Orion (1910)|<del>''Orion''</del>]]
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark III Dreyer Table|Mark III]]
+
| [[Mark III Dreyer Table|Mark III Tables]]
| [[H.M.S. King George V (1911)|''King George V'']], [[H.M.S. Monarch (1911)|''Monarch'']], [[H.M.S. Thunderer (1911)|''Thunderer'']], [[H.M.S. Excellent (Gunnery Training School)|''Excellent'']], [[Chatham Gunnery Training School]]
+
| [[H.M.S. King George V (1911)|''King George V'']], [[H.M.S. Monarch (1911)|''Monarch'']], [[H.M.S. Thunderer (1911)|''Thunderer'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Excellent (Gunnery Training School)|''Excellent'']], [[Chatham Gunnery School]]
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark III* Dreyer Table|Mark III*]]
+
| [[Mark III* Dreyer Table|Mark III* Tables]]
 
| ''Cairo'', ''Calcutta'', ''Cape Town'', ''Carlisle'', ''Colombo'', ''Dehli'', ''Dunedin'', ''Durban''
 
| ''Cairo'', ''Calcutta'', ''Cape Town'', ''Carlisle'', ''Colombo'', ''Dehli'', ''Dunedin'', ''Durban''
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark IV Dreyer Table|Mark IV]]
+
| [[Mark IV Dreyer Table|Mark IV Tables]]
| [[H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth (1913)|<del>''Queen Elizabeth''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Benbow (1913)|''Benbow'']], [[H.M.S. Emperor of India (1913)|''Emperor of India'']], [[H.M.S. Iron Duke (1912)|''Iron Duke'']], [[H.M.S. Tiger (1913)|<del>''Tiger''</del>]]
+
| [[H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth (1913)|<del>''Queen Elizabeth''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Benbow (1913)|''Benbow'']], [[H.M.S. Emperor of India (1913)|''Emperor of India'']], [[H.M.S. Iron Duke (1912)|''Iron Duke'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Tiger (1913)|<del>''Tiger''</del>]]
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark IV* Dreyer Table|Mark IV*]]
+
| [[Mark IV* Dreyer Table|Mark IV* Tables]]
| [[H.M.S. Resolution (1915)|''Resolution'']], [[H.M.S. Revenge (1915)|''Revenge'']], [[H.M.S. Royal Oak (1914)|''Royal Oak'']], [[H.M.S. Barham (1914)|''Barham'']], [[H.M.S. Malaya (1915)|''Malaya'']], [[H.M.S. Valiant (1914)|''Valiant'']], [[H.M.S. Warspite (1913)|''Warspite'']], [[H.M.S. Canada (1913)|''Canada'']], [[H.M.S. Renown (1916)|''Renown'']], [[H.M.S. Repulse (1916)|''Repulse'']], [[H.M.S. Lion (1910)|<del>''Lion''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Princess Royal (1911)|<del>''Princess Royal''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Courageous (1916)|''Courageous'']], [[H.M.S. Glorious (1916)|''Glorious'']], <i><font face="Comic Sans MS" size=+1>[[H.M.S. Tiger (1913)|Tiger]], [[H.M.S. Ramillies (1916)|Ramillies]], [[H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth (1913)|Queen Elizabeth]]</font></i>
+
| [[H.M.S. Resolution (1915)|''Resolution'']], [[H.M.S. Revenge (1915)|''Revenge'']], [[H.M.S. Royal Oak (1914)|''Royal Oak'']], [[H.M.S. Royal Sovereign (1914)|''Royal Sovereign'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Barham (1914)|''Barham'']], [[H.M.S. Malaya (1915)|''Malaya'']], [[H.M.S. Valiant (1914)|''Valiant'']], [[H.M.S. Warspite (1913)|''Warspite'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Canada (1913)|''Canada'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Renown (1916)|''Renown'']], [[H.M.S. Repulse (1916)|''Repulse'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Lion (1910)|<del>''Lion''</del>]], [[H.M.S. Princess Royal (1911)|<del>''Princess Royal''</del>]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Courageous (1916)|''Courageous'']], [[H.M.S. Glorious (1916)|''Glorious'']]<br/><i><font face="Comic Sans MS">[[H.M.S. Tiger (1913)|Tiger]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Ramillies (1916)|Ramillies]]<br/>[[H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth (1913)|Queen Elizabeth]]</font></i>
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Mark V Dreyer Table|Mark V]]
+
| <i><font face="Comic Sans MS">Hood</font></i><br/>[[Mark V Dreyer Table|<del>Mark V</del> Tables]]
| [[H.M.S. Ramillies (1916)|<del>''Ramillies''</del>]], ''Anson'', [[H.M.S. Hood (1918)|''Hood'']], <del>''Howe''</del>, <del>''Rodney''</del>
+
| [[H.M.S. Ramillies (1916)|<del>''Ramillies''</del>]]<i><font face="Comic Sans MS">Mk IV</font></i>
 +
''Anson'', [[H.M.S. Hood (1918)|''Hood'']], <del>''Howe''</del>, <del>''Rodney''</del><br/><i><font face="Comic Sans MS">[[Chatham Gunnery School]], [[Portsmouth Gunnery School]], [[Devonport Gunnery School]]</font></i>
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| [[Turret Control Table|Turret Tables]] (in turrets)
+
| [[Turret Control Table|Turret Control Tables]]  
| ''Ramillies'', ''Resolution'', ''Revenge'', ''Royal Oak'', ''Royal Sovereign'', ''Barham'', ''Malaya'', ''Queen Elizabeth'', ''Valiant'', ''Warspite'', ''Benbow'', ''Emperor of India'', ''Iron Duke'', ''Marlborough'', ''Renown'', ''Repulse'', ''Tiger'', ''Courageous'', ''Glorious''
+
| ''Ramillies'', ''Resolution'', ''Revenge'', ''Royal Oak'', ''Royal Sovereign''<br/>''Barham'', ''Malaya'', ''Queen Elizabeth'', ''Valiant'', ''Warspite''<br/>''Benbow'', ''Emperor of India'', ''Iron Duke'', ''Marlborough''
 +
''Renown'', ''Repulse''<br/>''Tiger''<br/>''Courageous'', ''Glorious''
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
| Turret Tables (in T.S. of Light Cruisers)
+
| Turret Control Tables in Light Cruisers
| [[H.M.S. Ceres (1917)|''Ceres'']], [[H.M.S. Chester (1915)|''Chester'']], [[H.M.S. Carysfort (1914)|''Carysfort'']], [[H.M.S. Comus (1914)|''Comus'']], [[H.M.A.S. Melbourne (1912)|''Melbourne'']], [[H.M.S. Royalist (1915)|''Royalist'']]
+
| [[H.M.S. Ceres (1917)|''Ceres'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Chester (1915)|''Chester'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Carysfort (1914)|''Carysfort'']], [[H.M.S. Comus (1914)|''Comus'']]<br/>[[H.M.A.S. Melbourne (1912)|''Melbourne'']]<br/>[[H.M.S. Royalist (1915)|''Royalist'']]
 
|}
 
|}
  

Revision as of 13:12, 24 August 2009

The Dreyer Fire Control Table was the Royal Navy's highest-level Fire Control instrument during World War I.

Mark III Dreyer Fire Control Table as it appeared by 1918, front
Bearing plot, deflection drums and deflection totaliser on left (Wind Dumaresq obscured behind this equipment), Mark VI* dumaresq with integral range and bearing clocks beneath gyro-compass repeater and Forbes log in centre, and range plot, gun range counter and spotting corrector on right.
Mark III Dreyer Fire Control Table as it appeared by 1918, back
Spotting Corrector, Range plot and range plot grid on left, emergency manual drive hand-crank and stop-watch governor housing in centre (dumaresq, etc in rear), axle and chain drive to actuate bearing plot is prominent, and the wind dumaresq is visible here with the bearing plot, bearing grid, and deflection drums beyond. Though the Mark III table was introduced in 1912, this image depicts it after it had ripened through the addition of several accessories, most notably by the addition of deflection drums, deflection totaliser, wind dumaresq, and an improved range plot typewriter. These improvements typified the continual refinement process the Dreyer tables' open-faced nature seemed to welcome.

The tables existed in various Marks, though they were not developed in the order of their Roman numeral Mark numbers (Mark III was first). The Dreyer tables were based on semi-automated plotting of range cuts and bearings versus time on separate sheets of paper and employing a dumaresq and other appliances to relate these data, guess their derivatives, and compute a continuous range and deflection for use at the guns and/or the director.

For many decades, Dreyer tables have been a scapegoat for poor shooting by the Royal Navy. A technical evaluation suggests that this criticism is misdirected.

Overview

Dreyer Fire Control Tables were early mechanical computers ("calculating workbenches" might be a better term) meant to process data to permit a ship to engage a distant target with heavy artillery. They were fairly involved pieces of equipment, and grew more intricate between the invention of the first prototype table in 1911, their first deployment on dreadnoughts in 1912 (?) and the creation of the Mark V table in 1918. The dreadnoughts of the Grand Fleet relied on Dreyer equipment at Jutland to convert sporadic and imprecise estimates of range and bearing into workable firing parameters. Sadly, the level of success was spotty, as visibility conditions made such systematic data collection too occasional for performing the sort of graphical analysis on which the Dreyer relied.

The Dreyer FCTs were literally sturdy iron tables fitted with a number of fire control devices tied together by rotating shafts, bicycle chains and other linkages, worked by 7 or more men simultaneously as a corporate endeavour. They were housed deep within the ship in the Transmitting Station (T.S.) located beneath the armoured deck. By the time the Mark V table was fitted in H.M.S. Hood, as many as 30 people might occupy the T.S., working the table and its many ancillary devices or serving as liaisons to the fighting positions of the ship. It is fair to suggest that the Dreyer and its environment and attendants resembled a premonition of the Mission Control centres of the Apollo program 50 years later: a human/machine system on a broad scale to factor down a torrent of real time sensory data to create a manageable environment for exerting command at a rate tolerable to humans.

Dreyer Table as CPU in a Ship/Computer

It is not possible to study the Dreyer tables without developing a familiarity with the ship-wide art of fire control, the process of calculation and articulation by which the shells can be made to rapidly and continually fall in a pattern around a distant maneuvering enemy. The Dreyer's role was akin to that of a CPU within a modern computer system, and its "socket" was the T.S.

Examining a dreadnought as a computer system is the best way to develop this understanding. Just as a CPU processes input received via keyboard, mouse, and network adapter, the Dreyer table was given data on what the enemy appeared to be doing. And, just as a CPU might generate output on a screen or printer, the Dreyer's output peripherals were powerful naval guns. Without paying too much attention to the input and output devices, let's examine the T.S.'s role in the system by drawing a circle around it and observing which inputs and outputs crossed this membrane.

Inputs to a Mark III Dreyer Table, c1918
Information Received Source Input Mechanism Nature of Data
Estimates of Target Heading/Speed Visual estimates Manually sporadic, authoritative
Range Rates from Rate Officer, aloft Verbally sporadic, authoritative
Estimates of Target Range Optical rangefinders Manually sporadic, imprecise
Observations of Target Relative Bearing Optical device Automatically sporadic, granular
Spotting corrections Verbal reports Manually fairly often, authoritative
Own ship's heading Gyro-compass Automatically continuous, fairly precise
Own ship's speed Forbes Log (a speedometer) Manually continuous, fairly precise
Apparent wind speed Anemometer Manually continuous, fairly precise
Apparent wind direction Wind vane Manually continuous, fairly precise
Adjustments to range (for Wind Along, etc) Dreyer Calculator Verbally occasional, consistent

A Dreyer table delivered the only 2 outputs a gunner with a modern gun sight needed to hit a target he could see.

Outputs from a Mark III Dreyer Table
Output Generated Source of Data Nature of Data
Gun range Range clock + accrued spotting corrections continuous, 25 yard granularity
Gun Deflection Computed totals + accrued spotting corrections continuous, "1 knot" granularity

Primary Components

Dreyer tables' differed in their particulars by model and by refinements applied to each over time (which were seldom heralded and are difficult to track reliably), but they generally had 4 primary components and some number of ancillary subsystems.

Range Plot

The range plot was a semi-automated scatter plot of optical range estimates versus time. A wide expanse of paper (46-in wide paper in a Mark IV* table[1]) scrolled away from the observer on a flat surface at a constant speed, and as range cuts from rangefinder topside arrived, he plotted them on the paper at the appropriate position as measured by a graduated range scale arranged horizontally across the paper at its near edge. The means of plotting these points evolved over time[2]:

  • In Mark III tables prior to around 1918, the plotting from a single rangefinder was entirely automated.
  • In early 1914, Lieutenant Macnamara's plotter was tested unsuccessfully. It was capable of plotting cuts from several rangefinders pneumatically.
  • In mid 1914, Commander John Brownrigg's eponymous keyboard passed testing and was deployed to see use through Jutland on Mark IV and IV* tables. While it could plot data from any number of rangefinders, they were all represented by holes punched in the paper.
  • Soon after Jutland, a range typewriter was tested which could allow up to 9 rangefinders to have their data plotted, each with a distinctive mark. It was deployed in 1917 and even to the Mark III tables by 1918.

A range rate grid positioned over the plot could be moved over the recent range data samples and a skein of wires within it deflected to what the operator perceived was a linear trend suggested by their alteration over time. In this way, the range plot was a means for allowing the operator to visually see through the errors in the rangefinder data while also taking the derivative over time. This linear correlation provided a workable instantaneous range rate to establish on the table's range clock.

Also marking the face of the range plot's sheet was a pencil in a carrier on a worm screw that could be moved to any position near the range scale under the influence of the table's range clock. This range pencil could trace a continual hypothesis of the clock range (the current range to the target). The operator was able to manually position the pencil so it would be within the recent ranges being reported should the hypothesis and observational data diverge significantly. On some Dreyer tables (or added to some after their initial installation), a second pencil could be offset laterally from the first (often from a device called the Spotting Corrector) by the accrued spotting corrections and the corrections of a separate Dreyer Calculator so it would plot the gun range.

Bearing Plot

The bearing plot was similar to the range plot, but generally smaller in size (16-in wide paper in a Mark IV* table[3]) and it plotted bearings corrected for yaw versus time. In most of the pivotal battles, the bearing plots in use were widely criticised and seems to have been a true shortcoming in the Dreyer tables[Citation needed].

The shortcomings of the bearing plot used through Jutland seemed to be these:

  • it was large, with paper 16-in wide, requiring a means to move the bearing rate grid
  • the relative bearings taken were transmitted in coarse 1/4 degree steps[4].
  • the gyroscopes and the relays conveying their indications were prone to wander[5].
  • the paper plotted 120 degrees across its width (7.5 degrees per inch)[6], producing for moderate bearing rates subtle angles difficult to measure confidently[7]. The operator might have to reposition a pencil in a carriage if it got near the edge of the paper.
  • a lack of integration to automatically pass gun deflections onward

A solution to at least some these issues appeared in the form of the compact and well-integrated Standard Bearing Plot documented in the 1918 Dreyer Table handbook, which

  • had paper just 6.5-in wide (41% as wide as the original), allowing the rate grid to be in a fixed position[8].
  • the paper recorded just 10 degrees across its width, a scale more effective for modest rates, at 1.5 degrees per inch width. Additionally, the design did not require the operator to ever reposition a pencil[9].
  • was to exploit a change-over to finer 4 arc-minute steps for transmitting relative bearing[10].
  • included a Deflection Totaliser which acted for deflection like the Spotting Corrector did for range by permitting corrections to be added in and finally provided a proper mechanism for outputting the aggregate gun deflection

The "Standard Bearing Plots" never lived up to the ubiquity implied by their name, being deployed in perhaps just Ramillies before Gyro Director Training Gear was tested in Emperor of India in July 1918 and ordered widely early in 1919[11]. The weakest aspect of the Dreyer tables, then, received its makeover too late to count.

Dumaresq

A dumaresq situated on the table could relate range rate, speed-across, target bearing, and the speed and heading of the two vessels in a manner that permitted the operators to divine the data they lacked from those they had in hand, or to judge the plausibility of the data they were receiving. The dumaresq might convert an initial assessment as to enemy bearing, speed and heading into a range rate for initial use. Taking the indicated speed-across and a range estimate could allow the operators to reference special charts or deflection drums and arrive at an initial gun deflection.

Most vitally, the relationships a dumaresq modeled could permit a good firing solution against a non-maneuvering enemy to be maintained even while one's own ship maneuvered and range and bearing reports slacked off. The more feature-rich Dreyer tables automated the way in which the dumaresq could fulfill these purposes.

Range Clock

A clock-work or electrically driven range clock was an essential tool for reducing the workload for fire control and to permit a reasonable representation of the firing scenario to persist during temporary interruptions in visibility. All Dreyer tables possessed a range clock of some kind, and the better tables increased the ease with which the clock was kept in agreement with the dumaresq's configuration or even allowed an electric dumaresq to set the clock's range rate automatically.

The range clock's output was directed toward a Spotting Corrector which in turn drove the plotting pencils.

Bearing Clock

Most Dreyer tables also had a bearing clock which would help keep the target bearing updated on the dumaresq. In a simple installation such as a Mark III table, this clock applied a constant bearing rate to the present bearing, and the operator would periodically update this rate by hand. In a fancier installation, when the bearing rate grid was correctly aligned with the bearings visible on the plot below, the bearing clock was automatically set by the same action and the corresponding gun deflection entered into the first column of the deflection totaliser. As ever, the later and larger Dreyer tables smoother out the edges progressively while the smaller and earlier designs generally needed more attention to meet the task.

Spotting Corrector Gear

The range clock drove this differential gear, and through it, the red clock range pencil drew on the range plot. A dial and differential within this box, however, permitted incremental spotting corrections for range to be applied to this figure, along with a separate little addend from a Dreyer Calculator found on the transmitting station's bulkhead. In later Dreyer tables, a second gun range pencil was added to the range plot. A digital gun range counter similar to an old odometer sat on the table and provided a continuous display of the gun range. On a very late model Dreyer table, the clock range might also be brought to the standard bearing plot to rotate the deflection drums as needed and to set the change of bearing gear for gun range.

Installation of Dreyer Fire Control Tables

Information as to which ships had Dreyer tables, and of which type and from which date are incomplete and at times unreliable for a variety of reasons.[Citation needed] Each time a reference is discovered to a ship having a Dreyer table (or a particular type of table), the following aspects of the citation must be considered:

  • Is the writer speaking of an intended installation, or an existing one?
  • Is the installation written of the first for the ship?
  • Is the data current as of the date of promulgation of the document?
  • What can be inferred about entries found missing? Crossed out by hand? Written in by hand? When might they have been made and by whom?

And, for any table in any ship, one must also consider its level of refinement within its nominal Mark at any point in time:

  • Are ranges being plotted by a single Argo RF in an automated way, by Brownrigg keyboard, or by range typewriter?
  • Does the table have an elegant means of outputting deflections? With spotting corrections easily added in?
  • Does the table have a gun range pencil?
  • Is there an extended range scale?
  • Are any of the appointments jury-rigged or so recently installed that the crew might have chosen not to use them?

The Admiralty's Gunnery Branch promulgated the Handbook for Capt. FC Dreyer's Fire Control Tables. in June 1918, and a table on page 3 provides a "List of Ships carrying Dreyer Fire Control Tables".[12] This is the single most complete source for such data, but even a glimpse shows its value as a reference resource to be problematic.

Some ships listed as "carrying" Mark V tables were never completed:

  • Howe (crossed out by a light stroke)
  • Rodney (crossed out by a light stroke)
  • Anson (perhaps not crossed out, or maybe very faintly so)

Some Gunnery Schools are written in for Mark V table, but may never have received them:[Citation needed]

  • Chatham
  • Portsmouth
  • Devonport

Of the 15 ships listed as carrying Mark I tables:

  • 14 old 12-in ships are heavily crossed out
  • Marlborough is not only not crossed out — her name is prominently circled

We can sanely infer that someone crossed out ships that had been or were about to be scrapped (as the 14 12-in ships were soon after the war), and felt Marlborough's singular exception to this extinction was important enough that emphasis was required to drive home the fact. I would take this as a strong indication that Marlborough retained her Mark I table to her final days.

These examples illustrate the perils of reading a document in a naive manner. A loose analysis of the page suggests that many of the editorial marks were made around 1922-6, as Ajax was decommissioned in 1924 and scrapped in 1926 and its name is left in place, while Princess Royal was sold for scrap in 1922. Interpretation can be sound or simply an exercise in self-deception; such possible pitfalls are certainly worth footnoting.

Here is a facsimile of the table, with the circled Marlborough being expressed as bold text, the hand-written entries as this font and

Table Fitted In
Mark I Tables Dreadnought
Colossus,Hercules
Neptune
Collingwood, St. Vincent
Agincourt, Erin
Bellerophon, Marlborough, Superb, Temeraire
Australia, New Zealand'
Inflexible
Mark I* Tables Cavendish, Effingham, Frobisher, Hawkins, Raleigh
Glatton, Gorgon
Mark II Tables Ajax, Centurion
Conqueror, Orion
Mark III Tables King George V, Monarch, Thunderer
Excellent, Chatham Gunnery School
Mark III* Tables Cairo, Calcutta, Cape Town, Carlisle, Colombo, Dehli, Dunedin, Durban
Mark IV Tables Queen Elizabeth
Benbow, Emperor of India, Iron Duke
Tiger
Mark IV* Tables Resolution, Revenge, Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign
Barham, Malaya, Valiant, Warspite
Canada
Renown, Repulse
Lion, Princess Royal
Courageous, Glorious
Tiger
Ramillies
Queen Elizabeth
Hood
Mark V Tables
RamilliesMk IV

Anson, Hood, Howe, Rodney
Chatham Gunnery School, Portsmouth Gunnery School, Devonport Gunnery School

Turret Control Tables Ramillies, Resolution, Revenge, Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign
Barham, Malaya, Queen Elizabeth, Valiant, Warspite
Benbow, Emperor of India, Iron Duke, Marlborough

Renown, Repulse
Tiger
Courageous, Glorious

Turret Control Tables in Light Cruisers Ceres
Chester
Carysfort, Comus
Melbourne
Royalist

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Captain F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Apparatus, Mark IV., sheet 11.
  2. Brooks, John. Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland, pp. 171-4.
  3. Captain F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Apparatus, Mark IV., sheet 11.
  4. Brooks, John. Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland, p. 171.
  5. Brooks, John. Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland, p. 171.
  6. Captain F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Apparatus, Mark IV., sheets 44-5 & Fig. XII.
  7. Brooks, John. Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland, p. 171.
  8. Handbook of Captain F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918., p. 35.
  9. Handbook of Captain F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918., p. 35.
  10. Brooks, John. Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland, p. 174.
  11. Brooks, John. Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland, pp. 174-5.
  12. Handbook for Capt. FC Dreyer's Fire Control Tables. p. 3.

Bibliography