Difference between revisions of "London Class Battleship (1899)"

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Revision as of 15:35, 14 August 2012

The five battleships of the London Class were completed between 1902 and 1904.

Searchlights

In 1907, these ships, along with battleships of the Majestic, Canopus, and Duncan classes, along with armoured cruisers of the Powerful, Drake, Cressy, Monmouth and Devonshire classes were to land their searchlights from their tops and obtain two additional 24-inch models from their dockyards for placement on the shelter or boat deck. These were to be augmented by (or further upgraded to?) a pair of 36-in searchlights when they became available.[1]

Armament

During the war, along with those of other older ships, the eight 6-inch guns casemated on the first deck proved of little use in practical sea states. It was decided to remove the eight casemate guns, plate their ports over and move 4 of them to the upper deck. Four of the twelve 12-pdr guns were also surrendered due to this alteration.[2]

Main Battery

The 12-in guns were Mark IX, mounted in B VI turrets.[3]

Secondary Battery

Other Guns

Twelve 12-pdr guns, later reduced to eight when the 6-in casemate guns were relocated.

Fire Control

Though it may have little relevance given the age difference, the general system of wiring between the TSs in ships prior to Lord Nelson class is illustrated in Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914.[4]

Rangefinders

Evershed Bearing Indicators

It is not known if this equipment was ever provided.

Directors

These ships never received directors for main or secondary batteries.[5]

Gunnery Control

The ship's guns were organized in 3 groups:[6][Inference]

  1. Two 12-in turrets
  2. Starboard 6-in guns ('A' & 'X')
  3. Port 6-in guns ('B' & 'Y')

Local Control in Turrets

There was no provision in these ships for local turret control wherein the receivers in the turret could be driven by transmitters in the officer's position at the back of the turret.[7]

Transmitting Stations

These ships likely had fore and aft T.S.es.[8][Inference]

A C.O.S. allowed[Inference] control options of

  1. Fore
  2. After
  3. Separate

Each control group had transmitters (of various type, see below) with a pair of receivers, one wired directly to the transmitter as a tell-tale, and the other fed off the wires going to the distant guns (i.e., the aft guns for the fore TS and vice-versa) as a repeat. "These repeat receivers are necessary to keep the idle transmitters in step; when changing back from separate control they are required to enable both halves of the group to be set alike before being paralleled on to one transmitter."[9]

Dreyer Table

Prince of Wales was the original home to the Original Dreyer Table for some period between early-mid 1911 until Captain Dreyer took it with him to Hercules.[10] Beyond that, these ships never received Dreyer tables.[11]

Fire Control Instruments

By 1909, the ships were equipped with Vickers, Son and Maxim instruments for range, deflection and orders and with Barr and Stroud Fire Control Instruments for rate.[12]

The equipment listed in the Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909 is as follows:[13]

  • Vickers range transmitters: 6
  • Vickers deflection transmitters: 6
  • Vickers combined range and deflection receivers: 26
  • Vickers C.O.S.: 3
  • Vickers Check fire switches: 6
  • Barr and Stroud rate transmitters: 4
  • Barr and Stroud rate receivers: 8
  • Siemens turret fire gongs: 8 with 2 keys
  • Vickers fire gongs: 12 with 4 keys
  • Captain's Cease Fire Bells: 18 with 1 key (supplier not stated)

These ships lacked Target Visible and Gun Ready signals.[14]

Torpedo Control

Radio

Based on initiatives in 1901 to equip older battleships, these vessel were likely completed with W/T equipment in place or received them soonafter completion.[15]

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1907. p. 35. The location for each ship type was placement stipulated in C.N.2 11884/13066, 13.12.1906.
  2. ↑ Technical History and Index Vol. 4, Part 36, p. 9.
  3. ↑ The Sight Manual, 1916, p. 109.
  4. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).
  5. ↑ Director Firing Handbook, 1917, pp. 142-3.
  6. ↑ possibly omitted from a section at Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, p. 8.
  7. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. p. 50.
  8. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. p. 50 & Plates 50 and 54(I).
  9. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914, pp. 50-1.
  10. ↑ Pollen Aim Correction System, Part I. p. 12.
  11. ↑ Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
  12. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 56.
  13. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909, p. 60.
  14. ↑ Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. p. 11.
  15. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1901. pp. 111-112.

Bibliography

  • Template:THVol4Part34
  • 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:DirectorFiringH1917
  • Template:DreyerTableH1918
  • Dreyer, Frederic; Usborne, Cecil through Gunnery Branch, Admiralty. (1913). Pollen Aim Corrector System, Part I. Technical History and Technical Comparison with Commander F. C. Dreyer's Fire Control System. P. 1024. in Admiralty Library, Portsmouth.


Template:London Class (1899)


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