Torpedo Director Pattern 1193

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Graduated sighting bar added in 1903 for range determination[1]

The Torpedo Director Pattern 1193, sometimes called the "Right Ahead" director,[2] was a British torpedo director used in early torpedo craft. It was used for torpedoes fired from fixed tubes and from dropping gear.[3]

Presumably, it was a contemporary instrument to the Pattern 1192 whose semi-circular design was amenable for use with trainable torpedo tubes.[Inference]

Design

It featured a 60 degree arc and was originally graduated to permit enemy speeds of zero to 30 knots and torpedo speeds of 12 to 40 knots.

If a Pattern 1193a existed, it was similar, but made stronger in its pivots and sighting bar.[4]

Alterations and Service

It entered service sometime before 1903. In 1911, it was described as for use by torpedo craft with cold torpedoes and when mounted right on the tube.[5]

It was no longer used in any modern ships as of 1912.[6]

In 1903, it is likely that the sight bar was etched with a scale to permit maximum range for firing to be calculated by arithmetic.[7]

In 1909, some were fitted with tangent bars and regraduated to 2/3rd scale for use from TBD fore bridges and heater torpedoes.[8]

See Also

Footnotes

  1. The Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1903, Plate 5. Small chance this is 2390. It cannot be an 1895, as they never had graduated sight bars.
  2. Handbook of Torpedo Control, 1916, p. 16.
  3. Torpedo Drill Book, 1905, p. 376.
  4. Torpedo Drill Book, 1914, p. 564.
  5. Addenda (1911) to Torpedo Manual, Vol. III., 1909, p. 170.
  6. Torpedo Drill Book, 1912, p. 494.
  7. Torpedo Drill Book, 1903, Plate 5.
  8. The Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1909, p. 22.

Bibliography