Thread: How The Big Guns Of A Battleship Are Controlled

Sequence of Orders for Firing Battleship's Guns

1. Captain sights target and informs principal Control Officer to send message to Transmitting Room.
2. Control Tower and turret send range to Transmitting Room.
3. The Mean Range is retrans¬mitted to Control Towers.
4. Training and Elevating Direc¬tions given to Gun Layers.
5. When guns are ready Signal Lamps glow in Transmitting Room.
6. Signal to Fire sent to Control Tower.
7. Director Layer fires guns electrically by means of pistol.

All Left Side: Part section of the Fighting Tower.
Top Right: Section through the Gun Turret and Ammunition Hoist showing also the Ammunition Chambers.
Below Right: Part Section of a Triple 16-in Gun Turret.

This diagrammatic drawing reveals the standard method of fire control in British warships. The three triple 16in.gun-turrets in the '''Nelson” and “Rodney," plus the small 6-in guns and turrets, cost £3,000,000. These 16in guns can fire a 2,461-lb projectile 35,000 yards, or 20 miles (See panel at: top of page for order of firing.)
The transmitting room is deep down inside the ship. In this room all calculations for firing the guns are worked out. Not only must the distance, speed and course of the target be taken into consideration, but also speed and course etc, of attacking ship, also information as to which gun is ready for firing, and which gun is in process of loading.

Key to Main Fire Control Tower

1: Fall of Shot Observer.
2: Principal Control Officer.
3: Director Controller.
4: Pistol for Firing Gun.
5: Director Layer.
6: Range Taker.
7: Range Finder.

Key to One Triple 16.in. Gun Turret

8: Range Finder.
9: Range Taker.
10: Periscope Officer.
11: Entrance to Turret.
12: Rammer Crew and Gun loaders.
13: Mechanical Cradle containing Shells.
14: 2,461-lb. Shell.
I5: Entrance to working chamber below (see section.)
16: Turret Officer speaking to Ammunition Chambers.
17: Elevator Controller.
18: Flash Bags prevent fumes reaching crew in turret.
19: II-in. Armour side.

Obvously, your gonna need a lot of people to work this kind of machine. Each member must be skilled in his job, or else they will be defeated.