NAVAL GUNNERY

Evening Star, Issue 23693, 28 September 1940, Page 6

NAVAL GUNNERY

MEN AND GADGETS MARVEL OF COORDINATION SIXTY-SECOND CYCLE ,<aval gunnery is a remarkable achievement in the co-operation ot science, judgment, courage, and coolness, states an article in the London * Stsr The task of a land gunner—firing from a steady platform at a visible enemy and at a fixed range—is child s play in comparison. The naval gunner fares from a rapidly-moving and rocking platform, at a target which constantly alters course and speed, and which may be partly, or even completely, hidden beneath the' horizon. Our mfidern standard of gunnery has improved vastly—thanks to the intricate and costly fire-control ap- . paratus whch constitutes the “ brain ’ of a warship. During the Battle of Jutland our Grand Fleet fired more that 4,000 heavy shells, and registered only 82 direct hits. The German percentage was lower still. The proportions of successful hits in an equivalent battle between modern ships would probably be higher. COSTLY APPARATUS. Twenty-five years ago the fire-control apparatus on a battleship cost about £IO,OOO. - The figure for our latest ships is nearer £250,000. It is an incredibly intricate web of optical, electrical, and mechanical gadgets, which takes such factors as range, course, . and speed of the opponents, wind speed, air density and temperature, and visibility, juggles with them, and somehow or other arrives-at the exact elevation and direction of the guns. Here, briefly, is the procedure. Directly the enemy is sighted word is sent to the control tower, a steel compartment perched 80 feet or so above the waterline, far above the smoke of the guns, which is plentiful, even though the powder is “ smokeless.” Here are stationed about six men—two control officers; one observer to watch the fall of the shells ; a direction layer and direction trainer; and a range taker. The principal control officer’s main job is'to see that in the confusion of battle . the attention of range taker and gun layers is confined to enemy ships. The direction people •actually fire the guns. DOWN TO THE JOB. Directly action is ordered, tie con- , trol tower gets to work. The rangefinder adjusts the twin,telescopic sights of his 40ft-long range-finder until a •harp picture ot the target is in sight, reads off the recorded range, and signals it down to the transmitting-room, deep behind thick armour in the bowels of the ship. The control officers calculate the speed and course of the target and. transmit this, together with weather and other details. In the transmitting room dials on the wall constantly flicker, as. the everchanging figures come through. Sitting round a large table, fitted with moving arms and rules, are the plotting officers. They, and the great calculating machine, correlate all the factors and work out exactly the direction and elevation of the guns, so that the one-ton shells shall fall just on their moving objectives after a 20sec flight through the air. This sounds a long job, but it is only a matter of seconds before the details are passed on electrically to the great turrets. Weighing hundreds of tons, with their 12in to 16in armour plate, the turrets turn easily on steel.rollers. Hydraulic power lowers and raises the gun-barrels. As orders come through on the dials,' the gun layers swing their guns as ordered. Hydraulic rams push shells and cordite charges from the magazines below, and an hydraulic ram . forces them into the breech. WHEN THE GUNS GO OFF. A few seconds more and the guns are loaded and laid. A switch is pressed in the turret. In the transmitting room lights flick on as each turret signals the ready. The order “Fire!” is flashed up to the control tower. And the direction layer, his eyes glued to a telescope, pulls a pistol trigger by his side. The whole ship quivers as a broadside of metal flings towards the enemy. As ■imple as firing an air gun. Now the observer has his job to do. As each turret fires, an automatic device signals up to this officer in the control tower the length of time it will take its shells to reach tjieir objective. In this way he can identify the bursts or splashes of bis own fire, and signal down “ Up 300 ” or “ Down 200 ” to the transmitting room. A few .seconds more and the plotting officers have corrected the range, signalled it to the turrets, and the guns crash out again. At modern range in a stand-up battle the third or fourth salvo may well register direct hits. ALL HAPPENED IN A MINUTE. It all sounds a lengthy business, but actually in the thick of battle the_ whole cvcle takes only one minute—nine or 10 tons of explosive and metal dispatched every 60 seconds. Control towers, perched high above the decks, cannot he so heavily armoured as the turrets and may be destroyed by direct hits. So duplicate, or even triplicate, controls and control officers are provided and manned in the larger ships.' ' , ■ Even if these were carried away, individual fire from the turrets themselves, each of which has its own rangefinder, is possible. ..At extreme range of big guns the, targets are invisible, even from the control towers. Battle can still be fought at these 20-mile ranges and hits registered on the invisible targets if a spotting plane can observe the enemy, radio bfack their speed and course, and correct the falls of shells.