The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-03


gunnery officer, the torpedo officer, the
chief quartermaster and the wireless
operator. 1nasmuch as the space in
side is only ten feet by eight II Is fairly
crowded
THE battle station Of the executive
officer is in the lee OF one of the gun
turrets, not the side opposite the wind
ward he it understood, but the battle
lee, away from the enemy. II Is pos
sible that the captain may he killed and
II such thing should happen the
executive officer must be ready instantly
to take command Of the ship.
Each turret officer is in his turret,
from which, for the aiming Of his guns,
he keeps watch on the enemy through
a sort of crabs eve projecting above,
the same sort Of instrument, called n
periscope, that Is used by submarines.
For orders to fire he looks to the gum
merry officer, who, rs already stated, is in
the coming tower.
1T is the business Of the chief spotter
to watch through telescope the fall
Of the shells fired by the guns and to
send messages to the turrets correcting
range and aim. His station is on a
platform at the top Of the foremost
on a similar platform at tho top OF the
mainmast is the relief spotter, who as
sumes charge OF this work in case the
chief spotter happens to he killed. For
merry the so-called military tops had
machine guns mounted on them hut
nowadays they are used exclusively for
purposes Of observation. They afford
the best possible stations for the range
finding instruments.
"a range finder Is an ingenious optI-
cal contrivance which gives the observer
who looks into It exactly the view he
would have II his eyes were twenty one
feet apart. An enemys ship therefore
appears as II seen from two points OF
view separated by that distance.
This line, twenty-one feet long, rep
rescnts the base OF "a imaginary trl-
: angle the apex Of which touches the
/ hostile vessel The instrument shows
the two angles at the base of the tri-
angle, which, together with the known
! length of the base, give the distance Of
the enemy's craft or in other words the
} range.
There are three or four other range
finders in various places. on top OF the
turrets or elsewhere, each instrument
5 being erected on tripod. The obser-
vations Of all OF them are communicated
J by telephone to the plotting room. which
$ is under the water line OF the ship.
? There the whole problem is worked out
, on a mathematical basis, but with ut
| most celebrity, and thence the proper
! ranges for the guns are sent to the
turrets.
, "Oflcers of exceptiona, ceverness are
: employed in this kind OF. work. on which
, so much depends. The plotting room
is provided with all sorts Of instruments
including a master dial. with a switch
| which, when turned to one figure or
| another. causes corresponding figures
2 to appear on dials in all OF the turrets.
? 1T might be said incidentally that the
, range finders give ranges that are only
? approximately 20 be relied upon, because
! various conditions may affect the shoot
! ing. Thus, for example, gunpowder docs
! not give in damp weather the same pro-
p polling force to the projectle as in dry
= weather. 1t is particularly at long
j ranges that the finders are useful. AT
short ranges the gunners are able 20
= get along very well without their help
e each turret officer doing his own spot
ting and correcting his range by OBJ
q servation of the fall Of his shells.
A 1.-THE lighting Of the ship is directed
I by the captain from the coming tower,
, IN which are the steering wheel, a COM
a pass voice tubes, engine signals, and
, telephones communicating with all parts
I of the vessel. II is he who gives the
t order to open fire on the enemy who
governs the steering of the vessel, and
y who Indicates when torpedoes are 20 be
e. discharged
J. All these things he must do wthou,
I any better means OF observing his sur
v rounding than is afforded by peep holes
- To see through these peep holes is diff
b cult; II Is hard 10 get relative bearings
= and distances, The latter being distorted
i Much experience is required to overcome
y this obstacle, and on that account the
commanding officer usually goes into the
5, coming tower for practice when the
e guns are firing at targets
o THE most judicious time to let loose
T n torpedo is when the enemy's ship Il
T. approaching point which the torpedo
g may be expected to reach at the sam,
I moment he does. Torpedoes cost IS 00t
apiece, but 1t pays under such circum
+ stances TO drop three or four of then
Il and take the chance OF a hit. Informa
p ton of the opportunity Is communicate
T from the plotting room. In case III,
l. hostile feet is steaming along opposit,
r in single file, the usual battle formation
h and Is not too far away, It may b,
$ worth while TO throw out n few torpe
d does in It's direction and gamble on tn
n possibility that one or more Of them viii
= land
d ITO get results In lighting on IN,
sea the prime requisite is TO he able 4
?, carry and deliver at great distance
8 large force Of men, with adequat,
d weapons and sufficient supplies OF am
y munition ana provisions the problem
Y being substantially the same as in mill
= tary operations on land. This Is
# self-eyldent proposition but it suggest,
: an interesting conclusion as regards q
subject recently much discussed
y namely, the prospect that submarine,
p, may render battleshps obsolete
5, "A submarine can travel only n shor
= distance and then must go back TO II,