OR AD ADDARATHS FOR MANEUVRING GUNS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, of Lewisham, in the
County of Kent, Commander in the Royal Navy, for the Invention of
MOOD OR AD ADDARATHS FOR MANEUVRING GUNS."
Sealed the 5th February 1867, and dated the 20th August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Anthony Edwards
Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th August 1866.
I, ROBERT ANTHONY EDWARDS SCOTT, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent,.
Commander in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF OR APPARATUS FOR MANEUVRING GUNS,"
to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to admit of guns on board ship or in floating.
or land batteries being trained to fire through port. holes or embrasures at.
widely different angles; this is effected by bringing the rear end of the.
platform or slide on which the gun is placed over a turn-table, so as to admit
of such rear, end being turned round with facility, the gun being run back so
that most of the weight will rest on the turn-table. The racers on which the
platform or gun slide moves are curved as usual, but the rear racers are:
divided so that a portion or are is. fixed on the face of the turn-table. The

page_text: moveable portion of the racers will by turning the table on its vertical axis be
brought round to coincide with either of the rear racers, so that the platform
can be traversed on either racer according to the port hole, embrasure, or
position in which it is desired to fire the gun. By this arrangement fewer
broadside guns will be required, and as the change of position may be obtained
with great speed and facility such fewer number may be served and used with
greater effect than a larger number worked on the usual plan.
As a modification of the above the turn-table may be placed between the
two racers, so that the rear racers will be entirely fixed and undivided. The
gun when in position may be trained in the ordinary manner by means of the
usual tackle, or if desired it may be worked, manoeuvred, or trained by means
of a chain passed round sheaves and against metal or other curves fixed on
the deck. In order to keep the chain taut, and to compensate for stretching,
one of the sheaves may be fitted with an adjusting screw or other equivalent
contrivance for tightening the chain when necessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th February 1867. .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ANTHONY EDWARDS SCOTT, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, Commander
in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, Her special licence that I, the said Robert
Anthony Edwards Scott; my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF OR APPARATUS FOR MANOEUVRING GUNS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards-Scott,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same, was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-.
The object of this Invention is to admit of guns on board ship or in floating
or land batteries being trained to fire through port holes or embrasures at widely
different angles; this is effected by bringing the rear end of the platform or
slide on which the gun. is placed over a turn-table, so as to admit of such rear
end being turned round with facility, the gun being run back so 'that most of
the weight will rest on the turn-table. The racers on which the platform or
gun slide moves are curved as usual, but the rear racers are divided so that a
portion or arc is fixed on the face of the turn-table. The moveable portion of
the racers will (by turning the table on its vertical axis) be brought round to
coincide with either of the rear racers, so that the platform can be traversed
on either racer according to the port hole, embrasure, or position in which it is
desired to fire the gun. By this arrangement fewer broadside guns will be
required, and as the change of position may be obtained with great speed; and
facility such fewer number may be served and used with greater effect than a
larger number worked on the usual plan.
As a modification of the above the turn-table may be placed between; the
two racers, so that the rear racers will be entirely fixed and undivided. The
gun when in position may be trained in the ordinary manner by means of the
usual tackle, or if desired it may be worked, manoeuvred, or trained by means
of a chain passed round sheaves and against metal or other curves fixed on; the
deck. In order to keep the chain taut, and to compensate for stretching, one
of the sheaves may be fitted with an adjusting screw or other equivalent
contrivance for tightening the chain when necessary.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figures 1 and 1 represent a side elevation
and plan view of one arrangement for effecting the objects of my Invention,
consisting of a turn-table O carrying a portion of the rear racer or metal curvé
n, n, corresponding in radius, and continuous with the divided racers m, m,
and I, 1, when turned to a line with either of them. The turn-table is shewn
placed so as to complete the curve m, m, and is securely held in this positi
by the drop olt at i.
!

page_text: In the Diagram, Fig. 1, the endless chain h, h, h, is used to move the turn-
table round by means of the slide as well as to train or point the gun. To
secure the slide p, Fig. 1, to the chain in order to point the gun at either of
the positions A or B (as indicated by the dotted lines), the prongs of the
clutch C, Figures 1 and 1ª, are forced between the pins of the links, the clutch
being moved by a lever projecting from under the slide and secured by a keep
pin C, as shewn in Fig. 1, or the clutch may be worked by a screw or by
excentrics or other suitable contrivances. The slide being thus temporarily
fastened to the chain by the clutch C (shewn in Figures 1 and 1º) being
thrust through the links of the chain at d, the gun can be trained horizontally
round with its muzzle in the direction A and pointed with accuracy, motion
being given to the chain by gearing applied to one of the two fixed-sheaves
h', h', the third being left for adjusting the tension of the chain, as already
explained. The chain is protected by the flanges a, a, a, which also support
and guide it along the proper curves. In a ship the gearing to work the
chain may be placed under the deck, and motion given to it by a wheel or
handle placed on the gun deck in the rear of the gun, or sufficiently in
advance of the muzzle to permit the gun to pass clear of it in traversing. If
preferred, the chain may be worked from the deck below or by steam or other
mechanical power suitable to the size of the gun and the requirements of the
ship in which it is mounted. It is clear that similar. arrangements may be
carried out in batteries or forts. When it is, required to traverse the gun to
any other position, as from A to B in Fig. 1, the gun is trained until-the rear
trucks of its slide are brought over and upon the turn-table O, to which the
slide can if wished be attached in a sea way by chains or drop bolts. If the
gun has not already recoiled sufficiently far towards the rear of the slide it
'must be run in, and the front roller or block f (which holds the slide to the
deck, as shewn in the Diagram Fig. 1) is to be unkeyed and turned up, as
indicated by the dotted lines; the plain trucks g are then turned round to
the proper angle for traversing along the metal curve t, Fig. 1. I would
observo that, if desired, two of these holding-down blocks or rollers may be
used. The clutch C is now to be moved from the chain at d'and thrust
forward so that its opposite prongs go through the chain at e, Fig. 1. The
lever is then secured in its new position by the pin cl; and the bolt at which
holds the turn-table being lifted the table will be free to revolve and carry the
gun round to the required position. On the guns reaching the line B in the
Diagram Fig. 1ª the turn-table bolt i will drop in at k, and secure the table.
The front block or blocks or rollers f.are then to be let down and keyed in
the position shewn at Fig. 1, and the fore trucks g turned- to their proper

page_text: curve for training round on r¹, Fig. 1. The lever which works the clutch c
is then shifted and secured by the pin c with its prongs passed through the
chain-links at d,-Fig. 1. The gun is now ready for pointing in the direction
B, Fig. 1, and can be trained by means of the chain has before. To obviate
the necessity of turning the fore trucks g, the weight of the gun may be so
balanced on the slide that when run in over the turn-table the slide may rest
and turn upon the rear trucks g' as a fulcrum, and thus raise the front trucks-g
clear of their curve r; in this case the whole weight of the gun and slide,
or nearly so, will be borne. upon the turn-table O by means of the rear
trucks g, and any convenient additional, support provided in their rear, and
made to rest on the turn-table; or, if preferred, the fore part of the slide
when lifted may be supported by or made to rest on a support in front of the
rear trucks. In case of allowing the weight of the gun to raise the front
rollers clear of their racer, the gun on reaching its desired or new position must
be run forward to bring the front of the slide down,, or the weight may be so
balanced that the head of the slide may be pushed down by the weight of the
man or men who work at the fore part of the slide.. The endless chain may,
if desired, be stretched along the side of a battery or along the line of guns
and motion given to it by steam, the clutch gear being suitably arranged for
the purpose; in this case the training motion would be obtained by clutching
the part of the chain which was. moving in the direction to which it was
intended to move the rear of the gun. In order to train the gun in the
opposite direction the part of the chain moving in the required direction
would have to be clutched. Mechanical power might be provided to .supple-
ment the steam in case of stoppage or damage to the steam gear, or it might
be used in lieu of the steam power. Instead of one stop for the turn-table,
as shewn in the. Diagram at Fig. 1 two or more stops, according to the size
and weight of the gun and of the table carrying it, may be used. The turn-
table may either be placed on rollers resting upon an iron platform (the rollers
being held in certain fixed positions under the table, as shewn in Figures 1
and 2), or else the table may rest upon and revolve over rollers held in certain
fixed positions between beams, carlines, or other supports.
Fig. 2 shews a mode of revolving the turn-table by means of a lever a
worked by tackles or by chains, as shewn at Fig. 2ª. Instead of turning the
table by means of the chain or by a lever under the deck, it may be worked
by a rack and pinion at the circumference of the table, or by any other
convenient means.
In Figures 3 and 3ª are shewn a modification of the small turn-table
arrangements already described; in this instance the turn-table is placed wholly

page_text: between the front and rear racers' curves or gun's pathway, and is capable
of being raised and lowered in its bed by means of a screw or hydraulic lifting
jack acting upon a projection or a strengthening piece placed under or forming.
part of the slide. When it is required to shift the slide from one port or
position to another it is brought over the turn-table, which on being raised
lifts the slide carriage and gun clear of the racers, and enables them to be
turned to any required direction. By this arrangement the racers are not
divided, and in all positions of firing the front and rear rollers or blocks of
the gun slide rest upon a solid platform; the turn-table may therefore be of
cast metal and of cheap construction, less strength being required than when
the turn-tables are arranged as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 shews a central turn-table arranged to work to four-ports or-positions.;
this would be a very suitable arrangement for a circular battery, or for the
bow and stern guns of a ship.
:
:
Having now described my Invention of an improved method of and
apparatus for manoeuvring guns, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid, manoeuvring or traversing guns by bringing the
rear end of the gun slide-and-gun carriage on to a turn-table and supporting
it thereon. in such a manner that the whole may be turned round with the
turn-table, so as to place the guns in any desired position for training or pointing
the same.
++
Second, I claim the use of a turn-table actuated or moved in any convenient
manner, and placed between the front and rear racers, in combination with
any suitable mechanism for lifting the gun slide off the racers so that it may
be turned round with the turn-table.
Third, I claim the use of an endless chain in combination with a double-
acting clutch for training or traversing guns, and also of curved supports for
holding and covering the chain while traversing, as herein set forth..
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, havé
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twentieth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
T
RODT. A. E. SCOTT. (L.C.)
Re