An Automatic Làying Sight for Ordnance.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application; 4th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Làying Sight for Ordnance.
I, HENRY FRANCIS GAYNOR, of Brompton Barracks, Chatham in the County
of Kent, Captain in the Royal Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of a laying sight
for ordnance, in such a manner that as the breech of a gun is elevated or
depressed the sight automatically takes a position suited for the range for which
the gun is laid, that is to say the sight is automatically directed upon the spot
where the projectile would strike on a level plane, such as water.
For this purpose, I form the sight, which may be a telescope, as the base of
an inverted L which is pivotted near its angle on brackets projecting up from
the gun carriage, and the upright limb of which is caused by gravity to bear
against an adjustable stop fixed on the side of the gun preferably in the plane
of the trunnions. The edge of the pendant limb of the sight is curved so that
as the gun is elevated or depressed, the stop travelling along this edge causes
the limb to move more or less forwards or backwards thereby causing the axis
of the sight to take various inclinations.
The curvature of the edge is such that the resulting inclination of the sight
is always that which is suitable to the range for which the gun is laid.
Consequently, in laying the gun it is only necessary to elevate or depress it
so as to sight the object, when the gun may be at once fired, but, the pendant
limb of the sight being graduated with a number of ranges, the gunner can, if
necessary, see by the position of the stop what the range is.
In order to allow for the lateral deviation of rifled projectiles, I pivot the sight
on an axis which is slightly inclined to the axis of the trunnions.
The stop which bears against the pendant limb of the sight being adjustable
in position, can be made to suit the working of the gun at different levels
relatively to the plane of the object.
For instance, when the gun is on land firing on objects at sea, the stop may be
adjusted to suit different conditions of the tide.
Dated this 4th day of March 1896.
ABEL & IMRAT,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, HENRY FRANCIS GAYNOR, of Brompton Barracks, Chatham, in the County
of Kent, Captain in the Royal Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of a laying sight for
ordnance, in such a manner that as the breech of a gun is elevated or depressed
[Price 8d.1

page_text: the sight automatically takes a position suited for the range for which the gun is
laid, that is to say the sight is automatically directed upon the spot where the
projectile would strike on a level plane, such as water.
For this purpose I construct and operate the sight as I shall describe referring
to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a side view of a gun having a sight according to my invention
applied to it.
Figure 2 is a side view and Figure 3 is a plan of the rear part of the gun and
the sight drawn to an enlarged scale,
Figure 4 shews the sight applied to a gun arranged to recoil in a cradle.
I form the sight A which may be a telescope, as the base of an inverted which
is pivotted near its angle on brackets B projecting up from the gun carriage or
cradle and the upright limb C of which is caused by gravity to bear against an
adjustable stop fixed on a bracket E projecting from the side of the gun or
cradle preferably in the plane of the trunnions. The edge of the pendant limb C
of the sight is curved so that as the gun is elevated or depressed, the stop D
travelling along this edge C causes it to move more or less forwards or backwards
thereby causing the axis of the sight A to take various inclinations.
The curvature of the edge of C is such that the resulting inclination of the
sight A is always that which is suitable to the range for which the gun is laid..
Consequently, in laying the gun, it is only necessary to elevate or depress it so
as to sight the object, when the gun may be at once fired, but, the pendant limb C
being graduated with a number of ranges, the gunner can, if necessary, see by the
position of the stop D on the graduated edge what the range is.
In order to allow for the lateral deviation of rifled projectiles, I pivot the sight
cn an axis which is slightly inclined to the axis of the trunnions.
When the gun is mounted on land to fire at objects on sea the level of which
varies with the tide, I make the edge of C with its curvature suitably varied in
different planes of its width, and make the stop D adjustable by a screw as shewn
in Figure 3 so as to bear on any part of the width of C, according to the state of
the tide, the stop being provided with an index moving along a scale graduated
to periods of the tide.
The stop D which bears against the pendant limb C is made adjustable in
position, can be made to suit the working of the gun at different levels relatively
to the plane of the object.
For instance, when the gun is on land firing on objects at sea, the stop may be
adjusted to suit different conditions of the tide.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An automatic laying sight for ordnance consisting of an lever with curved
arm and stop constructed and operating substantially as described with reference
to the drawings.
2. The curved arm of a laying sight lever such as above referred to made with
an edge having varying curvature in different planes of its width, in combination
with a stop, adjustable so as to bear against different parts of the edge, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 30th day of November 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.