Improvements in Gun Mountings and Appliances connected therewith.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1890
Improvements in Gun Mountings and Appliances connected
therewith.
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark in
the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
According to this invention the gun is mounted on a top carriage fitted with
hydraulic compressors to absorb recoil.
The carriage is fitted on a slide the upper face of which is horizontal or
nearly so.
After firing the gun is run out by springs or other suitable means. The springs are
by preference placed on the outer sides of the slide.
The slide is made to form the upper part of a circular structure or turntable which
extends considerably below the general leck or platform level around the gun.
Above and around the gun and carriage and carried on the above turntable is
built an armoured house or shield the front and slides sloping and the roof flat or
nearly so.
The shield may be open or closed at the rear, and is made large enough to allow of
working elevating gear and for loading operations.
The sloping front of this shield has in it a port through which the gun passes. The
trunnions of the gun are brought close to the rear of the sloping front so that
considerable elevation may be given and yet the port be made as small as possible.
The turntable with armoured shield gun and carriage-all work together in training.
The whole rests on a ring of live rollers which run on a path suitably secured to the
ship or other structure and placed well below the deck or platform level on which the
gun works.
In the lower part of the turntable is arranged a chamber in which the training gear
is placed the training can be effected by suitable gear gearing into a circular fixed
rack outside the chamber.
Surrounding the turntable there is built in the ship an armoured or barbette wall also
circular extending upwards as far as just to clear the gun when training over it at
extreme depression and downwards to the bottom of the circular structure or turn-
table. Thus the whole of the mounting and guns crew both above and below the deck
are protected.
Between the side of the lower part of the turntable and the barbette wall is carried
a ring of projectiles stowed vertically. They are supported on a ring of live rollers
carried on roller path fixed to the turntable.
The frame with the projectiles on it can by means of gear, also placed in the
chamber at the lower part of the turntable, be turned round on the turntable so as to
bring each projectile opposite an opening through which it can be hoisted to the gun.
The communication from the magazine I make to open into the centre of the
chamber.
To pass a charge of powder from the chamber to the gun above it. I use a protected
pocket or receiver which can be turned on a hinge joint either into a horizontal or
vertical position. When horizontal it lies within the chamber and a charge of powder
can be placed into it and when turned into a vertical position it carries the charge out
of the chamber to the gun and in both positions closes the opening in the platform
through which it works so as to cut off fire communication.
The projectiles and charges will be raised to the gun and loaded in the usual way.

page_text: In the upper part of the armour shield one or more conning towers will be arranged
provided with automatic sights and means of communication to the various places from
which elevating training and supply of ammunition is effected.
Dated this 30th day of March 1889.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gun Mountings and Appliances connected
therewith.
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark, in
the County of Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:―
According to this Invention the gun is mounted on a top carriage fitted with
hydraulic compressors to absorb recoil.
The carriage is fitted on a slide the upper face of which is horizontal or
nearly so.
After firing the gun is run out by springs or other suitable means. The springs are
by preference placed on the outer sides of the slide.
The slide is made to form the upper part of a circular structure or turntable which
extends considerably below the general deck or platform level around the gun.
Above and around the gun and carriage and carried on the above turntable is
built an armoured house or shield the front and sides sloping and the roof flat or
nearly so.
The shield may be open or closed at the rear and is made large enough to allow of
working elevating gear and for loading operations.
The sloping front of this shield has in it a port through which the gun passes. The
trunnions of the gun are brought close to the rear of the sloping front so that
considerable elevation may be given and yet the port be made as small as possible.
The turntable with armoured shield gun and carriage-all work together in training.
The whole rests on a ring of live rollers which run on a path suitably secured to the
ship or other structure and placed well below the deck or platform level on which the
gun works.
In the lower part of the turntable is arranged a chamber in which the training gear,
is placed the training can be effected by suitable gear gearing into a circular fixed
rack outside the chamber.
Surrounding the turntable there is built in the ship an armoured or barbette wall also
circular extending upwards as far as just to clear the gun when training over it at extreme
depression and downwards to the bottom of the circular structure or turntable.
Thus the whole of the mounting and guns crew both above and below the deck are
protected.
Between the sides of the lower part of the turntable and the barbette wall is a ring
carrying projectiles. The ring is supported on a ring of live rollers carried on a roller
path fixed. to the turntable.
The ring frame with the projectiles on it can by means of gear, also placed in the
chamber at the lower part of the turntable, be turned round on the turntable so as
to bring each projectile opposite 'an opening through which it can be hoisted to
the gun.
The communication from the magazine I make to open into the centre of the
chamber.
To pass a charge of powder from the chamber to the gun above it I use a
protected pocket or receiver which can be turned on a hinge joint either into a hori-
zontal or vertical position. When horizontal it lies within the chamber and a charge

page_text: of powder can be placed into it-and when turned into a vertical position it carries
the charge out of the chamber to the gun and in both positions closes the
opening in the platform through which it works so as to cut off fire communication.
The projectiles and charges will be raised to the gun and loaded in the usual way.
In the upper part of the armour shield one or more conning towers will be arranged
provided with automatic sights and means of communication to the various places
from which elevating training and supply of ammunition is effected.
Figure 1 of the drawings annexed is a vertical section of a gun mounting and
appliances arranged in the above manner.
A is the gun mounted on a carriage B which can slide along horizontal guide-
ways (The carriage has recoil cylinders D fast with it on each side. The piston
rod of each recoil cylinder is made fast to the front end of the guide way C. When
recoil takes place it is controlled by the fluid in the cylinders D passing through
regulated orifices past the pistons or in other suitable way. E is a cylinder containing
springs these are compressed on the recoil of the gun by a projection B' from the
gun carriage and serve to run the gun out again after recoil. The guide ways C are
on the top of a turntable F, the turntable rests on a ring of live rollers G which run
on a fixed horizontal ring H-this ring is shewn to be fixed to the inner side of an
armoured cylindrical barbette wall.
The armoured cylindrical barbette wall surrounds the turntable and is built in
the ship it extends upwards as far as just to clear the gun when the gun is
depressed and extends downwards sufficiently to give protection to the chamber
below the turntable. J is an armoured shield on the top of the turntable, it extends
above and around the gun-the front is made to slope as shewn and has a port hole
through it through which the gun projects-the two sides are also made to slope
inwards one towards the other whilst the roof is flat or nearly so.
The turntable can be revolved by a toothed pinion L' on a shaft L which gears
into a fixed circular toothed rack K. The shaft L can be driven by worm and worm
wheel gearing from a shaft M. driven by a crank. handle N. O is a chamber below
the turntable in which inen for revolving the turntable and for passing up ammu-
nition to the gun can be stationed. Q is a cylindrical passage by which ammunition
can be raised from the magazine into the chamber O. R is the hinged receiver by
which powder can be passed from the chamber O through the turntable floor to the
gun and which as above stated closes the opening through the floor in each of its.
two positions. A side elevation of this receiver is shewn at figure 2 and an end view
at figure 3. S is a ring frame by which the projectiles are carried. The ring rests
on a ring of live rollers T which run on a ring guide fixed to the turntable. The
ring frame S has fixed to it a circular toothed rack S¹ into which gears a toothed
pinion on a shaft U which is mounted in the chamber below the turntable and
which can be revolved by the crank handle U2. In this way the ring frame S can
he revolved around the turntable and any of the projectiles which it carries brought
below an opening in the turntable floor. The projectiles are shewn as being carried
in a vertical position on the ring frame but they might if preferred be carried in a
horizontal position, in this case the projectiles could be raised through the opening V
by screwing a plug into a hole at their side as is now common and hooking lifting
tackle on to this plug.
W is a casing which projects downwards for a distance from the underside of the
turntable floor to permit of the gun being elevated to a high angle as indicated by
the dotted lines and yet cut off all direct opening from the turret to the chamber
below it. The hinged powder receiver Ris at one side of this casing so that the
casing does not prevent free access to it. The bags of powder can be placed into the
receiver by a man standing on a small shelf X.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
--
1. The combination of the gun recoiling along a slide fixed on a turntable the

page_text: armoured shield above the turntable with sloping sides and front, the chamber on the
underside and forming part of the turntable and the cylindrical barbette armoured
wall not only protecting the turntable but also the chamber below it substantially as
described.
2. The combination with a turntable carrying a gun, of a ring, surrounding the
turntable and capable of carrying a store of projectiles and of being revolved to
bring any of the projectiles opposite to an opening in the turntable substantially as
described.
3. The apparatus substantially as described for passing powder charges up through
the floor of a turntable on which a gun is carried.
4. The combination of parts substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the drawing annexed for protecting and working heavy guns.
Dated this 20th day of December 1889.
J. VAVASSEUR.