Improvements in Mountings of Turret and Barbette Guns and in Apparatus for Supplying them with Ammunition.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 5th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mountings of Turret and Barbette Guns and in
Apparatus for Supplying them with Ammunition.
We, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, of Vickers Sons & Maxim Limited, of 28.
Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of London, Superintendent of
Ordnance Works, and JAMES HORNE, of Vickers Sons & Maxim Limited, of
Barrow-in-Furness, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to the mountings of double and single turret or barbette
guns for which the projectiles and explosive charges are delivered separately
on the gun platform. For double guns the projectiles are delivered preferably
on the centre part of the platform between the two guns, and the powder charges
in either metal or shalloon cartridge cases on the two outside parts of the gun
platform. For a single gun the projectiles are delivered at the one side of the
gun and the cartridges at the other. The gun-mounting is preferably built up of
steel plates and angles with bearing blocks of bronze at front and rear fitted with
trunnion recoil cylinders and recuperator springs, for returning the gun to firing
position after recoil.
For elevating, toothed arcs attached to the mountings, gear with pinions on
an axis worked by worm-gear. This axis is also connected to a telescopic or
other mechanical rammer as will hereinafter be described. The trunnion bearings
are carried on brackets fixed on to the upper floor of the turntable, which is
carried on a live roller ring or on a ball track. A trunk attached to the lower
floor of the turntable and revolving therewith extends down into the interior of
the ship and serves as a lift shaft for the ammunition from the shellrooms and
the magazines to the gun-platform: Below the turntable and attached to it there
is a circular chamber surrounding the upper part of the lift shaft and turning with
it and the turntable. For bringing the projectiles up to the platform a single
cage, preferably is employed arranged to carry two projectiles, their axes lying
in planes parallel to the axes of the guns.
A rotatable bogie may be employed to transfer the projectiles from a bogie or
traveller on an overhead rail from the shell-room to the cage in the lift shaft. This
rotatable bogie may run on a track attached to the revolving lift shaft, or it may
be carried on an overhead circular rail provided with gear so that it may be
rotated relatively to the trunk or relatively to the ship. For this purpose two
racks one attached to the overhead rail, and the other attached to the lift shaft
gear with two pinions free on an axis to which either can be clutched, the other
being unclutched. This axis is worked by worm-gear operated by a chain from
the platform below: when the bogie runs on a track attached to the lift shaft,
similar gear is employed worked directly by hand without the chain. The bogie
after receiving the two projectiles, can be run round to the correct position for
transferring the projectiles to the cage in the lift shaft, however this may be
turned. When the bogie is in this position, the cage being down, bolts preventing

page_text: the movement of the projectiles or of the bogies, are withdrawn, allowing the
projectiles to slide gently down an inclined trough in the cage and brought to rest
by suitable stops. The cage is raised by a winch worked by hand or by power
such as an electro motor. When the cage which moves on guides in the lift
shaft, approaches the top, the stop at the rear of the projectiles meet stops at the
top of the shaft, which withdraw the stop from behind the projectiles and act as a
buffer to bring the cage to rest without shock. When the cage is at its extreme
height, the stops are fully withdrawn allowing the projectiles to slide down
inclined trouglis leading towards the rear of the gun and from this a transverse
inclined way leads to a loading tray vertically below and out of its way when it
recoils on being fired at its extreme angle of elevation. This loading tray when
at its lower position is. horizontal or nearly so, it is pivoted to the upper end of a
segmental bar and guided so that as the segmental bar ascends, the tray assumes a
position such, that the axis of the projectile carried on it is radial to the trunnion,
and therefore, in line with the bore of the gun. This segmental bar has rack
teeth gearing with a pinion worked by worm gear, by electric or other motor.
At the side of the loading tray project blades, which as the tray ascends, receive
the metal cartridge case which had previously been brought to a suitable position
on a horizontal tray behind the gun. After the projectile has been pushed into
the gun and the rammer withdrawn, the cartridge case is allowed to fall into
the place previously occupied by the projectile and it is in its turn now rammed
into the gun. A stop on the segmental bar, meeting the lower part of the gun
breech ensures that the projectile shall be in its correct position for being rammed
into the gun.
The metal cartridge cases are lifted in cages on which they are placed at the
bottom of the revolving lift shaft from travellers on the overhead rail. At the
top of the shaft the cage guides are diverged outwards so that the cages come to
positions at each side of the gun-platform and from this position the cartridges
slide down slightly inclined troughs on to transverse travelling trays, from which
they are moved to the position behind the guns for transference to the tray on
the segmental bar.
To ensure the rammer always being kept in line with the bore of the gun
without having it connected rigidly to the gun slide, it is moved up and down a
segmental guide which is concentric with the trunnions and carries a rack gearing
with a pinion connected by bevil gear and shafting to the elevating gear in such
a manner that the angular motion of the rammer is always exactly similar to that
of the gun, so that it is always in correct position for ramming the ammunition
into the gun whatever be the angle of elevation of the gun.
In some cases it is not convenient for the rammer to follow the gun through its
whole movement but only for a limited part; for instance, between 4° or 5°
elevation and the maximum angle of depression. This is provided for by an
automatical disengagement of the rammer gear from the elevating gear when the
desired limits are reached. This may be effected by employing in the connecting
gear a mutilated pinion which drives or is driven only through part of a revolution.
The telescopic or other rammer may be worked by hand or more rapidly by an
electric or other motor.
The mounting is protected by a shield of elliptical form in plan. its lower part
of thick plate being vertical its upper part sloping inwards and thinner, but
owing to its shape, of sufficient resisting power.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Mountings of Turret and Barbette Guns and in
Apparatus for Supplying them with Ammunition.
We, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, of Vickers Sons & Maxim Limited, of 28,
Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of London, Superintendent of
Ordnance Works, and JAMES HORNE, of Vickers Sons & Maxim Limited, of
Barrow-in-Furness, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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 state-
ment:
This invention relates to the mounting of double and single turret or barbette
guns for which the projectiles and explosive charges are delivered separately
on the gun platform, as we shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings,
shewing the invention applied to a pair of guns.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal central section of the turret shewing one of the guns
and its gear in elevation, parts being broken away to shew parts behind.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the guns and gun platform, the shield being shewn in hori-
zontal section.
Fig. is a transverse section of the turret with the gun and lift shaft on the
right side shewn in elevation and 'on the left side shewn in section.
Fig. 4 shews in elevation the lower part of the lift shaft with a modified arrange-
ment of the bogie for bringing projectiles to the lift cage.
Each gun cradle is provided as usual with trunnions recoil cylinders at the
sides and spring recuperators below.
For elevating, toothed arcs a, attached to the cradle, gear with pinions on an
axis b which is worked by worm gear e from a manually operated winch d carried
on a standard on the gun platform. A toothed segment on the axis bis connected
by gearing e, shaft f, bevil gear g, vertical shaft h and bevil gear to a pinion
which is mounted on a telescopic or other mechanical rammer and gears with a
segmental rack k concentric with the gun trunnions for the purpose of keeping
the rammer in line with the axis of the gun while the gun is elevated or depressed
As it is not necessary to move the rammer through the whole extent to which the
gun is elevated or depressed, a segment of limited extent on the axis is employed
for driving the shaft f..
The trunnion bearings are carried on brackets / fixed on the upper floor of the
turntable which revolves on a live roller ring m for which a ball track and balls
might be substituted. Below the turntable, attached to and revolving with it, are
a circular chamber and a lift trunk which extends down into the interior of
the vessel and forms the shaft of a lift or hoist for raising the projectiles and
explosive charges or cartridges to the gun platform.
ተ
A cage carries two projectiles side by side lying on it with their axes parallel
to that of the gun; at the bottom of the lift shaft a rotatable bogie brings the
projectiles from another bogie or from an overhead traveller to the cage q. This
bogie may run on a tracks attached to the lift shaft as shewn in Fig. 3, or may
he suspended from a carriage running on an overhead track t, as shewn in Fig. 4.
In either arrangement the bogie has mounted on it a vertical shaft u having free
to turn on it two pinions which gear respectively with circular racks and w, the
one fixed on the lift shaft, and the other on the structure of the vessel. Between
these pinions is a double ended clutch sliding on a feather on the shaft u, so that
by means of a handle it can be engaged with either of the pinions, but never with
both. By a winch handle y, (Fig. 3) or a chain (Fig. 4) and worm gear, the
shaft can be turned in either direction, and thus the bogie r can be caused to

page_text: travel round to any suitable position for receiving the projectiles on it, and back
to face the cage g to deliver the projectiles on it, at which time, if the lift shaft
is revolving, the bogie r. is bolted to it so as to revolve with it. The projectiles
lying on an incline on the bogie r, on the withdrawal of bolts which held them,
slide down each on to an inclined trough. on the cage.q against a vertically sliding
spring stop 1 against which the base of the projectile abuts. The cage q is moved
by a hand winch or by an electric or other motor along guides in the lift shaft.
When it approaches the top of its course the spring stops 1 meet a stationary
inclined trough 2 by which they are depressed in opposition to their springs
which act as a kind of. buffer preventing shock on stoppage of the cage. The
projectiles being no longer stopped, slide down the inclined trough 2, to the rear
of the gun, and from this each passes down an inclined transverse way 3 on to a
loading tray 4 which in its lowest position is horizontal or nearly so, and at such
a level that it is below the breech of the gun when it recoils at its greatest eleva:
tion. The loading tray is pivotted to the upper end of a segmental bar 5 and so
guided that, as this bar ascends, the tray is made to assume a position such that
the axis of the projectile is radial to the trunnion, and therefore when it faces
the centre of the breech it is in line with the axis of the bore. The segmental
bar 5 has rack teeth gearing with a pinion worked by worm gear from an electric
motor 6 by which the loading tray is raised and lowered.
The explosive charges in the form of metal cartridges 7 are loaded at the
bottom of the lift shaft on to inclined shelves 8 whence they slide on to cages 9
by which they are raised. Towards the top, the guides for those cages diverge
outwards so that the cages at the top of their course come to positions one at each
side of the turret at some height above the platform. From this position the
cartridges slide down slightly inclined troughs 10 on to transversely travelling
trays 11 which have blades interspacing with blades 12 projecting from the sides
of the loading trays 4, so that each cartridge is raised by those blades as the
loading tray ascends, and rests on them at the side of the projectile on the loading
tray, and when the projectile is pushed into the gun, and the rammer withdraws,
the cartridge rolls into the place that was occupied by the projectile on the tray
and is in its turn rammed into the gun.
The rammer may be worked by hand, but preferably it is worked by suitable
gear from an electric or other motor 13, driving a vertical shaft 14 along which a
bevil pinion 15 mounted on the rammer frame can slide on a feather, while the
shaft 14 itself has a bearing for its lower end that can turn on a horizontal shaft 16
worked by the motor gear.
The mounting is protected by a shield 17 of elliptical form in plan, its lower
part of thick plate being vertical, its upper part 18 sloping inwards and thinner,
but owing to its shape, of sufficient resisting power.
The supply of projectiles and cartridges for a single gun is effected in the same
way as for a pair of guns, the projectiles being delivered on the one side and
the cartridges on the other side. The elevating, and rammer and other arrange-
ments are the same as for the pair of guns.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is-
1. In combination with the mounting of a turret or barbette gun or pair of
these, a lift shaft attached to and revolving with the mounting and provided with
cages for projectiles and explosive charges, a bogie for charging the projectile
cage, inclines in the turret or barbette for the travel of the ammunition to position
in rear of the gun, a loading tray with its segmental guides and gear, substantially
as described with reference to the drawings.
2. The combination of the loading tray, its segmental guides concentric with
the trunnion and a suitable motor and gear for raising and lowering the tray, sub-
stantially as described.

page_text: 3. In combination with the lower part of the lift shaft and a circular fixed rack,
a bogie with gear for travelling it and inclined tray with stops for conveying pro-
jectiles to charge the lift cage substantially as described.
4. In combination with the elevating gear, gear worked thereby for raising and
lowering the rammer, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. For protecting the gun or guns and gear, a shield of the form and structure
described and illustrated.
Tad thi. 5th day of Mauch 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.