Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1887
Complete Left, 9th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 11th May, 1888
We, RICHARD COPLEY CHRISTIE, MANASSAH GLEDHILL, and HERBERT HANBURY
SMITH CARINGTON, all Directors of Sir Joseph Whitworth & Co. Limited, of
Openshaw, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to gun carriages or mountings chiefly designed for use on a
ship or vessel or behind a wall or parapet formed with or without embrasures
or ports.
The said invention comprises means for housing the gun and carriage entirely to
the rear or inside of the armour, wall or parapet, so that the gun-port or opening in
the same can then be closed, and for readily replacing the gun and carriage in the
firing position.
When the chase of the gun is very long, the carriage or mounting is constructed
as follows, that is to say :-The chassis, frame or under carriage rests by means of
two pairs of rollers or trucks upon circular or segmental tracks, rails or racers. It
is connected in front, by a strong bolt, to a pivot-link which has formed thereon the
eye for the pivot-pin or pintle, and which also serves to hold down the said frame;
the said cye engages with the pivot-pin or pintle, upon or about which the rotation of.
the frame or under carriage is effected in traversing the gun.
The mechanism for effecting the housing of the gun and carriage so as to bring the
gun entirely to the rear or inside of the wall or parapet comprises a strong screw rod
or shaft working in two nuts, one of which is carried by the aforesaid pivot-link, and

page_text: the other by the frame or under carriage. This screw shaft has a right and a left
hand screw-thread, the nuts being correspondingly serew-threaded. Upon the said
screw-shaft is mounted a worm-wheel provided with a key which is fitted to slide in
a longitudinal groove or keyway formed in the said screw-shaft and extending to the
rear thereof. This worm-wheel gears with a worm or endless screw, the shaft of
which is provided at its extremities with suitable driving cranks or handles.
To facilitate the backward movement of the frame or under carriage, it is provided
in front with a pair of rollers or trucks which rest upon straight rails or ways
arranged on the deck or firing platform; the traversing rollers or trucks at the rear
are carried by pivoted blocks, so that they can be adapted to run upon the said rails
or ways by turning the said blocks through an angle of 90 degrees.
In its backward motion, the frame or under carriage is guided at the rear by hooks
which engage with the flanges of the rails or ways.
:-
The running in or housing of the gun and carriage is effected as follows, viz:-
Assuming the gun to be in the firing position on the carriage, the frame or under
carriage is so adjusted and the blocks carrying the rollers or trucks at the rear are so
turned that the said rollers or trucks may run upon the said straight rails or ways;
the hooks are then caused to engage with the flanges of the said rails or ways;
the carriage proper is run back upon the chassis or under carriage and is held in its
rearmost position thereon by means of locking bolts or other suitable devices; the
bolt which connects the frame or under carriage with the aforesaid pivot-link is
withdrawn and the cranks or handles which actuate, through the medium of the
worm wheel, the aforesaid screw-shaft are turned in the proper direction to move the
frame or under carriage backward.
;
The length of this screw-shaft is such that, when the frame or under carriage has
arrived at the extremity of its course, the gun is brought completely within the
armour or behind the wall or parapet. It can be maintained in this position, if
nocessary, by means of tension screws or other securing gear, and the gun-port can
be closed.
The return of the gun and carriage or mounting to the firing position is effected in
a similar manner to that above described, the operations being reversed.
Instead of forming right and left hand screw-threads on the aforesaid screw-shaft,
and employing two nuts as above described, one of the said nuts is sometimes replaced
by a collar encircling a journal upon the screw-shaft, which then turns in the said
collar without endwise movement. The right and left hand screw-threads have,
however, the advantage of increasing the speed with which the housing of the gun
and carriage or mounting and the return thereof to the firing position can be accom-
plished, and of reducing the length of that part of the screw which projects at the
rear of the frame or under carriage when the latter is in the firing position.
When the chassis or slide of the under carriage is horizontal and the chase projects
only a short distance outside the gun-port or opening, the movement of the gun to
the rear or inside of the armour, wall or parapet is provided for as follows, that is to
sayThe rear of the chassis, frame or under carriage is connected by a strong bolt
to a piece which is supported by a roller or truck and which forms an extension of
the said frame and thus serves to prolong the guides or directing ways upon which
the carriage proper slides or rolls.
By detaching, when necessary, the rods of the cylinders of the hydraulic brake
from their supports, or by dismounting these supports, the carriage can be caused to
recoil or move backward to the rear of the said extension, the length of which is such
as to permit the complete running in or housing of the gun, and consequently the
closing of the gun-port.
By rotating the gun carriage or mounting upon curved rails, racers or tracks, the
gun and carriage can then be moved so that the gun is parallel with the wall or
parapet and can be returned to the firing position upon the chassis and held in
position by means of tension screws or other suitable securing gear.
The saddle or racer is sometimes so constructed in combination with the chassis,
frame or under carriage that an easy rotation of the said chassis, frame or under

page_text: carriage is obtained, without the use of a pivot-pin or pintle, notwithstanding any
inclination of the deck or of the ground; a solid hook, clip or gripping device is,
moreover, provided in front to prevent the lifting of the said chassis or frame during
the firing. In this case, the saddle or front racer is preferably formed of a single
steel casting lightened by numerous depressions, cavities or cores between which are
solid ribs. It is provided with two ways or tracks for the rollers of the chassis, frame
or under carriage and with circular ribs or projections which serve to guide the
said frame or under carriage in its rotary motion and to keep it in the line of fire.
In some instances, the circular guide rib is made to fit into a groove of similar
shape formed in the frame or under carriage, and the front of the latter is provided
with hooks or clips which engage with a projecting rib and prevent the lifting of the
said frame or under carriage.
DL: OL 1
1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Gun-carriages or Mountings.
We, RICHARD Copley Christie, Manassah GledhILL, and HERBERT HANBURY
SMITH CARINGTON, all Directors of Sir Joseph Whitworth and Co., Limited, of Open-
shaw, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
This invention relates to gun carriages or mountings chiefly designed for use on
ships or behind walls or parapets with or without embrasures or ports.
The said invention comprises means for housing the gun and its mounting entirely
behind or inside of the armour, wall or parapet so that the gun-port or opening can be
closed, and for readily running out or returning the gun and mounting to the firing
position.
The said invention also comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical central section, of a carriage or
mounting constructed according to the present invention and designed for a gun having
a very long chase, the gun being shown in the firing position.
Figure 2 is a plan, partly in horizontal section on the line a, e, and on the line r¹, x¹,
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation, partly in transverse section on the line x2, x²,
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of part of the gun-mounting, ou the line y, y,
Figure 1.
Figures 5 and 6 are views hereinafter referred to, showing details of construction.
Figure 7 is a plan of another gun carriage or mounting constructed according to the
present invention, showing the gun in the firing position.
Figure 8 is a similar view showing the gun and mounting housed.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of the said gun and mounting partly in vertical central
section.
Figure 10 is a plan of another form or modification of our improved gun carriage
or mounting, and
Figure 11 is a section on the line,, Figure 10, some of the parts being
removed.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is a strong base-plate which has formed thereon, or firmly attached thereio a
circular or segmental rail, racer or roller-path A', and which is rigidly secured to the
deck of a ship or to any other suitable platform. Another rail, racer or roller-path B
is also rigidly secured to the deck or other platform. C is the chassis, frame or under-
carriage, which rests by means of two rollers or trucks D and two pairs of rollers or
trucks E upon the said circular or segmental rails, racers or roller-paths A', B.
C✶ is the cradle or top-carriage in which the gun is supported by its trunnions.

page_text: The chassis or frame C is connected by a strong bolt F to a pivot-link G, which has
formed thereon the eye G¹ for the pivot-pin or pintle H, and also a clip G2 which
engages with a projection or flange A on the base-plate A and prevents tilting of the
said chassis or frame.
The training or traversing of the gun is effected by turning the frame or under-
carriage upon or about the pivot-pin or pintle H by the means hereinafter mentioned
or by any other suitable means.
The mechanism for effecting the housing of the gun and mounting so as to bring
the gun entirely to the rear or inside of the wall or parapet, comprises a strong
screw-shaft J working in two nuts K, L. The nut K is firmly secured in a boss or
bracket G³ formed with, or firmly attached to the pivot-link G; and the nut L is
firmly secured in the frame or under-carriage C. The screw-shaft J has a right and
a left hand screw-thread, the nuts K, L being correspondingly screw-threaded. Upon
the screw-shaft J is mounted a worm-wheel M provided with a key which is fitted to
slide in a longitudinal groove or key-way formed in the said screw-shaft and extending
to the rear on thereof. This worm-wheel is geared with a worm or endless screw N,
the shaft N of which is to be provided at its extremities with suitable driving cranks
or handles.
To facilitate the backward movement of the frame or under-carriage C, it is pro-
vided in front with a pair of rollers or trucks which rest upon straight rails or
ways P', secured to the deck or firing platform. The traversing rollers or trucks E at
the rear of the mounting are carried by pivoted blocks Q so that, by turning the said
blocks through an angle of about 90 degrees, the rollers or trucks E can be adapted
to run upon the said rails or ways P.
One of the blocks Q is shown more clearly in section in Figure 4, in side elevation
in Figure 5, and in rear elevation in Figure 6i. Each block Qis provided with a'
pivot-pin which extends upward through a bearing on the frame or under-
carriage C, and which has fixed upon it a collar Q² having a projecting arm Q³
(Figure 3) whereby the said block may be turned for the purpose above specified.
Each block is, moreover, provided with a hook, catch or clip R pivoted at R' to the
said block. These hooks, catches or clips may be turned down so that they will engage
with the flanges P' of the rails Pas shown in Figure 6 and will guide or hold down
the rear of the frame or under-carriage in its backward movement; or they can be
turned up into the position shown in Figure 5 so that they are clear of the said rails.
To provide for retaining the hook, catch or clip R at either extremity of its move-
ment, two holes Q, Qare formed in the block Q, and a pin R2 is pissed through a hole
in the hook or catch it and into one or the other of the holes Q, Q. Other suitable
means may, if desired, be employed for holding the said catches or clips at either
extremity of their movement.
The running-in or housing of the gun and mounting is effected as follows, viz.:-Assum-
ing the gun to be in the firing position on the mounting, the frame or under-carriage
is so adjusted upon the rails, A, B, and the blocks Q carrying the rollers or trucks E
are so turned that the said rollers or trucks may run upon the straight rails or ways P;
the hooks R being turned down so that they engage with the flanges Pl of the
said rails or ways P. The gun and the top-carriage (*are then run back by any
convenient means to the rearmost position upon the chassis or under-carriage C, as
indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, and are held in this position by means of
locking bolts or other suitable devices; the bolt F which connects the frame or
under-carriage with the pivot-link G is withdrawn ; and the cranks or handles
which actuate the screw-shaft through the medium of the worm N and worm-wheel M
are turned in the proper direction to move the frame or under-carriage backward along
the straight rails Pupon the rollers or trucks O, E.
The screw-shaft J is made of such length that, when it has moved the frame or
under-carriage to the rear extremity of its course, as indicated by dotted lines in
Figure 1, the gun is brought completely within the armour or behind the wall or
parapet. It can be maintained in this position, if necessary, by means of tension-screws
or other securing gear, and the gun-port can be closed.

page_text: The return of the gun and carriage or mounting to the firing position is effected by
reversing the above described operations.
For training or traversing the gun and mounting, a toothed segment a is formed
on, or attached to the base-plate A and has geared with it a pinion fixed on a vertical
shaft, on which is also fixed a worm-wheel e. This worm wheel is geared with a
worm d fixed on a shaft d' arranged to be driven by chain-gearing actuated by means
of the hand-wheel e. Or the training of the gun may be effected by means of other
suitable gearing.
Instead of forming right and left hand screw-threads on the aforesaid screw-shaft
and employing two screw-nuts thereon as above described, we sometimes form the said
screw-shaft with one or more collars forming a thrust-bearing, which works in a
corresponding block or bearing replacing one of the said nuts. The said shaft then
turns in the remaining nut and in the said bearing, without end wise movement if the
said bearing is in the pivot-link and with endwise movement if it is in the frame or
under-carriage. The right and left hand screw-threads have, however, the advantage,
in the case of long guns, of increasing the speed with which the housing of the gun
and mounting and the return thereof to the firing position can be accomplished, and
of reducing the length of that part of the screw which projects at the rear of the frame
or under-carriage when the latter is in the firing position.
In gun-mountings wherein the chassis or slide of the under-carriage is horizontal
and the chase of the gun projects only a short distance outside the gun-port or
opening, as in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the movement of the gun to the rear or inside of
the armour, wall or parapet and its return to the firing position are provided for as
follows, that is to say:-The rear of the chassis, frame or under-carriage C is provided
on each side with a longitudinal bearing piece or extension S. These bearing pieces
or extensions form continuations of the slides or directing ways upon which the
top-carriage moves. The said extensions are supported by one or more rollers or
trucks Supon a racer or roller-path B', and are firmly connected with the said
frame C by strong bolts T. The base-plate A is provided with two circular or
segmental rails or roller-paths A', A³ upon which the under-carriage is supported by
suitable rollers.
To house the gun shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the rods f¹ of the hydraulic recoil-
brake cylinders are detached from their supports g, or the said supports are dis-
mounted; the top-carriage C* is then moved backward to the rear of the said
extensions S, the length of which is such as to permit the complete running-in or
housing of the gun, and consequently the closing of the gun-port. The gun-mounting
may then be partially rotated upon the curved rails, racers or tracks A1, A3, B', until
the gun is parallel, or nearly parallel with the wall or parapot, as shown by dotted
lines in Figure 8, and the gun may then, if desired, be returned to its foremost
position upon the chassis or under-carriage as shown by full lines in this Figure, and
held in this position by means of tension-screws or other suitable securing gear.
The base-plate A is sometimes so constructed and arranged in combination with the
chassis, frame or under-carriage that the latter may be turned with facility to train or
traverse the gun, without the use of a pivot-pin or pintle, notwithstanding any
inclination of the deck or other platform, or of the ground; a solid hook, clip or
gripping device being, moreover, provided in front to prevent tilting of the gun-
mounting.
In the apparatus shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the base-plate A is formed of a
single casting lightened by numerous depressions, cavities or cores, between which
are solid ribs; it is provided, as above stated, with the two ways, tracks or roller-
paths A', A3, and also with a circular rib or projection A which fits into a
corresponding groove in the chassis, frame or under-carriage concentric with the axis
about which the said under-carriage turns, so that the latter will be efficiently guided
in its circular movement.
If desired two or more ribs or projections and grooves may be provided for this
purpose.
The frame or under-carriage is provided in front with one or more hooks or clips V

page_text: which engage with a projecting rib A³ on the base-plate and prevent tilting of the
gun-mounting..
In the modification of our invention illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, a single
clip V is used for holding down the frame or under-carriage, and a segmental rack a
is firmly attached to the base-plate A and has geared therewith a pinion b fixed on a
shaft on which is also fixed a worm-wheel c geared with a worm & on the shaft d'.
The base-plate A, moreover, consists of a single casting having the rails or roller-
paths formed thereon as above described.
By making the base-plato of a single casting as above described, we provide for
distributing over a large area of the deck or other platform the stresses due to the
recoil of the gun; moreover we obviate any liability to displacement of the roller-
paths relatively to each other in the event of the yielding of any part of the deck or
other platform. This form of base-plate is, therefore, very advantageous in gun-
mountings for use on board ships with lightly constructed decks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
us by our foreign correspondent we wish it understood that we claim :-
First. A gun-mounting having its under-carriage, chassis or frame connected by a
screw-shaft and by a pin or bolt with a pivot-lick or equivalent device in such a
manner that, when the connecting pin or bolt is withdrawn, the gun and mounting
can be housed behind a wall or parapet and run out by rotating the said shaft, as
above specified.
Second. The combination of parts comprising the shaft formed with right and left
hand screw-threads, the correspondingly screw-threaded nuts fitted thereon and
secured in the pivot-link and in the under-carriage, and means for rotating the said
shaft, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Third. The combination, with a gun-mounting such as we have herein-above
described, of the segmental racers or roller-paths, the longitudinal ways or roller-
paths, the adjustable rollers and the clips which engage with the said longitudinal
roller-paths, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Fourth. The under-carriage provided with an extension which is supported by one
or more rollers on a circular or segmental roller-path, and which permits longitudinal
movement of the top-carriage through a distance sufficient to bring the gun entirely
behind the wall or parapet, as above specified.
Fifth. The base-plate constructed with the circular or segmental ribs or projections
engaging with corresponding grooves in the chassis or under-carriage, substantially
as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Sixth. In a forward-pivot gun-mounting, a base-plate having cast integrally
therewith the ways or roller-paths, the circular or segmental ribs or projections or
equivalent devices and the circular flange or projection with which the books or
clips on the said under-carriage engage, substantially as, and for the purposes, set
forth.
Seventh. The improved gun-carriage or mounting consisting of the parts con-
structed and combined substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 6, or
with reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9, or to Figures 10 and 11 of the drawings, for
the purposes above specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicants.