Means of Mounting and Working Turret Guns.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1887
Complete Left, 9th Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 16th Mar., 1888
Means of Mounting and Working Turret Guns.
I, JOHN FIELDING of the Atlas Iron Works Gloucester in the City and County of
Gloucester, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the mounting and working of turret guns, in such a manner
as to economise weight and bulk, to simplify the working apparatus and ensure
accuracy, and to obtain complete protection for the apparatus and the operators. For
this purpose I fix the gun or a pair or greater number of parallel guns, each on its
own saddle which is fitted to slide on strong guides or I fit the guns themselves to
slide in cylindrical guides. These guides and the surrounding turret wall to which
they are fixed are mounted on trunnions, so that the whole turret, the shape of which
is a zone of a sphere, as well as the gun or guns, can rock on these trunnions giving
the gun or guns the elevation or depression required. The trunnions work in bearings,
which may be provided with friction rollers, carried on a turntable so that by turning
the table, the turret and gun or guns are trained in any desired direction. Each gun
saddle is provided with a hydraulic recoil cylinder which may be connected to an
accumulator, with means of advancing the gun to firing position, and a hydraulic
cylinder or several of these are arranged to give the desired elevation or depression by
turning the turret on its trunnions. The gunner by means of hand gear works the
valves of the elevating cylinders causing the turret to move on its trunnions until the
sights are in line with the object aimed at, whereupon the valves become automatically
closed. I prefer to use a stationary back sight, adjusting the foresight for range.
When it is not desired that the guns should recoil, they may be fixed to the turret,
which in that case will receive the force of recoil. When this arrangement is adopted,
the turret may be a dome forming a segment of a sphero the axis of the gun being
above the trunnions of the turret, so that, in recoiling, the turret turns backwards on
its trunnions, the recoil cylinder in this case being one of a pair used for elevating
and depressing the gun.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, JOHN FIELDING, of the Atlas Iron Works Gloucester, in the City and County of
Gloucester, 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 statement :-
My invention relates to the mounting and working of turret guns in such a manner
as to economise weight and bulk, to simplify the working apparatus and ensure
accuracy, and to obtain complete protection for the apparatus and the operators.
For this purpose, I fix the gun or a pair or a greater number of parallel guns, each
on its own saddle which is fitted to slide on strong guides, or 1 fit the guns them-
selves to slide in cylindrical guides. These guides and the surrounding turret wall to
which they are fixed are mounted on trunnions, so that the whole turret, the shapo of
which is a zone of a sphero, as well as the gun or guns, can rock on these trunnions
giving the gun or guns the elevation or depression required. The trunnions work
in bearings, which may be provided with friction rollers, carried on a turntable so
that by turning the table the turret and gun or guns are trained in any desirod
direction.
Each gun saddle is provided with a hydraulic recoil cylinder which may be con-
nected to an accumulator with means of advancing the gun to firing position and a
hydraulic cylinder or several of these are arranged to give the desired elevation or
depression by turning the turret on its trunnions. The gunner by means of hand
gear works the valvos of the elevating cylinders causing the turret to move on its
trunnions until the sights are in line with the object aimed at, whereupon the valves
become automatically closed in the usual way. I prefer to use a stationary back sight,
adjusting the foresight for range.
When it is not desired that the guns should recoil, they may be fixed to the turret
which in that caso will receive the force of recoil.
When this arrangement is adopted the turret may be a dome forming a segment of
a sphere the axis of the gun being above the trunnions of the turret so that in
recoiling, the turret turns backwards on its trunnions, the recoil cylinder in this case
being one of a pair used for elevating and depressing the gun.
The accompanying drawings shew a turret with a pair of guns mounted in it side
by side.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section taken nearly in the
middle plane between the two guns, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken in a
plane on one side of the turret trunnion, shewing the means of sighting. The
turret A is made in the form of a zone of a sphere domed over, the zone portion
which is most exposed to injury being preferably made, as shewn, stronger to resist
penetration than the roof. A central framing B depending from the roof receives in
a lateral bearing on each side of it a trunnion C, supported on a casing D which rests
on the turret floor E. Besides the support given by the trunnions C, there are three

page_text: circular races, concentric with the trunnions, provided with antifriction rollers F on
which segments projecting down from the body of the turret can roll. The floor E
also rests on taper rollers G which run in a circular race on the deck below the
turret. On saddles in the central framing B are fixed the two guns H H. The saddlo
may be fitted to slide as shewn, and provided with a hydraulic recoil cylinder K. Or
the gun may be firmly fixed on the framing of the turret so that the mass of the turret
takes the recoil.
In that case the gun may be placed with its axis above that of the trunnions, so that
the recoil will cause the turret to swing on its trunnions downwards at the breech,
this movement being resisted to any desired extent by the hydraulic cylinder L which
is employed for elevating. The recoil ind elevating cylinders are connected with
supply and discharge pipes M by pipes communicating through a central joint which
permits of the turret turning round its axis. For the purpose of sighting and aiming,
I provide in the roof of the turret hoods O to receive the head of the gunner with
sight holes and fixed back sights. The gunner standing on the framing D has within
reach of his hands two handles, the one by which he can adjust the foresight P and
the other by which he works the valves Q for the supply or discharge of the elevating
cylinder L..
He may also work the valves of such cylinders as are used for training the turret.
For the purpose of charging, the turret and guns are turned round to such a
position that the breeches of the guns face the charging apparatus R.
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 :-
A turret, having a gun or guns mounted therein, itself mounted on trunnions
which are within the turret and are supported on a turntable, so that whilst the
training of the gun or guns is effected by turning the turret round the vertical axis of
the turntable, the elevation is determined by turning the turret on the horizontal axis
of its trunnions, substantially as herein described.
Data: 011
הד
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.