Improvements relating to the Supplying of Ammunition to Ordnance.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 6th May, 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
Improvements relating to the Supplying of Ammunition to
Ordnance.
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of 8 Great George Street, Westminster, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
These improvements relate chiefly to heavy guns for naval service mounted
either singly or in pairs in barbettes.
I arrange the loading mechanism upon the turntable entirely within the protection
of the fixed circular barbette wall and so that the loading must take place when
the gun is highly elevated.
The ammunition hoist for the installation I arrange to debouch into a circular
chamber formed below the turntable and fixed thereto. The powder charges sent
up from the magazine are received in this chamber, and passed up to the guns.
The projectiles may also be sent up by the same hoist-but a considerable supply
is kept in the circular chamber. Some of the projectiles are stowed on a circular
carrier mounted upon a tubular pivot or support in the centre of the chamber and
formed on the underside of the turntable. This carrier is arranged so that it may
be rotated by hand or by power. The projectiles are stowed radially in a ring of
such diameter that they pass below the guns immediately in rear of the breech
when in the loading position.
A lift preferably hydraulic is fitted in the chamber in such a way that when
down the carrier works over it. On the carrier being stopped the projectile for
loading will be immediately over the head of the lift and on the head being raised
it passes through a slot in the carrier; it lifts the projectile off the carrier and
raises it behind the gun into position for loading. The projectiles are placed on
the carrier inclined at the angle for loading and are delivered behind gun at the
same angle. In case of a pair of guns each is provided with a lift and the head
of the lift as it rises is automatically turned through a small angle to bring the
projectile into line with the axis of the gun.
The top of the projectile when raised will be approximately on a level with the
top of the armour wall-this insures the rammer being well below it. The rammer
is preferably hydraulic and telescopic to keep it short so as to work within the
minimum size of circular barbette.
In addition to the shell on the rotating carrier others may be stowed in other
parts of the chamber-arrangements being provided for refilling the carrier either
from these or by fresh projectiles from the magazine.
The hydraulic rammer may be on a bracket arranged to pivot on an axis carried
on the walls of the turntable or chamber so as to swing aside if required. The
shell lift may also be carried on the same axis so that both together may swing
aside out of the way.
Dated this 7th dow of August 1805

page_text: Improvements relating to the Supplying of Ammunition to
Ordnance
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of 8 Great George Street, Westminster, in the County
of Middlesex, 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 :-
For the supply of projectiles to guns mounted upon turntables I provide in a
chamber beneath the gun platform, a circular carrier mounted upon a pivot. The
projectiles lie radially on the carrier and in a suitably inclined position, and the
carrier can be rotated to bring each projectile. in succession to a place in rear_of
the gun from whence the projectile can be lifted to the loading position. For
lifting the projectile from the carrier I provide a lift, preferably a telescopic
hydraulic lift, it also is in the chamber beneath the turn-table and by a direct lift
it raises the projectile through an aperture in the gun platform into place to enter,
the breech of the gun when the same is in the loading position.
When the turntable carries a pair of guns a separate lift is provided for each
gun and the lift is so arranged that the head or trough in which the projectile is
supported is rotated through a small angle as it rises.
When there is but one
gun to be served this movement is not needed as the projectile will already be
properly directed to enter the gun.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure 2 is a plan, one half in section showing
a pair of guns mounted upon a turntable, with appliances in accordance with my
invention for the supply of projectiles to the guns.
a a is the armour plate wall of the barbette, b is a circular roller track to carry
the turntable, it is mounted on a firm foundation within the barbette wall. The
turntable consists of the gun platform c supporting the shield d; beneath it is
the chamber e. A roller track on the underside of the platform c rests upon a
ring of live rollers g g. his a circular rack upon the turntable, pinions i i on
vertical axes jj gear with the rack. Power is applied at the lower ends of the
axes to turn the pinions and so to rotate the turntable to bring the guns to bear.
Atk kare the guns, they are carried in cradles k¹k along which they can recoil;
the guns are shown in the loading position. The cradles are mounted with
trunnions kk and can turn with these to give the required elevation to the gun.
is a tubular pivot formed on the under side of the platform c and within the
chamber e. m is the shot carrier, it is mounted on the pivot 7 on which it can turn
freely, suitable arrangements being made to reduce friction. At m' there is a ring
of worm teeth fixed on the carrier and n is a worm engaged with the teeth. By
means of a hand chain n' the worm can be made to revolve and so the carrier can
be turned around the pivot. oo are the projectiles lying upon the carrier, p p are
telescopic hydraulic hoists one for each gun; by opening a valve water under
pressure can be admitted to the cylinders of the hoist and then its trough like
head p¹ rises through the carrier and lifts from the carrier one of the projectiles
which it carries directly up, through an opening in the gun platform, into position
to be loaded into the gun. In Figure 1 a projectile is shown at o' in the position
to which the lift has raised it and it is ready to enter the gan. It will be seen
that the projectiles lie upon the carrier with their fore ends elevated and the

page_text: inclination is just that required to enable the projectile when lifted to enter fairly
into the breech of the gun. But although no alteration in the inclination of the
projectile is required it needs to be brought to the proper alignment and for this
purpose the head p of the lift is made to turn through a small angle as it rises;
this is effected by means of rifle grooves within the cylinders of the lift. 9 is the
trunk of the powder hoist, it passes up through the tubular pivot l. is the
powder carrier, it is shown in the position it occupies when presenting the charge
to the hand of the gunner.
is the guide rail of a shot hoist for bringing up
projectiles from the shot room below. s is a tackle which is used to take the
projectile from the shot hoist. The projectiles are lowered by this tackle on to
the carrier, this will usually be done when the ship is not in action, t t are the
telescopic hydraulic rammers which ram the charges home into the guns.
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 rotating shot carrier in a chamber beneath the gun platform and the
hot lift raising the projectile from the carrier into position to be rammed into
the breech of the gun.
2. Apparatus substantially as described and shown for supplying projectiles to
guns mounted on turntables.
Dated this 20th day of Antil 1906.