IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Vavasseur of the London Ordnance Works Bear
Lane Southwark in the County of Surrey for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GUN CARRIAGES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Vavasseur at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th October 1882.
JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works Bear Lane Southwark in
the County of Surrey "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES
"
In mounting guns which are required to be fired from either side or from any
intermediate point between the sides of a ship I employ a central pivot mounting,
the whole of which can be traversed by means of gear carried on the mounting in
a straight or curved line along rack racers laid across the ships deck from port to
starboard.
The bed plate or base of the mounting I form with hook clips on its under side
to fit into correspondingly shaped grooves formed in the rack racers along each
side of the rack.
Preferably the bed plate or base is rectangular and it has a short cylindrical
projection standing up from its centre.
A ring descending from the centre of the pivotting bed fits around the exterior
of this cylindrical projection which so forms the pivot for the pivotting bed-
rollers on the under side of the pivotting bed may also run on a circular track
formed on the bed plate or base concentric with the pivot This circular track or
roller path has a projecting lip on the outside under which hook clips attached to
the underside of pivotting bed when the gun is fired these hook clips prevent the
pivotting bed and slide from lifting or jumping up during the recoil of the gun.
To the upper side of the pivotting base is attached the sides or cheeks of the
slide upon which the carriage carrying the gun slides to and fro.
A vertical spindle is mounted in bearings carried at the centre of the top of the
cylindrical projection of the bed plate or base around which the pivotting bed
turns its lower end carries a worm gearing with a toothed worm wheel-this

page_text: toothed wheel gears with the rack racer laid across the deck. On the top of the
spindle is a toothed wheel by which it can be driven preferably I gear with it
pinions which are fast on spindles on either side of the carriage and which turn in
bearings carried by the upright plates forming the sides or cheeks of the slide.
These spindles can be driven by gearing turned by crank handles and the
mounting can thus be moved along the rack racer.
To turn the pivotting carriage and so to train the gun, worms on horizontal
axes carried by the pivotting carriage are made to gear with a ring of teeth
around the circumference of the cylindrical projection of the bed plate around
which the carriage pivots. By means of gearing driven by crank handles the worm
can be turned and the carriage and gun trained.
By coupling this gear by intermediate wheels with the gear for traversing
all four handles could be used both for training and traversing or if either the
training or reversing gear is disconnected all four crank handles could be used for
effecting either the one or other operation.-thus training and traversing can go on
either simultaneously or separately and all four winch handles can be used
conjointly for both operations or for each operation.
The bed plate or base of the mounting is provided with rollers upon which it
runs when being traversed along the rack.
When the mounting arrives at its firing position at either end of the rack it is
no longer supported by the rollers-and clips attached to the ships side or to the
deck hold down the mounting and keep it from rising the mounting is also
prevented from then moving along the rack by drop bolts.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Josiah Vavasseur in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th April
1883.
JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works Bear Lane Southwark in
the County of Surrey "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES
"
In mounting guns which are required to be fired from either side or from any
intermediate point between the sides of a ship I employ a central pivot mounting,
the whole of which can be traversed by means of gear carried on the mounting in
a straight or curved line along rack racers laid across the ships deck from port to
starboard.
The base plate of the mounting I form with hook clips on its under side to fit
into correspondingly shaped grooves formed in the rack racers along each side of
the rack.
Preferably the base plate is rectangular and it has a short cylindrical projection
standing up from its centre.
A ring descending from the centre of the pivotting bed fits around the exterior
of the cylindrical projection which so forms the pivot for the pivotting bed-
rollers on the under side of the pivotting bed may also run on a circular track
formed on the base plate concentric with the pivot. This circular track or roller
path has a projecting lip on the outside under which pass hook clips attached to
the underside of pivotting bed. When the gun is fired these hook clips prevent
the pivotting bed and slide from lifting or jumping up during the recoil of the gun.
To the upper side of the pivotting bed is attached the sides or cheeks of the
slide upon which the carriage carrying the gun slides to and fro.
A vertical spindle is mounted in bearings carried at the centre of the top of the
cylindrical projection of the base plate around which the pivotting bed turns-its
lower end carries a worm gearing with a toothed worm wheel-this toothed wheel
gears with the rack racer laid across or along the deck.
If a semicircular rack racer is used with the two ends of the rack racer both on
one side of the vessel the gun can be moved not only to either side of the vessel
but can also be brought to either end of the rack racer and so to either one or
other of two positions on that side of the vessel.
On the top of the spindle is a toothed wheel by which it can be driven-
preferably I gear with it pinions which are fast on spindles on either side of the
carriage and which turn in bearings carried by the upright plates forming the
sides or cheeks of the slide. These spindles can be driven by gearing turned by
crank handles and the mounting can thus be moved along the rack racer.
To turn the pivotting bed and to train the gun a worm on a horizontal axis
carried by the pivotting bed is made to gear with a ring of teeth around the
circumference of the cylindrical projection of the base plate around which the
carriage pivots. By means of gearing driven by crank handles the worm can be
turned and the pivotting bed and gun trained.
By coupling this gear by intermediate wheels with the gear for traversing, all
four handles could be used both for training and traversing-or if either the
training or traversing gear is disconnected all four crank handles could be used for
effecting either the one or other operation-thus training and traversing can go on
either simultaneously or separately and all four winch handles can be used
conjointly for both operations or for each operation.
The base plate of the mounting is provided with rollers upon which it runs
when being traversed along the rack-when the mounting arrives at its firing

page_text: position at either end of the rack it is no longer supported by the rollers and
clips attached to the ships side or to the deck hold down the mounting and keep it
from rising, the mounting is also prevented from then moving along the rack by
drop bolts.
Figure 1 of the Drawings annexed is a plan view shewing how a gun mounted as
above described can be fired from either one or other side of a vessel. Figures 2
and 3 are longitudinal and cross vertical sections on a larger scale of the gun and
gun carriage. Figure 4 is a plan view of the gun carriage with the gun removed.
In these Figures A is a toothed rack fixed across the deck B of a vessel and
level approximately with the surface of the deck. The rack is shown to be a
straight rack but in some cases it might as before stated be curved.
CC are
parts of the side bulwarks of the vessel.
D is a rectangular base plate carried by rollers D' which run upon plates B¹
fixed above the deck-it is guided by a pair of hook clips E at each end of the
base plate fitting into correspondingly shaped grooves A¹ formed along each side of
the rack A. F is the short cylindrical projection standing up from the centre of
the base plate D. G is the pivotting bed with a ring G₁ descending from it and
embracing the cylindrical projection F which thereby forms its pivot-H H are
four rollers mounted on the underside of the pivotting bed-they run on the
circular track I formed upon the top of the base plate D concentrically with the
cylindrical projection F. I is a projecting lip at the outer edge of the circular
track I-hooks at the two ends of the pivotting bed G pass under this projecting
lip and keep the pivotting bed and gun slide from tilting or jumping when the
gun is fired. J is a vertical spindle mounted in bearings carried by the centre of
the cylindrical projection F-its lower end carries a worm K and on its upper end
is fixed a bevil toothed wheel L. The worm K gears with a toothed wheel M
which can turn upon a pin carried by a pair of arms D' on the under side of the
base plate D. The toothed wheel M gears with the rack A and when caused to
turn travels along the rack and carries along with it the base plate and other
parts of the gun mounting.
The toothed wheel L may be driven by any suitable arrangement of gearing, in
the drawings it is shewn to have gearing into it on two opposite sides bevil toothed
pinions N' carried on axes N on each of which is also a toothed wheel O into
which gears a pinion P which can be turned by a crank handle Q-so that by
turning these handles the gun mounting can be traversed along the rack in either
direction.
R is a circular toothed rack surrounding the exterior of the cylindrical
projection F-S is a worm gearing into this toothed rack and carried by an axis T
mounted in bearings carried by the pivotting bed.
The axis can be diven by any suitable arrangement of gearing-In the
drawings it is shewn to have on either end of it a toothed wheel U into which
gears a toothed wheel V which can be driven by a pinion W turned by a crank
Landle.
When the axis T is turned by this gear the pivotting bed will be trained in one
or other direction as described.
The axis of the pinions and toothed wheels N O P and axis of the pinions and
toothed wheels U V W are carried by the side plates X which rise up from either
side of the pivotting bed and which form the sides or cheeks of the slide upon
which the carriage carrying the gun slides to and fro.
This carriage I prefer to be of such a construction and provided with compressors
of such power that the recoil of the gun may be limited to a length of say not
more than three times the bore of the gun. Such a carriage and compressor are
described in the Patent granted to me N° 3253 in the year 1877.
As before stated the gear wheels O and V on each side of the pivotting bed
might be geared together whenever desired by toothed gear wheels Y carried by
studs on the side plates X and which can be slid upon their studs so as to put
them into or out of gear as required. In this case provision would also be made

page_text: for clutching or unclutching the toothed wheel O to its axis N and also for
clutching or unclutching the toothed wheels U to their axis T.
In this way all four crank handles can be used either for traversing or training
or for both traversing and training simultaneously if desired.
When the gun and mounting has been traversed or transported to the position
from which it is desired to fire the gun the mounting is locked in this position
by drop bolts Z. When the mounting is so locked in firing position its base
plate may be allowed to rest on the deck of the ship and the transporting rollers D'
so be relieved of the weight of the mounting this may be effected by forming
inclines in the roller path B¹ upon which the rollers D' run.
The end of the base plate also may be made to come under projecting lugs Z
which serve to hold it down and prevent it from lifting or jumping to an injurious
extent when gun is fired. Z¹ is a shield for protecting the gun's crew against the
fire of small arms and of small machine guns.
Having thus described my Invention I would have it understood that I claim :--
First. The mounting of guns substantially in the manner herein before described
so that they can be moved from port to starboard or from port to port along a
rail path laid down on the ships deck.
Second. The combination of the gun mounting base plate D carrying the
toothed wheel M; the straight or curved fixed rack racer A into which the toothed
wheel M gears the pivotting bed G capable of being turned around the vertical
pivot F which stands up from the top of the base plate D and the vertical
spindle J which passes down through the centre of the pivot F and from which
motion is transmitted to the toothed wheel M substantially as herein before
described.
Third. The combination of the base plate D the circular pivot F the pivotting
bed G and gear for turning the pivotting bed around the base plate-the vertical
axis J passing down through the centre of the central pivot and gear for driving
this axis from its upper end and worm K on its lower end gearing with the worm
wheel M carried by the base plate and which gears with a rack A along which the
base plate is caused to travel when wheel M is turned substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Fourth. The combination of the base plate D the circular pivot F the pivotting
bed G the toothed rack R around the pivotting bed the worm S gearing with the
toothed rack and carried by the pivotting bed and toothed gearing on each side of
the pivotting bed for driving the worm S substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof I the said Josiah Vavasseur have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Eleventh day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
J. VAVASSEUR
(L.B.)