Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Turret or Barbette Guns.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Turret or Barbette Guns.
We, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, Lieutenant R.N., Superintendent of Ordnance
Works, and THOMAS THACKERAY, both of Vickers Sons & Maxim Limited, of 28,
Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of London, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In some cases under a turret in which two guns are mounted there is formed a
chamber from which two lifts, one for each gun, extend down a shaft to the
lower part of the vessel where the projectiles are stored, this chamber and shaft
revolving with the turret. By each of these lifts the projectiles are raised to the
chamber and in some cases they are moved laterally and longitudinally and finally
raised by another lift to a position behind the breech whence they are advanced
into the bore of the gun.
This invention relates to a construction and arrangement of the lifts and appa-
ratus connected with them in such a way as to simplify and facilitate the opera-
tions required for charging the guns.
For this purpose, around the lower end of the lift shaft there is provided a
circular tramway or track on which run one or more trucks either separate or
attached together for supplying the lifts. The truck can be attached to the lift
shaft so as to revolve with it when the turret revolves, or it can be detached and
run into a position beneath the overhead track along which a traveller brings
projectiles from the store. The top of the truck on which each projectile is
received from the traveller, is sloped so that, when the truck is brought to face
the cage of the lift, the projectile can roll down the slope into the cage on
removal of a stop. The downward movement of the projectile may be controlled
by arms of a rocking shaft which is mounted on the lower end of the lift shaft
and is worked by worm or suitable gearing, or may be allowed to run down the
incline by gravity.
In order to dispense with all lateral movement of the projectile when the lift
cage carrying it arrives at the chamber under the turret, the lift shaft is not
made cylindrical, but it tapers from the bottom to a larger diameter at the top
and the lifts are thus inclined outwards so that when the projectile arrives at
the desired level in the chamber, its axis lies in the same vertical plane with
the axis of the gun.
Here it is received on a truck or tray by which it is carried rearwards to the
lift that raises it to the loading position.
In order to facilitate the transference of the projectile from the lift cage to
the truck or tray the shelf of the lift cage on which the projectile lies is pivotted
so that, when the cage reaches the truck or tray this shelf is automatically canted
into an inclined position allowing the projectile to slide or to be easily pushed
on to the truck or tray. When the projectile arrives on this truck or tray it is
either constrained to remain in this position by means of a stop, or if the gun
hoist cage is down, this stop is capable of being automatically withdrawn and

page_text: under these circumstances the projectile then is sure to run straight into the gun
hoist cage, all the operations therefore being performed quite automatically, and
by this means the transference of the shot from starting from the lower end of
the shaft until it arrives into the gun hoist cage is entirely automatic.
All these devices are equally applicable to a barbette or turret arrangement
when one gun only is mounted, the operations being performed in a similar
manner.
Dated thin 01h
L
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Turret or Barbette Guns.
We, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, Lieutenant R.N., Superintendent of Ordnance
Works, and THOMAS THACKERAY, both of Vickers Sons & Maxim Limited, of 28,
Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of London, 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:-
-
In some cases under a turret in which two guns are mounted there is formed a
chamber from which two lifts, one for each gun, extend down a shaft to the
lower part of the vessel where the projectiles are stored, this chamber and shaft
revolving with the turret. By each of these lifts the projectiles are raised to the
chamber and in some cases they are moved laterally and longitudinally and finally
raised by another lift to a position behind the breech whence they are advanced
into the bore of the gun.
This invention relates to a construction and arrangement of the lifts and appa-
ratus connected with them in such a way as to simplify and facilitate the opera-
tions required for charging the guns.
For this purpose the apparatus is constructed and arranged as will be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical sections on planes at right angles to each other.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the top and Fig. 4 is a plan of the bottom of the lift.
Around the lower end of the lift shaft a is provided a circular tramway or
track on which run one or more trucks c each of which can be attached to the
lift shaft and revolve with it when the turret revolves, or it can be detached from
the shaft and moved round the track b by a winch w to a convenient position
under the overhead track d along which projectiles are brought by travellers
from the stores. The top f of the truck c on which each projectile g is received
slopes downwards towards the lift so that when the truck c is brought round to
face the cage of the lift and a stop e on the truck released, the projectile can
roll down the slope on to the cage on the removal of another stop which controls
the downward movement of the projectile. This stop consists of arms projecting
upwards in front of the projectile from a rocking shaft k having on it a toothed
segment worked by a worm connected by suitable gear by a winch handle 7.
In order to dispense with lateral movement of the projectile when the lift cage
carrying it arrives at the chamber m under the turret, the lift shaft a is not 4
made cylindrical but tapers from the bottom to a greater width at the top, and
the lift guides are thus inclined outwards, so that when the projectile raised by
either of the two lifts arrives at the desired level in the chamber m, its axis lies
in the same vertical plane with that of the gun which that lift supplies. Here
the projectile g is slid on to an inclined tray n, its transference being facilitated 5

page_text: by canting into an inclined position the shelf of the lift cage h on which the
projectile is carried. The projectile is retained on the tray n by a stop p until
the cage o of the gun hoist descends withdrawing the stop and thereupon the
projectile slides into the cage o by which it is raised to the loading position at
the breech of the gun.
The middle of the lift shaft is occupied by an ammunition hoist which forms
no part of our present invention.
Although we have described apparatus for charging two guns in a turret,
obviously a single lift not necessarily tapered and operated in a similar way may
be employed for serving a single gun in a barbette or turret.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. Apparatus for charging turret or barbette guns comprising a lift shaft
attached to and revolving with the turret, a circular track around its base, a truck
or trucks for receiving projectiles each truck having a sloped top and stop arms
and gear, a lift cage or a pair of these, each having a canting top and an inclined
tray leading to the gun hoist substantially as described with reference to the
drawings.
2. In apparatus such as is above referred to, the use of a lift shaft tapering
upwards to an enlarged diameter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 9th day of January 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.