Year: 1885

page_text: I RALPH THEW BRANKSTON of Elswick Works Newcastle on Tyne Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is a mounting for a quick firing gun which will
admit of the gun when out of use being housed or turned to one side away from
the embrasure and so as to lie close against the side of the ship or battery. The
trunnions of the gun or gun slide are carried in bearings upon a fork like piece or
casting having a descending vertical stem or pivot which is received into a socket
on the outer or free end of a gate like frame-this frame is jointed to a bracket
fixed to an armour plate shield in which there is a rectangular embrasure through
which the gun projects when in the firing position. The embrasure is then partly
closed by a semi-cylindrical shield which is fixed to the piece carrying the
trunnions this shield is concentric with the pivot and moves with the gun when
the gun is trained upon the object aimed at. The movement of the gun in
elevation however takes place independently of the shield, the port in which is
sufficiently high to admit of it.
The mounting is secured in the firing position by means of lugs upon the fixed
shield, which enter corresponding recesses in the gate like frame and receive pins
which, when inserted, lock the gate like frame fast to the stationary shield-
I employ three such lugs, two immediately below the semi-cylindrical shield (these
are on opposite sides of the pivot) and a third at the bottom of the frame and
centrally beneath the pivot. When housing the gun these pins are removed and
the gate-like frame is swung back which carries the gun and the semi-cylindrical
shield inboard and away from the embrasure, the gun is placed parallel with the
side of the ship or battery and in this position it is secured.

page_text: I RALPH THEW BRANKSTON of Elswick Works Newcastle-on-Tyne 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:
The object of this Invention is a mounting for a quick firing gun which will
admit of the gun when out of use being housed or turned to one side away from
the embrasure and so as to lie close against the side of the ship or battery. The
trunnions of the gun or gun slide are carried in bearings upon a fork like piece or
casting having a descending vertical stem or pivot which is received into a socket
on the outer or free end of a gate like frame-this frame is jointed to a bracket
fixed to an armour plate shield in which there is a rectangular embrasure through
which the gun projects when in the firing position. The embrasure is then partly
closed: by a semi-cylindrical shield which is fixed to the piece carrying the
trunnions this shield is concentric with the pivot and moves with the gun when
the gun is trained upon the object aimed at.
The movement of the gun in elevation however takes place independently of the
shield, the port in which is sufficiently high to admit of it.
The mounting is secured in the firing position by means of lugs upon the fixed
shield, which enter corresponding recesses in the gate like frame and receive pins
which, when inserted, lock the gate-like frame fast to the stationary shield.
I employ three such lugs, two immediately below the semi-cylindrical shield (these
are on opposite sides of the pivot) and a third at the bottom of the frame and
centrally beneath the pivot. When housing the gun these pins are removed and
the gate like frame is swung back which carries the gun and the semi-cylindrical
shield inboard and away from the embrasure the gun, is placed parallel with the
side of the ship or battery and in this position it is secured.
Figure 1 is a rear end view of a gun mounted in the manner above described.
Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section and Figure 3 a plan partly in section
of the same. In these views the gun is shewn in position for firing. Figure 4 is
a plan partly in section showing the gun in its housed position.
A is the fork like frame in which the trunnions of the gun are carried and
which has a stem or pivot descending from it-B is the socket in which this pivot
is received. O is the pivot by which the gate like frame of which the socket forms
part is pivotted to the armour plate shield-D are the bolts for fixing the gun in
fighting position. E is the cylindrical shield fixed to the frame A-F. F. are fixed
shields placed to meet the shield E. As will be seen the shield E always overlaps
the fixed shields F in whatever position the gun may be trained into and so stops
the opening into the ship.
When the gun is to be shifted from fighting to housed position the bolts D are
withdrawn and the mounting is swung inboard by revolving it around the pivot C
so as to bring the gun into the position shown in Figure 4.
By constructing gun mountings in the above manner the size of the gun port is
reduced to the smallest possible dimensions to give protection to the men working

page_text: the gun whilst at the same time great range of training and elevating can be
obtained-The gun also can be quickly shifted from its housed position into
fighting position and vice versa.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is-
1. A gun mounting in which the gun is carried substantially as herein described
by a gate like frame which can be swung on a vertical pivot at one side of an
embrasure to allow of the gun being drawn back from the embrasure and turned
into a housed position away from the embrasure and out of the way.
2. The combination of the frame A the socket B carried from a pivot C the
locking bolts D and the shields E and F substantially as described..
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.