Patent ID: 8726783

Claim:
A turret assembly without deck penetration for minimizing exposure of combatants to enemy forces when accessing above deck equipment, comprising: a) a base plate on top of which is mounted at least one firable and remotely operable combatant interfaceable implement, said base plate being completely rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and supported for rotation by bearing means mounted within a deck of a military facility; b) a hatch displaceably connected to, and located below, an inner face of said base plate, for normally covering a hatchway formed in said base plate when in a closed position and for exposing said hatchway when displaced while protecting a combatant located below said deck or passing through said hatchway; and c) a rotatable disc of a slip ring unit carried by said hatch, by which electricity for operating equipment mounted on top of said deck and for initiating control signals is transmitted to said equipment, said rotatable disc being concentric with said base plate when said hatch is in said closed position, wherein said hatchway is sufficiently large to accommodate passage therethrough to the deck of a combatant usable product in order to access said above deck equipment when said hatch is in a completely displaced position.