236 Mr. F. J. Bramwell [June 13, 



hydraulically from without the turret, and in this way the after- 

 turret guns are each 3 tons lighter than the guns of the fore turret. 



Diagram 12 shows to a much larger scale a plan of the fore 

 turret, where E represents the right-hand gun and L the left-hand 

 (the one which burst) ; S represents the centre line of the starboard 

 loading apparatus and P the centre line of the port, G G the position 

 of the running in and out levers, already referred to in Diagram 10, 

 H the lever of the hydraulic locking bolt, I the lever of the dead- 

 lock, K the handle which controls the engine that causes the turret to 

 revolve, and the numerous small circles show the positions occupied 

 by the officer and ten men who are in the turret at the time of 

 working the guns. 



Diagram 13 is a transverse section through the fore turret, show- 

 ing parts already described, and also exhibiting one of the hydraulic 

 loading gears. 



As you are aware, in a ship with a revolving turret the horizontal 

 movement of the gun to bring it to bear on the object aimed at is 

 attained by causing the turret to move in one direction or the other. 

 Although the turret is 31^ feet diameter, and weighs, including the 

 guns within it, as much as 406 tons, the revolution, which is due to a 

 special steam-engine placed beneath the turret, is started, stopped, or 

 reversed with the greatest ease by one man, the captain of the turret, 

 through the instrumentality of the handle K. This same handle is 

 used also to revolve the turret so that the two guns within it may be 

 brought into a fit position to be loaded either by the pair of hydraulic 

 loading cylinders S, on the starboard side, or the pair P, on the 

 port side. When in position for loading it is necessary — as the 

 loading is effected through tubes in the side of the turret, which at 

 the time of loading are prolongations of the bores of the guns, 

 the guns being then brought into such a position as to " line " with 

 these tubes — it is necessary that the turret should be securely locked. 

 This is effected by the use of two locking bolts, the hydraulic bolt 

 and the deadlock bolt. The hydraulic bolt is one which being pressed 

 outwards by a yielding pressure, that of water from the accumulator, 

 can be safely protruded to lock while the turret still has some " way " 

 upon it. This " way " is checked by the bolt without injurious shock, 

 and the turret is brought to rest so near to the desired spot that the 

 deadlock bolt worked by the handle, I, can be introduced. 



Assuming the turret to be brought into position suitable for one of 

 the loading gears, the muzzles of the guns are depressed, as you will 

 see is shown in Diagram 13, until they are in a line with the loading 

 tubes already mentioned, which loading tubes pass through the thick- 

 ness of the walls of the turret in an inclined direction, and are placed 

 so low down as to be just beneath the upper deck. When the guns 

 are thus depressed and the turret locked, a visible signal is made 

 from within the turret, by means of a " tell-tale," to the loading 

 crew who are between decks outside the turret, " Sponge and load," 

 whereupon these men proceed in the following manner. The sponging 



