speaking Tubes for a Ship's Gunners 



Reporting the range, the hits and the misses 

 Photos by Naval Constructor Elliot Snow, U. S. A. 



IN a naval battle, the range is obtained 

 principally by men stationed in the 

 mast tops. The readings of their in- 

 struments are telephoned down to the 

 officers in the plotting room, below the 

 warship's deck. Here the instrument 

 readings are quickly transcribed into 

 terms of gun ranges and of angles of 

 horizontal deflection. These calculations 



A receiving and transmitting headset as 

 well as a speaking tube is shown at right 



©B, 



L". S. Naval Institute 



Above: A tor- 

 pedo tube oper- 

 ator with the 

 voice tube outlet 

 beside his ear 



sent to the 

 gunners through 

 speaking tubes, 

 although tele- 

 phones and nu- 

 meral indicators are often used, to make 

 sure that the orders will be understood. 

 For when the battle waxes hottest, 



A sight-setter's 

 voice tube equip- 

 ped with a meg- 

 aphone attach- 

 ment, at the left 



either 

 or a 

 likely 

 away. 



a voice tube 



telephone is 



to be swept 



In big bat- 



tles, the gun that 

 has but one channel of communication 

 .stands grave chances of being cut off from 

 the rest of the ship. Should that happen, 



30 



