12-INCH B. L. R. DISAPPEARING CARRIAGE. (CHAIN HOIST ON LEFT SIDE.)
Q. What composes a gun section?
A. A gun commander, a gun detachment, an ammunition detachment, and a reserve.
Q. How many men in a gun detachment?
A. One chief, one gunner, one range-keeper, and eighteen privates.
Q. Name the details into which a detachment is divided, and give posts of each.
A.
Q. Name the equipments or implements which each member procures and places in proper position at the command "Posts!" on first arriving at the gun.
A. Gunner: Sight and difference-chart.
Range-keeper: Stop-watch and prediction-scale.
No. 1: Translating roller or crank, can with sponge and oil, and a silk wiper.
No. 2: Loading-tray and a silk wiper.
No. 3: Primer-pouch, bag for empty primers, scabbard containing punch, gimlet, and reamer, and a lanyard.
No. 4, assisted by No. 13: Rammer.
No. 9: Wrench, funnel, and measure with oil.
No. 10: Chamber-sponge and wrench.
No. 11: Dummy-cartridge extractor.
No. 12: Shot-trucks.
No. 13: Same as No. 4 (Rammer). No. 13 assists No. 4.
Q. State in brief what each member of the gun detachment inspects and tests at the command "Examine gun!"
A. Chief inspects gun and carriage throughout.
Gunner inspects and tests sight, sight-standard, azimuth subscale, traversing-gear, and firing-key.
Range-keeper inspects elevating gear.
No. 1 removes breech-cover and inspects breech mechanism, and assists in sponging bore when necessary.
No. 2 examines bore, chamber, gas-check seat, and breech-recess, cleans them when necessary, and oils breech-recess.
No. 3 cleans vent and primer-seat, hangs lanyard on elevating-arm.
No. 4 brings sponges and assists Nos. 1 and 2 when necessary and replaces sponges.
Nos. 5 and 6 test elevating-gear with range-keeper.
Nos. 7 and 8 test traversing-gear with gunner.
Nos. 9 and 10 examine recoil-cylinders to see that they are properly filled. No. 9 does the filling with oil when necessary. Wrenches, funnel, and measure are passed back and replaced, filling-plugs replaced, and Nos. 9 and 10 take posts two paces on right and left, respectively, of No. 4.
No. 11 receives and disposes of muzzle-cover, passes up and replaces funnel and oil-measure when necessary, then takes post near No. 12 at the trucks.
No. 12 removes muzzle-cover, examines trucks.
No. 13 inspects and tests telautograph. If a telephone is used, he puts on head receiver and wears it until dismissed.
Q. Explain briefly how to open a breech mechanism, Model 1888.
A. Figure 1 shows breech in normal position—closed. No. 2 turns rotating crank-catch 90° to left and turns rotating-crank in the direction of the arrow till it stops (Fig. 2).
No. 1 turns translating-roller to left till, at the end, the shock releases the block (Fig. 3), then swings block free to right of gun till it engages securing-latch (Fig. 4). Mechanism 1895 is opened by No. 3 turning crank continuously till motion stops, being careful that crank does not catch safety-lanyard.
Q. Give duties of each member of the detachment at the command "Load!"
A. Chief commands: (1) "With shot!" (shell or dummy projectile); (2) "Load!"
Gunner gives direction to piece according to the system used, and either fires electrically or signals to No. 3 to fire. (Except in Case 3.)
Fig. 1.
Range-keeper calls off range, using predicting-scale, and corrects same for gun difference; signals or calls out "Elevation-set!"
No. 1 assists in opening and closing breech. Examines for dirt, etc., the breech-block and gas-check. Oils same. When necessary, assists in ramming. Places third section of cartridge on shot-tray.
Fig. 2.
No. 2 assists in opening and closing breech, examines for dirt, etc., and oils gas-check seat and threads of breech-recess. He commands: (1) "Home!"; (2) "Ram!" Observes scale on rammer, places second section of cartridge on front part of shot-tray, pushes fourth section into chamber, such that its base will almost clear the gas-check seat. If necessary, inserts loading-tray and sponges, assisted by No. 10.
Fig. 3.
No. 3 inserts a primer. At command "Trip!" steps to rear and slightly to right of piece. Fires at gunner's signal. Coils lanyard. Removes old primer and places it in a bag.
No. 4 brings up rammer and places it against base of projectile, assisted by Nos. 9 and 13. Assists in ramming projectile and sections of cartridge. Replaces rammer on its support.
Nos. 5 and 6 set the elevation-scale for given range.
Nos. 7 and 8 traverse, at the command of the gunner.
Nos. 9 and 10 assist in ramming. Trip the piece. After firing No. 10 brings up chamber-sponge.
Fig. 4.
Nos. 11 and 12 bring loaded truck and place it in position, adjusting height of shot-tray to that of the breech. No. 11 steps to right, and No. 12 to left, of truck. If there be a brake, No. 12 sets it; if not, No. 11 chocks the front wheels. No. 12 places first section of cartridge on tray, No. 11 the fourth. Both remove truck to delivery-table and take posts at a loaded truck.
Nos. 13 and 14 assist in ramming projectile and sections of cartridge. Assist 9 and 10 at pinch-bars when piece will not trip.
No. 13 assists No. 4 in bringing up and replacing rammer.
No. 15 calls out and posts ranges and deflections or azimuths received.
No. 16 notifies chief of ammunition detachment kind of projectile required, also when to start and stop the hoist.
Nos. 16, 17, and 18 load the trucks.
Q. Give the positions of the ramming detail.
A. Nos. 1, 4, 9, and 13 on right. Nos. 2, 10, and 14 on left. All face rammer and grasp it with both hands.
Q. Explain the method of ramming.
A. Nos. 13 and 14 take hold near the end of the rammer, rammer-head being on base of projectile. At the command "Ram!", all rush forward, carrying projectile to its seat with force. Nos. 1 and 2 quit the rammer when near the truck. First three sections of cartridge are rammed without command.
Q. Explain how to unload a dummy charge.
A. The chief commands "Unload!" Breech is opened and truck brought up as for loading. No. 4 brings up extractor and pulls out sections. No. 1 puts two sections on right of truck, No. 2 puts others on left.
Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 withdraw projectile to truck. Truck is removed and extractor replaced.
Q. Explain how to retract a gun.
A. Chief commands (1) "From battery!", (2) "Heave!", (3) "Halt!"
At the first command Nos. 7 and 8 go to the retraction-cranks. No. 7 operates the retaining-pawl and speed-crank to permit the pulling out of the ropes. Nos. 9 and 10 mount on the gun-levers and place the ends of the ropes on the hooks, receiving them from Nos. 3 and 4, who mount on the chassis to assist. Nos. 1 and 2 pull out the ropes and pass the ends to Nos. 3 and 4. No. 7 takes in the slack. Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10 take positions at the retraction-cranks, and at the second command turn the cranks.
Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6 relieve Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10 when directed by the chief of the detachment. Odd numbers work on the right side of the carriage, even numbers on the left side. When the gun has reached the loading position the command "Halt!" is given. As the command "Cast off!" is given No. 7 lets out enough slack to enable Nos. 1 and 2 to take the rope-ends off the hooks.
Q. Where electric motors are provided, who operates them?
A. The gunner the traversing-controllers, No. 5 the elevating and retracting controllers; No. 6 watches the circuit-breakers, and when broken by an overload he closes the breaker.
Q. When the shot-hoist is on the right, what changes in the service of the piece are made?
A. No. 4 in ramming takes position between Nos. 2 and 10 on the left side. Nos. 10 and 14 assist No. 4 in bringing up and replacing the rammer, instead of Nos. 9 and 13. No. 9 brings up and replaces sponge and assists in sponging, instead of No. 10.
Q. How many men in the ammunition detail?
A. One chief and twelve privates.
Q. Name the details into which it is divided, and the numbers composing each.
A. Hoist detail, Nos. 1 and 2.
Projectile detail, Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Cartridge detail, Nos. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Q. Give the duties of each in brief.
A. No. 1 operates the controller and starts the hoist supplying the delivery-table with ammunition.
No. 2 repeats name of projectile announced, rolls same with cartridge to hoist-carrier.
Nos. 3 and 4 operate a trolley and differential pulley.
Nos. 5 and 6 operate another trolley and pulley.
Nos. 7 and 8 uncase cartridges.
Nos. 9, 10, 11, and 12 place sections on receiving-table in proper order. If electrical power fails, Nos. 1 and 2 operate hoist by hand-cranks.
Note.—Since the drills for the 10-inch and 8-inch disappearing guns differ from the drill for the 12-inch in so few minor details, no separate questions and answers in these cases are given. In the 10-inch piece the following differences were noted: Nos. 13 and 14 are omitted in the rammer detail; No. 4 in procuring implements attends to the rammer alone; in loading, No. 2 pushes the second section of cartridge into the chamber instead of the fourth; in ramming, the positions from front to rear are Nos. 1 and 9 on right, Nos. 2, 4, and 10 on left, facing rammer, etc. When hoist is on right side No. 10 assists No. 4 (No. 13 being left out).
In the 8-inch piece the rammer detail consists of No. 4 (13 and 14 omitted), the truck detail of No. 11 (12 omitted), and the hoist detail of Nos. 16 and 17 (No. 18 omitted). The duties of the numbers omitted in these details are performed by the remaining numbers in that detail, otherwise the drill is precisely the same as for the 12-inch piece. In extracting a dummy Nos. 2 and 3 do not assist in withdrawing; Nos. 1 and 4 do this.