USS ALASKA
Captain
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2016
Sirs, wanted to get into a more technical discussion so broke this out from the 'Period Civil War Photos & Examinations' sub-forum - https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-20-inch-rodman-gun.139202/ . Thanks for your consideration.
At least they could be reloaded from INSIDE the turret...
Reloading the muzzle-loading guns of Caio Duilio
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Duilio_1880_003.jpg
USS ALASKA
Sir, so if I understand you correctly, putting a pit / slot / hole in the outer deck, (which means more strengthening to provide the same level of structural integrity as a solid deck ), open to plunging fire and shrapnel, (unless it has a moveable covering which adds another level of complexity ) with exposed powder bags in it and the guns more exposed to fire while angled down and limiting your reloading position to align with that deck area is more desirable than just slewing the turret away from fire to reload then bringing it back to bear on the target? To protect this sequence, you would have to turn the entire ship away from fire, not just the turret.
Seem like a very convoluted Rube Goldbergesque way of doing things...
Cheers,
USS ALASKA
I wonder how useful it would be in battle, given how the 15 inch guns already had very long reload times.
At least they could be reloaded from INSIDE the turret...
Reloading the muzzle-loading guns of Caio Duilio
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Duilio_1880_003.jpg
USS ALASKA
That's actually an improvement. The guns are lining up with a below-decks powered rammer, so the actual reloading takes place behind armour - you're not winching up a giant powder bag to put into the front of the gun exposed to fire aimed at the turret.
It's also more than a bit quicker.
Sir, so if I understand you correctly, putting a pit / slot / hole in the outer deck, (which means more strengthening to provide the same level of structural integrity as a solid deck ), open to plunging fire and shrapnel, (unless it has a moveable covering which adds another level of complexity ) with exposed powder bags in it and the guns more exposed to fire while angled down and limiting your reloading position to align with that deck area is more desirable than just slewing the turret away from fire to reload then bringing it back to bear on the target? To protect this sequence, you would have to turn the entire ship away from fire, not just the turret.
Seem like a very convoluted Rube Goldbergesque way of doing things...
Cheers,
USS ALASKA
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