"Elevation in degrees and minutes"

[JineArtillery]

I'm doing some more artillery research at the moment and came across this Table for Cannon and Artillery Projectiles (which I'll include a link to) and one of the sections reads "Elevation in degrees and minutes", which I'm quite unsure the meaning. I suppose it references the angle of which the piece is to be turned but why in minutes? And why is only one number given when two measurements are listed?

Cannon Range Tables

Tables for Cannon & Artillery ProjectilesInformation obtained from The Confederate Ordnance Manual pages 367-369 and The Artillerist Manual pages 455-462.

www.historicalpublicationsllc.com

 

[John Winn]

I'm doing some more artillery research at the moment and came across this Table for Cannon and Artillery Projectiles (which I'll include a link to) and one of the sections reads "Elevation in degrees and minutes", which I'm quite unsure the meaning. I suppose it references the angle of which the piece is to be turned but why in minutes? And why is only one number given when two measurements are listed?

Cannon Range Tables

Tables for Cannon & Artillery ProjectilesInformation obtained from The Confederate Ordnance Manual pages 367-369 and The Artillerist Manual pages 455-462.

www.historicalpublicationsllc.com

Yes, it refers to the angle from horizontal to which the tube is raised. Angles are measured in degrees (there being 360 degrees in a complete circle). Each degree is divided into 60 minutes. In the table referenced there are measurements in full degrees and some in degrees and minutes - e.g. 2 30 means two degrees thirty minutes (i.e 2 1/2 degrees elevation).

 

[Belfoured]

I'm doing some more artillery research at the moment and came across this Table for Cannon and Artillery Projectiles (which I'll include a link to) and one of the sections reads "Elevation in degrees and minutes", which I'm quite unsure the meaning. I suppose it references the angle of which the piece is to be turned but why in minutes? And why is only one number given when two measurements are listed?

Cannon Range Tables

Tables for Cannon & Artillery ProjectilesInformation obtained from The Confederate Ordnance Manual pages 367-369 and The Artillerist Manual pages 455-462.

www.historicalpublicationsllc.com

Yes, it refers to the angle from horizontal to which the tube is raised. Angles are measured in degrees (there being 360 degrees in a complete circle). Each degree is divided into 60 seconds. In the table referenced there are measurements in full degrees and some in degrees and seconds - e.g. 2 30 means two degrees thirty seconds (i.e 2 1/2 degrees elevation).

Beat me to it - the measurement of the angle between level/line of sight and the axial direction of the tube (zero if the tube is level). In the table of fire the stated elevations are supposed to reflect the proper angle to reach a target at a specified range and in a specified time based on ballistics properties, etc etc. As you note, the proper angle may not be in full degrees but, for example, "2 1/2 degrees" - or 2 degrees 30 minutes. I'm not quite clear on what the OP means by "one number given when two measurements are listed".

 

[John Winn]

Beat me to it - the measurement of the angle between level/line of sight and the axial direction of the tube (zero if the tube is level). In the table of fire the stated elevations are supposed to reflect the proper angle to reach a target at a specified range and in a specified time based on ballistics properties, etc etc. As you note, the proper angle may not be in full degrees but, for example, "2 1/2 degrees" - or 2 degrees 30 minutes. I'm not quite clear on what the OP means by "one number given when two measurements are listed".

I think the OP thought 1 30 was 130.

 

[Belfoured]

I think the OP thought 1 30 was 130.

Got it

 

[CowCavalry]

These terms are used today, such as when sighting in a rifle; "or example, imagine you are shooting at 300 yards. You know that a MOA spreads out 1″ per 100 yards, so 1 MOA at 300 yards is 3″. Therefore, for your calculations at that 300 yard target, you should think in 3″ increments. By doing so, you can easily see that 2 MOA is just 2 of those 3″ increments, or 6″ total. And likewise, 1/2 MOA is 1/2 of those 3″ increments, or 1.5″."

What is Minute of Angle?

Minute of Angle (MOA) is an angular measurement, used often in long range shooting, that is 1/60th of one degree of a circle.

www.nssf.org