Search found 2472 matches

by wadinga
Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:49 pm
Forum: The Age of Sail (1571-1860)
Topic: HEIC Nemesis Armour?
Replies: 4
Views: 1027

Re: HEIC Nemesis Armour?

Hi AThompson, Conway's History of the Ship "Steam, Steel and Shellfire confirms what Marcelo has gleaned from D K Brown. Perhaps not surprisingly as Brown was one of the distinguished contributors. :cool: It says Nemesis' success might have been that besides only facing outmoded Chinese low vel...
by wadinga
Thu Jun 01, 2023 1:14 pm
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: Estimating torpedo energy and resistance
Replies: 5
Views: 5439

Re: Estimating torpedo energy and resistance

Hi All, Marcelo is 100% correct The drag/resistance actuating in the opposite direction will increase with speed, till the point that thrust equals resistance, a sort of horizontal free fall terminal speed. You can not go beyond that point if you do not increase thrust. Drag: Square Law Rules Imagin...
by wadinga
Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:25 am
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Why built useless battleships?
Replies: 61
Views: 16613

Re: Why built useless battleships?

Hi OpanaPointer, Since Churchill re-used his turn of phrase from a speech of 1912 in his very popular books written after the First World War it seems likely to me Holger Herwig consciously or unconsciously quoted him when he wrote his own book in 1980. It is of course arguable that if Germany had q...
by wadinga
Wed May 31, 2023 3:36 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Why built useless battleships?
Replies: 61
Views: 16613

Re: Why built useless battleships?

Hi Opana and all, On this anniversary of Jutland we can consider the origin of the description of the High Seas Fleet as a "luxury" as adopted by Holger, but surely originating with none other than Winston S Churchill. In a speech in 1912, on becoming First Lord of the Admiralty: The purpo...
by wadinga
Mon May 29, 2023 5:31 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Prince of Wales and Repulse again under attack.........
Replies: 3
Views: 1844

Re: Prince of Wales and Repulse again under attack.........

Hi All, From AP Malaysia’s maritime agency said it has detained a Chinese-registered vessel on suspicion of looting two Second World War-era British shipwrecks in the South China Sea. The agency said it had found a cannon shell believed to be from the Second World War on board the bulk carrier ship....
by wadinga
Fri May 12, 2023 9:12 am
Forum: The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905)
Topic: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts
Replies: 43
Views: 5790

Re: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts

Hi Byron, I hope do not denigrate Pollen at all, like the other luminaries he was a highly motivated individual, who wanted the best for his country and was determined to push his case forward against what he saw as dangerously dull-minded conservative opposition. Such men undoubtedly deserve our ad...
by wadinga
Tue May 09, 2023 12:05 pm
Forum: The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905)
Topic: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts
Replies: 43
Views: 5790

Re: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts

Hi All, It is likely there was rangefinding in the Spanish-American War. Quintin Barry, writing in his book "Disputed Victory" says Soon after this, however, the Brooklyn suffered her only fatal casualty, when Chief Yeoman Ellis was killed while taking the range of the Viscaya . As two men...
by wadinga
Thu May 04, 2023 6:17 pm
Forum: The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905)
Topic: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts
Replies: 43
Views: 5790

Re: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts

Hi Marcelo, The book had an outrageous high price at the time of publishing You highlight a problem alluded to in another thread. Populist books, a description given to Guns at Sea elsewhere, get enough volume sales to keep the unit price down, but Brooks' book is unfortunately considered to be of s...
by wadinga
Thu May 04, 2023 12:15 pm
Forum: The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905)
Topic: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts
Replies: 43
Views: 5790

Re: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts

Hi Paul, Byron provided the detail on those slow-firers. With such lengthy loading times, and so few guns, it was essential to get close enough to guarantee a hit, hence the short ranges anticipated. I imagine such battles would be a bit like duelling at ten paces, don't shoot till you see the white...
by wadinga
Wed May 03, 2023 1:49 pm
Forum: The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905)
Topic: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts
Replies: 43
Views: 5790

Re: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts

Hello Paul, In fact as Marcelo's diagram makes clear the loading gear is under a deck in this design. However in the so called barbette ships the breech loading gun crews were totally exposed during loading. These ships expected to fight at close range 1-2000 yds max and incoming shells would have f...
by wadinga
Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:55 am
Forum: The Age of Sail (1571-1860)
Topic: Binnacle Location
Replies: 13
Views: 2068

Re: Binnacle Location

Hi All, Based on the shape, I would guess this represents a pump rather than a binnacle. Two handles would be inserted from the sides and the pumped water would flood out over the deck and into the scuppers. The helmsman must be able to see the compass if he is going steer a course. All the best wad...
by wadinga
Wed Apr 26, 2023 6:40 pm
Forum: The Age of Sail (1571-1860)
Topic: Spanish artillery in the age of sail
Replies: 37
Views: 3492

Re: Spanish artillery in the age of sail

Hi OpanaPointer, A Sprinkle of Breadcrumbs....... A media sacra cannon from El Gran Grifón sunk off Fair Isle is on display in the Shetlands museum on a "recreated" 2 wheel carriage. www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2010/07/30/cannon-from-armada-ship-wrecked-off-fair-isle-to-go-on-show-in-museum In...
by wadinga
Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:06 am
Forum: The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905)
Topic: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts
Replies: 43
Views: 5790

Re: Fire Control of Pre-Dreadnoughts

Hello Marcelo, Padfield's Guns at Sea has mathematician Niccolo Tartaglia claiming to have measured range at sea using the known height of the ship's mast and a an angle from the "maine top" measured with a Gunner's Quadrant. He lived from 1500 to 1557 and applied mathematics to ballistics...
by wadinga
Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:42 pm
Forum: The Age of Sail (1571-1860)
Topic: Spanish artillery in the age of sail
Replies: 37
Views: 3492

Re: Spanish artillery in the age of sail

Hi All, Naval Guns by Hans Mehl has photo and drawing of a Saker 6 pdr bronze naval gun of 1551 cast by Remigy de Halut in Flanders for the Spanish Crown, which is 1.8 metres (5ft 10in) from muzzle to just before trunnions, and 3.8 metres (12ft 5in) overall. The weapon was taken from a privateer off...
by wadinga
Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:05 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Why built useless battleships?
Replies: 61
Views: 16613

Re: Why built useless battleships?

Hello All, Well at the risk of alienating someone else I shall continue to participate. How do you suppose Great Britain acquired a colonial empire covering a quarter of the Earth's surface and a quarter of the global population? Well by the aggressive taking over of the international assets of othe...