Big mast´s clock
- Karl Heidenreich
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Big mast´s clock
I saw in a lot of pictures a "clock" pending from the top of the American Battleships. I believe I saw it on the Arizona´s.
Years ago, in this same forum, someone explained to me that it was a comunication device to tell the ships tailing the leader where to go and who to shoot at in the middle of the smoke and caos of a battle.
But, after some exams to other photos, this "clock" doesn´t appear on other fleet´s masts. Only Americans used this device?
How it really worked?
Years ago, in this same forum, someone explained to me that it was a comunication device to tell the ships tailing the leader where to go and who to shoot at in the middle of the smoke and caos of a battle.
But, after some exams to other photos, this "clock" doesn´t appear on other fleet´s masts. Only Americans used this device?
How it really worked?
- marcelo_malara
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Re: Big mast´s clock
It is a good question. I never see any explanations before!Karl Heidenreich wrote: But, after some exams to other photos, this "clock" doesn´t appear on other fleet´s masts. Only Americans used this device?
How it really worked?
For the other navies, french used it im sure, i think the italian too
, but it doesnt still appaear on pictures...
- marcelo_malara
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- Karl Heidenreich
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Hi!
There is something here, about this clock. In the photos that I had seen before the clock is always facing back, to the stern. But in these photos, of the French and American BBs, they´re facing front, to the bow.
Marcelo says that the clock was meant for cross check during fleet fire, so it´s logical that the flagship was the one signalling the others where to fire. If the flagship is at the head of the column, then the clock must be facing stern to signal all the ships that are following (or at least the one behind that will signal in turn to the one following it). Then, why having one facing to the bow, wasn´t there something to confuse things a little bit more during a fire exchange?
There is something here, about this clock. In the photos that I had seen before the clock is always facing back, to the stern. But in these photos, of the French and American BBs, they´re facing front, to the bow.
Marcelo says that the clock was meant for cross check during fleet fire, so it´s logical that the flagship was the one signalling the others where to fire. If the flagship is at the head of the column, then the clock must be facing stern to signal all the ships that are following (or at least the one behind that will signal in turn to the one following it). Then, why having one facing to the bow, wasn´t there something to confuse things a little bit more during a fire exchange?
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Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
- _Derfflinger_
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An all time classic that question
Bob Henneman has a fine article on that topic on his pages:
http://www.bobhenneman.info/Rangeclocks.htm
As addons to the article:
- Battleships of the Imperial Highseas Fleet used them as well. I think there is a picture of SMS Kaiser often seen in the net with a clock in her mast. Well ilustrated books on Imperial German Battleships show much more examples.
- At the onset of WWII they were still quite common in French ships. The sad pictures of the Fleet at Toulon show many a cruiser with a clock still in place.
Ciao,
Ufo
Bob Henneman has a fine article on that topic on his pages:
http://www.bobhenneman.info/Rangeclocks.htm
As addons to the article:
- Battleships of the Imperial Highseas Fleet used them as well. I think there is a picture of SMS Kaiser often seen in the net with a clock in her mast. Well ilustrated books on Imperial German Battleships show much more examples.
- At the onset of WWII they were still quite common in French ships. The sad pictures of the Fleet at Toulon show many a cruiser with a clock still in place.
Ciao,
Ufo
- Karl Heidenreich
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