The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

September, 1909 "TAE Marine REVIEW Transmission of Intelligence on Steam Vessels. By H. A. Hornor, Electrical Engineer, New York Ship Building Co. if, O the questions of pure elec- trical engineering there is aug- mented on naval veSsels_ the important factor of military efficiency. Expanded this means that er appatatus. must. ~ be so... de= signed that it will be accurate and trustworthy under any and all condi- tions of war. That the material and instruments "must withstand shocks from within when the vessel is offering her defense in action and will maintain stolidly the hot shells of her enemy m retirn. ~ Development. 'on military lines' is perforce gradual when the basis of the movement revolves around the theory of battle. War is by good fortune quite rare in these "piping times of peace." But as the wise na- tion must prepare for war in time of peace, the development work on mili- tary lines can advance only by the ob- servation of past naval engagements and sensible deductions from them. It might be generally stated that these interior communications divide them- selves into those which are used for the ordinary peaceful movements of the vessel and those which are useful and necessary in time of actual conflict. For the purpose of being continually prepared these latter signals are always employed in drill and gun practice. "With such accumulation of systems it_ does occur that certain ones make themselves factors in both cases to such a degree that it would appear that no taxonomy could be assumed. Such systems as the call bells, tele- phones and voice-tubes illustrate this clearly. These systems are just as im- portant in battle service as in peace- ful cruising. The following arrange- ment, though open to question, will be adopted for the purpose of: this discus- sion: Systems employed for both battle and cruising * -- a. Engine revolution , telegraph. Engine shaft revolution indicator. 'Steering telegraph. Helm angle indicator. Fire-room timing. -- f- Gall bei. | . Exposed. 'Unexposed. 9g. Voice tube. --__ oe a ae ee Be ith must. be. held in "mind that these . sys: tems are available under. all conditions. The writer - adopts this classification merely for convenience. h. Telephone. General, Engine and_ fire-room, Bridge and engine room. Battle. Systems employed during only: a. Fire alarm. b.. General alarm gong. c. Anchor handling and boat hour gong. d. Warning. signal. é.. Fuel..oi.. tank, indicator: Systems employed during battle only: Broadside ammunition hoist. Broadside salvo-firing. Turret - salvo-firing, Cease firing.- Gun firing. Torpedo firing. Gyro indicating. h. Range and. deflection. 1, Local turret gun firing indicator. 4. Turret danger zone. It will be noted that of the systems enumerated nearly 50 per cent are de- voted to the control of the guns. Later it will be brought out that be- sides these special systems . the . tele- phone and _ voice-tubes. are important factors today in the naval war drama. cruising Q phos 2.) S'S At the present time electric engine revolution telegraphs, steering tele- graphs and helm angle indicators are designed after the "lamp pattern" type of instrument.. They are identical in. their method of wiring and _ general design, so that a description of one will suffice for all. Engine revolution telegraphs are designed for the pur- pose of increasing or decreasing the speed of the vessel during squadron formation.* The vessel being under orders for maintaining standard speed, this being indicated by the mechanical telegraphs, one, two, three, or four more revolutions, will be signalled by this electrical telegraph. On the bridge the transmitter of the pedestal type, by the operation of moving a handle around the circumference of the head, rings a bell and lights a lamp in the engine room, which latter signal re- quires the moving of a- similar handle on the éngine-room indicator to the *The adoption of steam pune' Bro: ine purposes. now: requires an € oe BE Pinstrument, due to the lack of close 'control of turbine speeds and increase in propeller revolutions. Therefore these in- struments are designed to transmit any num- ber of revolutions. The - proposed ine is similar to the familiar "carriage call evice. 351 revolutions desired. This done, the lamp in the transmitter is lighted, giy- ing assurance that the signal has been received and the operation lished. The accomp- contact-maker in the transmitter or indicator consists sim- ply of carbons which are revolved by the handle across instlated copper seg- - ments to complete the lamp. circuits. The older type of instrument required the rapid movement of the handle of the transmitter or indicator for the purpose of operating a magneto-genera- tor to ring the bell, but the latest de- sign provides bells designed for 125 © volts, the standard used in the United States navy. In like manner steering telegraphs* of the pedestal and bulkhead type are installed on the bridge, in the steering- engine room, and central station for giving signals, usually in degrees, for the proper maneuvering of the vessel. Helm Indicators. The helm indicators are built on the same lines, are located in the same places, and are for purposes. of sig- -- nalling the number of degrees the helm makes when the rudder has been actu- ally moved from the midship line. The indicators are all wired in parallel with the transmitters, but are so arranged with cut-out switches that only those indicators desired may be in service. The transmitter is located near the rudder stock and the contact arm di- rectly attached thereto. Carbon brushes move over insulated segments of cop- per, which are designed in accordance with the mechanical are through which the rudder moves. The vital parts of these instruments are enclosed in water- tight brass cases, which. carry with: them sufficient protection from mechan- ical injury. Engine-shaft indicators are located in the pilot-house and central station and by direct mechanical attachment to the -main engine-shaft permit the direction and number of revolutions of the engine to be read at any time. The dials of the indicators now made of brass are marked "Ahead" and "Astern." | Between these indicators rests a pivoted arrow actuated by a double. set of magnets. As these mag- nets are put into circuit by the trans- mitter they move the arrow intermit- tently either to the right or left, mark- ing thus each revolution of the shaft. With a stop watch the revolutions per minute may be easily and quickly noted. The shaft-speed transmitter has re- *The dials of the steering telegraphs have recently been changed to read as follows: "Amid,? "Course," "Steady," "Starboard," "Port," "Meet Her,' "Ease Helm," 5 De; grees," "10 Degrees," '15 Degrees," "Stand- ard," "Hard Over." Bets Vee) Salta A RA as eee an ae