Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

446 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD The Conning Tower. the conning tower, and therewith must every outlying part of the vessel be able to communicate. The three points in a vessel, upon the mutual inter-communica- depends the success of the “ conning tower tion of which. ship, are the “ conning tower ” (the nerve centre) ; the range-finders in the fighting-tops or “ fire-control ” platforms (taking their cue from the conning tower, and yet regulating the actions of the captain) ; and the “ gun INSIDE A CONNING TOWER. (Photo, West and Son.) positions,” which receive the order to fire from the conning tower and the range at which to fire from the range-finders, markers, and spotters. Complete co-ordination be- tween these positions is essential, and free communication must at all costs be main- tained. The conning tower in modern battle- ships is a circular or elliptical box of steel, with walls from 8 to 12 inches thick, based upon a steel tube communicating directly with the bowels of the ship, and descending far below the water-line. It has a shielded en- trance, through which a stout man can scarcely crawl, and a hooded roof of great weight and strength, so fixed that narrow, well-protected sighting slits between it and the tower itself command an almost all-round view of the field of action. In the centre is the steering mechanism, the “ helm-power ” having been transferred hither from the wheel behind the chart-house on the exposed bridge above. Here will stand the captain, his commander, a midshipman or two, perhaps, and a signal- man. Arranged around the steel walls are means of communicating with every part of the ship — telephones, speaking-tubes, electric buttons. An electric light signal- box communicates with the water-tight doors below, and the absence or presence of a red glow in this or that little window, several dozens of which make up the signal- box, tells whether all of these doors are securely closed or not. Around the inner wall of the conning tower, too, is painted a series of brightly-coloured horizontal lines, beginning and ending at different points. These show the captain the arcs of training of the various pairs of barbette guns. Thus, if in sighting an enemy during a fleet action he perceives that she and his line of sight cross, say, a green line marked BS, a scarlet line marked YS, and a white line marked ZS, he would know, if his ship were the Dread- nought, for example, that B turret star- board side could fire at the enemy, as could Y turret and Z turret, the S stand- ing for starboard; also that the enemy could not be reached by the bow turret or the beam turret on the “ port ” or left side of the ship. The enemy, there- fore, would be lying “ behind the starboard beam.” These are the main features of the conning tower. The commander, upon whom devolves the entire task of “ clearing ship for action,” presently reports to r All Ready. the captain that all is ready. Incidentally it may be stated that all possiblé general precautions against fire are taken. Hoses are run along decks, and these latter, if time permits, are plentifully besprinkled with whitewash and damp sand. Also “ splinter nets ” and cordage are slung