USS Arizona, pre-WW2

[Keith]

I have a scrapbook of photos of the USS Arizona taken in the late 1920's. In the photos looking from the bow aft there is a clock or a timer on the front of the forward tower. I am curious as to what that is for?

[67Rally]

I have a scrapbook of photos of the USS Arizona taken in the late 1920's. In the photos looking from the bow aft there is a clock or a timer on the front of the forward tower. I am curious as to what that is for?

 

It is neither a clock nor a timer. That is part of the range data display for other ships in the column line:

 

These large 'clocks' are commonly called range clocks, though the British called them concentration dials. Developed towards the end of WWI, they were part of a system to concentrate the fire of several ships onto the same target.

 

In the days before WWII, the most accepted formation for battleships was the line of battle, where ships would line up nose to tail and fire broadsides at the enemy. The British found that due to the poor visibility in the North Sea, further hampered by funnel and gunfire smoke, it was fairly rare for all the ships in the line of battle to actually see the enemy. So large dials resembling clock faces were added to the front of the fore mast, and to the rear of the main mast, trainable to 30 degrees off center. These clock faces were solid white disks (though a couple of ships had open centers) with black numbers from 0-9. Similar to a clock, there was a short hand and a long hand; the short hand was blue with a diamond at the end, and the long hand was red with a circle at the end.

 

Once a ship found the range to the target, it would display the range on the dials, with one hand indicating thousands of yards + 10,000, and the other hundreds of yards. So if both hands were on the 1, the range to target was 11,100 yards. Hash marks, called bearing indicators, were painted on the main gun turrets, giving observers the angle to target. With the range and bearing data from the ship in front or behind them to feed into their range keeping tables (fire control computers to us Yanks), and the proper adjustments made for the distance between the ships, their location in formation, etc, the gunnery officers on a battleship could target their guns on an enemy they could not see with a fair degree of accuracy. They could then pass the information on to the next ship in line, allowing the entire battle line to concentrate fire on an unseen enemy.

 

These range clocks were fitted to British, American, Brazilian, and French battleships and cruisers. However, as first radio communication, and then radio-equipped spotting aircraft allowed for the instant and accurate transfer of targeting information, these clocks were phased out. By the dawn of WWII, only a few ships still had them, mostly the older American dreadnoughts. As each went into the yard for a refit, the clocks were removed.

[Steindaddie]

Judging by your description, it's a Concentration Dial or, more informally, (and more often known as) a "Range Clock". These were used to show other ships in the formation at what range that ship was firing. With primitive radios and lots of coal and gun smoke, these range clocks were of at least some help in communicating. Better radios and then radar eliminated range clocks. Older photos also show range markings on the base of battleship turrets: these were Declination Marks that also aided other ships in the line.

 

~Will

[Keith]

That was (edited: those are) a GREAT reply, thank you very much.

[Keith]

Since that question was resolved very quickly, here is another: Several photos are of a group of people; sailors, civilians and American Indians in Native head dress and clothing. It looks like they may be departing in launches??? Anyone know what event that was? Thanks.

[teufelhunde.ret]

Since that question was resolved very quickly, here is another: Several photos are of a group of people; sailors, civilians and American Indians in Native head dress and clothing. It looks like they may be departing in launches??? Anyone know what event that was? Thanks.

Would like to see some photo's...

[Keith]

Would like to see some photo's...

Here are photos of the "Range Clock". (you will have to tolerate me using a watermark).

[Keith]

Would like to see some photo's...

Here are photos of the Indians.

[Keith]

Would like to see some photo's...

Here are a couple more that I think are great;

[Keith]

I just got this album and have not done a lot of research yet, but I read about a female stowaway in 1924 that provided sexual favors to the sailors that hid her and fed her. She was trying to get to Hollywood. When caught some of the 23 men involved received up to 10 years in prison. I am wondering if this may be a photo of her.....?