Vickers Fire Control Instruments

Vickers manufactured a variety of Step-by-Step Fire Control Instruments and bells for shipboard communication. The Royal Navy tested and deployed Vickers instruments in a number of ships, eventually favouring their F.T.P. instruments for use in keeping sights set to the proper range and deflection.

Dial Instruments

TODO:

• HFCI Plate 6 diagram circuit
• HFCI Plate 7 range tx
• HFCI Plate 8 combined range and def rx
• HFCI Plate 9 check fire switch
• HFCI Plate 10 Cross-connecting gear

Vickers dial instruments were step-by-step devices. The range and deflection transmitters had tell-tale receivers built into them to indicate the value, and a single handle by which to drive the value through its range.

There were no separate order instruments, but the transmitters featured a 3 position "check fire switch" could be set to "Control Fire" or "Check Fire" to cause the receivers to expose a red or a white disc, respectively. The intermediate position of this switch was labelled "Off" and removed power from the attached instruments entirely.

F.T.P. Instruments

Mark I Instruments

Main article

TODO:

• HFCI Plate 11 Mark I FTP diagram
• HFCI Plate 12 Mark I FTP tx

Mark II Instruments

Main article

TODO:

• HFCI Plate 13 Mark II FTP diagram
• HFCI Plate 14 Mark II FTP tx+rx

Mark III Instruments

main article

TODO:

• HFCI Plate 15 Mark III FTP
• HFCI Plate 16 Mark III FTP details

These differed from Mark II by having the receiver not be part of the sight, rendering it cheaper and simpler in construction, and the transmitter did not have a sight dial as a tell-tale; simply a drum transmitter and repeat receiver.

Mark III* Instruments

Main article

The transmitters of the Mark III* devices could use Cross-connecting Gear by virtue of their wheel gearing.

Mark IV* Instruments

Main article

See Also

• Barr and Stroud Fire Control Instruments
• Siemens Fire Control Instruments

Bibliography

• Template:BibUKARTS1903
• Template:BibUKARTS1904
• Template:BibUKARTS1906
• Template:BibUKTorpedoDrillBook1905
• Template:BibUKTorpedoDrillBook1908
• Template:BibUKTorpedoDrillBook1912
• Template:BibUKTorpedoDrillBook1914
• Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1910). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. Copy No. 173 is Ja 345a at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
• Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1914). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1914. G. 01627/14. C.B. 1030. Copy 1235 at The National Archives. ADM 186/191.