Misplaced Pages

P75

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

A gun turret (or simply turret ) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in some degree of azimuth and elevation (cone of fire).

#427572

75-528: (Redirected from P-75 ) P75 may refer to: Boulton Paul P.75 Overstrand , a British bomber aircraft BRM P75 , a Formula One engine FB P-75 , a pistol Fisher P-75 Eagle , an American fighter aircraft design IBM PS/2 P75 , a portable computer INS  Amini  (P75) , a corvette of the Indian Navy p75 neurotrophin receptor Papyrus 75 , an early Greek New Testament manuscript P75,

150-399: A naval ship , or a military aircraft , they may be armed with one or more machine guns , automatic cannons , large- calibre guns, or missile launchers . They may be manned or remotely controlled and are most often protected to some degree, if not actually armoured . The protection provided by the turret may be against battle damage, the weather conditions, general environment in which

225-575: A state regional road in Latvia [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title formed as a letter–number combination. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=P75&oldid=1118065118 " Category : Letter–number combination disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

300-437: A canopy of anti-glare Perspex, complete with a sliding hood. The airframe was strengthened considerably in many areas, which facilitated an increased bomb capacity of up to 1,500 lb (680 kg), up to two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs could be carried in the aircraft's recessed bomb cell in addition to two 250 lb (110 kg) bombs on external carriers. A new levered main undercarriage , complete with larger wheels,

375-588: A failed 1916 experiment, a variant of the SPAD S.A two-seat fighter was probably the first aircraft to be fitted with a remotely-controlled gun, which was located in a nose nacelle . As aircraft flew higher and faster, the need for protection from the elements led to the enclosure or shielding of the gun positions, as in the "lobsterback" rear seat of the Hawker Demon biplane fighter. The first British operational bomber to carry an enclosed, power-operated turret

450-415: A fully 360-degree circle if the gun was raised sufficiently, helping the turret to cover the widest area of any turret system. A geared spindle at the base of the turret was supported by a series of ball bearings . Elevation was achieved manually. In addition to the turret, various other revisions and improvements were also incorporated. It was decided that the cockpit ought to also be fully enclosed within

525-453: A gun turret mounted along the side, or the wings, of a warship , off the centerline. The positioning of a wing turret limits the gun's arc of fire, so that it generally can contribute to only the broadside weight of fire on one side of the ship. This is the major weakness of wing turrets as broadsides were the most prevalent type of gunnery duels. Depending on the configurations of ships, such as HMS Dreadnought but not SMS  Blücher ,

600-822: A higher maximum speed than its predecessor and was procured for the RAF in limited numbers. As such, the type entered service during the mid 1930s, but became increasingly overshadowed by the new generation of monoplane medium bombers, such as the Vickers Wellington and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley . Nevertheless, the Overstrand remained operational during the early years of the Second World War , albeit only being flown by training units. The few surviving aircraft were withdrawn from service during 1941, having been rendered surplus to requirements. The Overstrand

675-416: A large, cylindrical gun turret mounted amidships above the low-freeboard upper hull , also referred to as the "raft". This extended well past the sides of the lower, more traditionally shaped hull. A small, armoured pilot house was fitted on the upper deck towards the bow; however, its position prevented Monitor from firing her guns straight forward. Like Coles's, one of Ericsson's goals in designing

750-400: A larger one, is called a cupola . The term cupola is also used for a rotating turret that carries a sighting device rather than weaponry, such as that used by a tank commander. Before the development of large-calibre, long-range guns in the mid-19th century, the classic battleship design used rows of gunport-mounted guns on each side of the ship, often mounted in casemates . Firepower

825-660: A meaningful improvement over the Sidestrand, the Air Ministry authorised the modification of a further two Sidestrands into Overstrands. Shortly thereafter, the Ministry selected the type to fulfil Specification 23/34 and issued an initial order for 19 Overstrands. A small follow-on order for five new-built Overstrands would lead to a total of 24 aircraft being built in addition to the four converted Sidestrands. At one stage, plans were drawn up for an improved variant of

SECTION 10

#1732802355428

900-429: A revolving gun turret. Coles's aim was to create a ship with the greatest possible all round arc of fire, as low in the water as possible to minimise the target. The Admiralty accepted the principle of the turret gun as a useful innovation, and incorporated it into other new designs. Coles submitted a design for a ship having ten domed turrets each housing two large guns. The design was rejected as impractical, although

975-425: A ship's upperworks and secondary armaments, as distances of battle were limited by fire control and weapon performance. In the early 1900s, weapon performance, armour quality and vessel speeds generally increased along with the distances of engagement; the utility of large secondary batteries reducing as a consequence, and in addition at extreme range it was impossible to see the fall of lesser weapons and so correct

1050-482: A small team passing fixed ammunition into the feed system. Smaller calibre weapons often operate on the autocannon principle, and indeed may not even be turrets at all; they may just be bolted directly to the deck. On board warships, each turret is given an identification. In the British Royal Navy , these would be letters: "A" and "B" were for the turrets from the front of the ship backwards in front of

1125-562: A turret mounting, except for large destroyers, like the American Fletcher and the German Narvik classes. In naval terms, turret traditionally and specifically refers to a gun mounting where the entire mass rotates as one, and has a trunk that projects below the deck . The rotating part of a turret seen above deck is the gunhouse, which protects the mechanism and crew, and is where the guns are loaded. The gunhouse

1200-399: A turret where the rammer is fixed to the cradle that carries the guns, allowing loading to occur across a wider range of elevations. Earlier turrets differed significantly in their operating principles. It was not until the last of the "rotating drum" designs described in the previous section were phased out that the "hooded barbette" arrangement above became the standard. A wing turret is

1275-492: A wide arc of fire, and such recesses presented shot traps , compromising the integrity of armour plating. Rotating turrets were weapon mounts designed to protect the crew and mechanism of the artillery piece and with the capability of being aimed and fired over a broad arc, typically between a three-quarter circle up to a full 360 degrees. These presented the opportunity to concentrate firepower in fewer, better-sited positions by eliminating redundancy, in other words combining

1350-522: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Boulton Paul P.75 Overstrand The Boulton Paul P.75 Overstrand was a twin-engine biplane medium bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Boulton Paul . It was the final example of a series of biplane medium bombers that had served in the Royal Air Force since

1425-468: Is handled, and the main trunk, which accommodates the shell and propellant hoists that bring ammunition up from the magazines below. There may be a combined hoist ( cf the animated British turret) or separate hoists ( cf the US turret cutaway). The working chamber and trunk rotate with the gunhouse, and sit inside a protective armoured barbette . The barbette extends down to the main armoured deck (red in

1500-479: Is supported on a bed of rotating rollers, and is not necessarily physically attached to the ship at the base of the rotating structure. In the case of the German battleship Bismarck , the turrets were not vertically restrained and fell out when she sank. The British battlecruiser Hood , like some American battleships, did have vertical restraints. Below the gunhouse there may be a working chamber, where ammunition

1575-683: The First World War , starting with the likes of the Vickers Vimy and Handley Page Type O . The Overstrand was also the first aircraft to be fitted with a fully-enclosed power-operated turret . First flown in 1933, the Overstrand was essentially an improved model of the Boulton Paul Sidestrand of the 1920s, thus early references to the type referred to it as the Sidestrand Mk IV instead. It demonstrated

SECTION 20

#1732802355428

1650-754: The United States Army Air Corps , almost simultaneously with the RAF's Overstrand biplane bomber design. The Martin XB-10 prototype aircraft first featured the nose turret in June 1932—roughly a year before the less advanced Overstrand airframe design—and was first produced as the YB-10 service test version by November 1933. The production B-10B version started service with the USAAC in July 1935. In time

1725-496: The radio alphabet was used on naming the turrets (e.g. "Anton", "Bruno" or "Berta", "Caesar", "Dora") as on the German battleship Bismarck . In the United States Navy , main battery turrets are numbered fore to aft . Secondary gun mounts are numbered by gun muzzle diameter in inches followed by a second digit indicating the position of the mount, with the second digit increasing fore to aft. Gun mounts not on

1800-638: The "Q" turret amidships in favour of heavier guns in fewer mountings. Like pre-dreadnoughts , the first dreadnoughts had two guns in each turret; however, later ships began to be fitted with triple turrets. The first ship to be built with triple turrets was the Italian Dante Alighieri , although the first to be actually commissioned was the Austro-Hungarian SMS ; Viribus Unitis of the Tegetthoff class . By

1875-502: The 460 hp (340 kW) provided by the Bristol Jupiters used upon the Sidestrand, the second aircraft was outfitted with the improved Bristol Pegasus II.M3 engine, capable of 580 hp (430 kW), instead. Continued flight testing revealed the vibration issues to be present still, but would be largely resolved upon later new-build Overstrands. Having been encouraged by the demonstrated performance, which displayed

1950-560: The Admiralty remained interested in turret ships and instructed its own designers to create better designs. Coles enlisted the support of Prince Albert , who wrote to the first Lord of the Admiralty, the Duke of Somerset, supporting the construction of a turret ship. In January 1862, the Admiralty agreed to construct a ship, HMS Prince Albert which had four turrets and a low freeboard, intended only for coastal defence. While Coles designed

2025-491: The Overstrand was fitted with an enclosed and powered nose turret , mounting a Lewis gun . Rotation was handled by pneumatic motors while elevation and depression of the gun used hydraulic rams. The pilot's cockpit was also enclosed but the dorsal (upper) and ventral (belly) gun positions remained open, though shielded. The Martin B-10 all-metal monocoque monoplane bomber introduced turret-mounted defensive armament within

2100-566: The Russian town of Taganrog in the Black Sea during the Siege of Taganrog . The Lady Nancy "proved a great success" and Coles patented his rotating turret design after the war. The British Admiralty ordered a prototype of Coles's patented design in 1859, which was installed in the ironclad floating battery, HMS Trusty , for trials in 1861, becoming the first warship to be fitted with

2175-438: The ability of the newly developed powered turret. While aerial refuelling was still a somewhat experimental capability during the late 1930s, it is known that at least one Overstrand was modified to receive fuel from a Vickers Virginia tanker aircraft. The type would perform regular public displays of its capabilities, from mock interceptions to bombing demonstrations, throughout the 1930s; one particularly prominent occasion

2250-684: The aim. Therefore, most early dreadnought battleships featured "all big gun" armaments of identical calibre, typically 11 or 12 inches (280 or 300 mm), some of which were mounted in wing turrets. This arrangement was not satisfactory, however, as the wing turrets not only had a reduced fire arc for broadsides, but also because the weight of the guns put great strain on the hull and it was increasingly difficult to properly armour them. Larger and later dreadnought battleships carried superimposed or superfiring turrets (i.e. one turret mounted higher than and firing over those in front of and below it). This allowed all turrets to train on either beam, and increased

2325-467: The aircraft after the village of Overstrand . On 22 February 1934, the prototype was delivered to RAF Andover for trials conducted by No. 101 Squadron . Some criticisms of the aircraft were produced during this time, one early report by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) observed the powered turret to be somewhat cramped, while excessive engine vibration and issues with

P75 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2400-403: The aircraft to be developed, the principal difference being the adoption of a retractable undercarriage , designated the P.80 "Superstrand"; however, this project was ultimately abandoned due to alternative options involving rival monoplane designs proving to be more attractive in the eyes of military planners. A total of 24 Overstrands would be procured for the RAF, a quantity that facilitated

2475-402: The animation). At the base of the turret sit handing rooms, where shell and propelling charges are passed from the shell room and magazine to the hoists. The handling equipment and hoists are complex arrangements of machinery that transport the shells and charges from the magazine into the base of the turret. Bearing in mind that shells can weigh around a 5 long tons (5.6 short tons; 5.1 t),

2550-496: The beginning of World War II , most battleships used triple or, occasionally, quadruple turrets, which reduced the total number of mountings and improved armour protection. However, quadruple turrets proved to be extremely complex to arrange, making them unwieldy in practice. The largest warship turrets were in World War II battleships where a heavily armoured enclosure protected the large gun crew during battle. The calibre of

2625-546: The bridge and behind the "B" turret, thus having restricted training fore and aft. Secondary turrets were named "P" and "S" ( port and starboard ) and numbered from fore to aft, e.g. P1 being the forward port turret. There were exceptions; the battleship HMS Agincourt had the uniquely large number of seven turrets. These were numbered "1" to "7" but were unofficially nicknamed "Sunday", Monday", etc. through to "Saturday". In German use, turrets were generally named "A", "B", "C", "D", "E", going from bow to stern. Usually

2700-517: The bridge, and letters near the end of the alphabet (i.e., "X", "Y", etc.) were for turrets behind the bridge ship, "Y" being the rearmost. Mountings in the middle of the ship would be "P", "Q", "R", etc. Confusingly, the Dido -class cruisers had a "Q" and the Nelson -class battleships had an "X" turret in what would logically be "C" position; the latter being mounted at the main deck level in front of

2775-478: The centerline would be assigned odd numbers on the port side and even numbers on the starboard side. For example, "Mount 52" would be the forwardmost 5 inches (130 mm) gun mount on the starboard side of the ship. During World War I, air gunners initially operated guns that were mounted on pedestals or swivel mounts known as pintles . The latter evolved into the Scarff ring , a rotating ring mount which allowed

2850-486: The complete replacement of the older Sidestrands flown by No. 101 Squadron , the only squadron equipped with the type, to commence in January 1935. The type was also briefly adopted by No. 144 Squadron , although it was quickly replaced by the more modern Bristol Blenheim bomber during 1938. The Overstrand proved to be relatively popular with its crews, who often appreciated the attention paid to crew comfort as well as

2925-419: The design. This led to a second Sidestrand being converted to the Overstrand configuration, incorporating these improvements, such as larger diameter turret, tweaks to the fins and elevators, and a simplification of the rear engine mount area. While the initial example had been powered by a pair of Bristol Pegasus IM.3 radial engines , each capable of generating up to 580 hp (430 kW), in comparison to

3000-584: The final example of the type being withdrawn from frontline duties during the summer of that same year. Despite this, it continued to be operated in secondary roles, such as experimental flights and for gunnery training missions. Accordingly, the surviving Overstrands were allocated to the Armament Training Camps during 1938. At the outbreak of the Second World War , eleven Overstrands remained in service and six were used for gunnery training. They remained in operation until May 1941, though flying

3075-598: The firepower of those guns unable to engage an enemy because they sited on the wrong beam into a more powerful, and more versatile unified battery. Designs for a rotating gun turret date back to the late 18th century. In the mid-19th century, during the Crimean War , Captain Cowper Phipps Coles constructed a raft with guns protected by a 'cupola' and used the raft, named the Lady Nancy , to shell

P75 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3150-601: The first seagoing warship to carry her guns in turrets. Laid down in 1866 and completed in June 1869, it carried two turrets, although the inclusion of a forecastle and poop prevented the turret guns firing fore and aft. The gun turret was independently invented in the United States by the Swedish inventor John Ericsson , although his design was technologically inferior to Coles's version. Ericsson designed USS  Monitor in 1861, its most prominent feature being

3225-607: The gap and jammed the turrets during the First Battle of Charleston Harbor in April 1863. Direct hits at the turret with heavy shot also had the potential to bend the spindle, which could also jam the turret. Monitor was originally intended to mount a pair of 15-inch (380 mm) smoothbore Dahlgren guns , but they were not ready in time and 11-inch (280 mm) guns were substituted, each gun weighing approximately 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg). Monitor ' s guns used

3300-612: The gun to be turned to any direction with the gunner remaining directly behind it, the weapon held in an intermediate elevation by bungee cord , a simple and effective mounting for single weapons such as the Lewis Gun though less handy when twin mounted as with the British Bristol F.2 Fighter and German "CL"-class two-seaters such as the Halberstadt and Hannover -designed series of compact two-seat combat aircraft. In

3375-511: The guns in exposed positions difficult, particularly in the nose. To address this difficulty, the Overstrand was furnished with an alternative nose turret design, which was both enclosed and powered. At the time this was a relatively novel feature, the resulting aircraft being the first in the world to feature a fully-enclosed power-operated turret. The Overstrand's innovative turret was largely developed in-house by Bolton Paul's chief armament designer H. A. Hughes. In terms of its basic design,

3450-700: The heaviest armament: four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns or, late in the war, two AN/M2 light-barrel versions of the US Browning M2 machine gun as in the Rose-Rice turret . The tail gunner or "Tail End Charlie" position was generally accepted to be the most dangerous assignment. During the war, British turrets were largely self-contained units, manufactured by Boulton Paul Aircraft and Nash & Thompson . The same model of turret might be fitted to several different aircraft types. Some models included gun-laying radar that could lead

3525-427: The hoists have to be powerful and rapid; a 15 inches (380 mm) turret of the type in the animation was expected to perform a complete loading and firing cycle in a minute. The loading system is fitted with a series of mechanical interlocks that ensure that there is never an open path from the gunhouse to the magazine down which an explosive flash might pass. Flash-tight doors and scuttles open and close to allow

3600-410: The late 19th century up until the 1910s. In pre-dreadnought battleships, the wing turret contributed to the secondary battery of sub-calibre weapons. In large armoured cruisers , wing turrets contributed to the main battery, although the casemate mounting was more common. At the time, large numbers of smaller calibre guns contributing to the broadside were thought to be of great value in demolishing

3675-400: The longitudinal controls were also noted. Various positive attributes were also noted, such the addition of crew comfort features, as well as the aircraft's ability to attain speeds as high as 153 mph (246 km/h) at an altitude of 6,500 ft (2,000 m) without any negative impact upon its manoeuvrability. Modifications were made after the aircraft's return on 19 March to refine

3750-489: The main armament on large battleships was typically 300 to 460 mm (12 to 18 in). The turrets carrying three 460 mm (18 in) guns of Yamato each weighed around 2,500 t (2,500 long tons; 2,800 short tons). The secondary armament of battleships (or the primary armament of light cruisers ) was typically between 127 and 152 mm (5.0 and 6.0 in). Smaller ships typically mounted guns of 76 mm (3.0 in) and larger, although these rarely required

3825-615: The much faster firing 8-inch to shoot during the long reload time necessary for 12-inch guns by superposing secondary gun turrets directly on top of the primary turrets (as in the Kearsarge and Virginia -class battleships), but the idea proved to be practically unworkable and was soon abandoned. With the advent of the South Carolina -class battleships in 1908, the main battery turrets were designed so as to superfire , to improve fire arcs on centerline mounted weapons. This

SECTION 50

#1732802355428

3900-531: The number of turrets carried and the number of guns mounted increased. RAF heavy bombers of World War II such as the Handley Page Halifax (until its Mk II Series I (Special) version omitted the nose turret), Short Stirling and Avro Lancaster typically had three powered turrets: rear, mid-upper and nose. (Early in the war, some British heavy bombers also featured a retractable, remotely-operated ventral /mid-under turret). The rear turret mounted

3975-485: The passage between areas of the turret. Generally, with large-calibre guns, powered or assisted ramming is required to force the heavy shell and charge into the breech . As the hoist and breech must be aligned for ramming to occur, there is generally a restricted range of elevations at which the guns can be loaded; the guns return to the loading elevation, are loaded, then return to the target elevation, at which time they are said to be "in battery". The animation illustrates

4050-412: The platform (hence the term "hooded barbette"). By the early 20th century, these hoods were known as turrets. Modern warships have gun-mountings described as turrets, though the "protection" on them is limited to protection from the weather. Rotating turrets can be mounted on a fortified building or structure such as a coastal blockhouse, be part of a land battery , be mounted on a combat vehicle ,

4125-420: The ship was to present the smallest possible target to enemy gunfire. The turret's rounded shape helped to deflect cannon shot. A pair of donkey engines rotated the turret through a set of gears; a full rotation was made in 22.5 seconds during testing on 9 February 1862. However, fine control of the turret proved to be difficult, as it would have to be reversed if it overshot its mark. In lieu of reversing

4200-485: The standard propellant charge of 15 pounds (6.8 kg) specified by the 1860 ordnance instructions for targets "distant", "near", and "ordinary", established by the gun's designer Dahlgren himself. They could fire a 136-pound (61.7 kg) round shot or shell up to a range of 3,650 yards (3,340 m) at an elevation of +15°. HMS  Thunderer (1872) represented the culmination of this pioneering work. An ironclad turret ship designed by Edward James Reed , she

4275-511: The strain on the hull would have been too great. Many modern surface warships have mountings for larger calibre guns, although the calibres are now generally between 3 and 5 inches (76 and 127 mm) for use against both air and surface targets . The gunhouses are often just weatherproof covers for the gun mounting equipment and are made of light un-armoured materials such as glass-reinforced plastic . Modern turrets are often automatic in their operation, with no humans working inside them and only

4350-599: The target and compensate for bullet drop . As almost a 1930s "updated" adaptation of the First World War Bristol F.2b concept, the UK introduced the concept of the "turret fighter", with aeroplanes such as the Boulton Paul Defiant and Blackburn Roc where the armament was four (0.303 in (7.7 mm)) machine-guns was in a turret mounted behind the pilot, rather than in fixed positions in

4425-456: The turret from sliding sideways. When not in use, the turret rested on a brass ring on the deck that was intended to form a watertight seal. However, in service, the interface between the turret and deck ring heavily leaked, despite caulking by the crew. The gap between the turret and the deck proved to be another kind of problem for several Passaic -class monitors , which used the same turret design, as debris and shell fragments entered

4500-491: The turret was a metal-framed cylinder with a domed upper and lower area; Perspex was used as glazing, in which there was a vertical slot for the single Lewis gun , which was covered by a canvas strip with a zip fastener to facilitate movement of the gun itself. Traverse motion of the turret was driven by pneumatic motors, powered by air bottles on board that were pressurised to 200 psi (1,400,000 Pa) using an engine-driven air compressor. The turret could move through

4575-413: The turret, a full rotation would have to be made to train the guns where desired. Including the guns, the turret weighed approximately 160 long tons (179 short tons; 163 t); the entire weight rested on an iron spindle that had to be jacked up using a wedge before the turret was free to rotate. The spindle was 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter which gave it ten times the strength needed in preventing

SECTION 60

#1732802355428

4650-649: The turrets, the ship was the responsibility of Chief Constructor Isaac Watts . Another ship using Coles' turret designs, HMS  Royal Sovereign , was completed in August 1864. Its existing broadside guns were replaced with four turrets on a flat deck and the ship was fitted with 5.5 inches (140 mm) of armour in a belt around the waterline. Early ships like the Royal Sovereign had little sea-keeping qualities being limited to coastal waters. Sir Edward James Reed , went on to design and build HMS Monarch ,

4725-424: The weapon and its crew as they rotate. When this meaning of the word "turret" started being used at the beginning of the 1860s, turrets were normally cylindrical. Barbettes were an alternative to turrets; with a barbette the protection was fixed, and the weapon and crew were on a rotating platform inside the barbette. In the 1890s, armoured hoods (also known as "gun houses") were added to barbettes; these rotated with

4800-452: The weapon or its crew will be operating. The name derives from the pre-existing noun turret , from the French "touret", diminutive of the word "tower", meaning a self-contained protective position which is situated on top of a fortification or defensive wall as opposed to rising directly from the ground, in which case it constitutes a tower . A small turret, or sub-turret set on top of

4875-466: The weight of fire forward and aft. The superfiring or superimposed arrangement had not been proven until after South Carolina went to sea, and it was initially feared that the weakness of the previous Virginia -class ship's stacked turrets would repeat itself. Larger and later guns (such as the US Navy's ultimate big gun design, the 16"/50 Mark 7 |16-inch) also could not be shipped in wing turrets, as

4950-532: The wing turrets could fire fore and aft, so this somewhat reduced the danger when an opponent crossed the T enabling it to fire a full broadside. Attempts were made to mount turrets en echelon so that they could fire on either beam, such as the Invincible -class and SMS  Von der Tann battlecruisers , but this tended to cause great damage to the ships' deck from the muzzle blast. Wing turrets were commonplace on capital ships and cruisers during

5025-494: The wings. The Defiant and Roc possessed no fixed, forward-firing guns; the Bristol F.2 was designed with one synchronized Vickers machine gun firing forward on a fuselage mount. The concept came at a time when the standard armament of a fighter was only two machine guns and in the face of heavily armed bombers operating in formation, it was thought that a group of turret fighters would be able to concentrate their fire flexibly on

5100-534: Was a development of the Boulton Paul Sidestrand , which had first flown in 1928 and like the Sidestrand, it was named after a village in Norfolk , home also of Boulton Paul's Norwich factory. The earlier Sidestrand had been largely similar to its predecessors of the First World War , featuring open cockpits and hand-operated defensive machine guns . Unlike its predecessors, the Sidestrand could fly at speed of up to 140 mph (230 km/h), which made operating

5175-417: Was also fitted, while the tailskid of the Sidestrand was replaced by a tailwheel. The wing design was also revised, a noticeable sweepback was added to the outer sections in order to compensate for the aircraft's heavier nose section. During 1933, the first Overstrand performed its maiden flight , at which point the type was still known as the Sidestrand Mk IV . Shortly thereafter, it was decided to rename

5250-533: Was during the Silver Jubilee of George V , with the King himself inspecting one such aircraft externally and internally. During 1935, an Overstrand of No. 101 Squadron was awarded to Sassoon Trophy for aerial reconnaissance , having the highest score achieved at that time. Due to the rapid advances made in bomber technology during the late 1930s, the Overstrand had been effectively rendered obsolete by 1938,

5325-445: Was equipped with revolving turrets that used pioneering hydraulic turret machinery to maneouvre the guns. She was also the world's first mastless battleship , built with a central superstructure layout, and became the prototype for all subsequent warships. With her sister HMS  Devastation of 1871 she was another pivotal design, and led directly to the modern battleship. The US Navy tried to save weight and deck space, and allow

5400-703: Was limited following the fatal mid-air breakup of Overstrand K8173 on 22 April 1940. A replica of an Overstrand nose section, marked as K4556, is on display at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum . [REDACTED]   United Kingdom A number of Overstrands were destroyed or beyond economic repair in accidents, the type had only two fatal accidents. Data from The British Bomber since 1914. General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Gun turret#Aircraft Rotating gun turrets protect

5475-487: Was necessitated by a need to move all main battery turrets to the vessel's centerline for improved structural support. The 1906 HMS  Dreadnought , while revolutionary in many other ways, had retained wing turrets due to concerns about muzzle blast affecting the sighting mechanisms of a turret below. A similar advancement was in the Kongō -class battlecruisers and Queen Elizabeth -class battleships, which dispensed with

5550-404: Was provided by a large number of guns, each of which could traverse only in a limited arc. Due to stability issues, fewer large (and thus heavy) guns can be carried high on a ship, but as this set casemates low and thus near the waterline they were vulnerable to flooding, effectively restricted their use to calm seas. Additionally casemate mounts had to be recessed into the side of a vessel to afford

5625-478: Was the Boulton & Paul Overstrand twin-engined biplane, which first flew in 1933. The Overstrand was similar to its First World War predecessors in that it had open cockpits and hand-operated machine guns. However, unlike its predecessors, the Overstrand could fly at 140 mph (230 km/h) making operating the exposed gun positions difficult, particularly in the aircraft's nose. To overcome this problem,

#427572