Article about BB-61 with lots of pictures

Stumbled upon an article about USS Iowa BB-61 that has lots of interesting pictures.

Link here for those interested: http://arstechnica.com/information-tech ... owa-bb-61/

Wonder what the timeframe is for Charis to produce something like it.

Joat42 wrote:Stumbled upon an article about USS Iowa BB-61 that has lots of interesting pictures.

Link here for those interested: http://arstechnica.com/information-tech ... owa-bb-61/

Wonder what the timeframe is for Charis to produce something like it.

Only after the OBS would be confirmed nonfunctional. The middle-XX century battleship simply would not work good without electricity.

"middle-XX century battleship simply would not work good without electricity."
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Shouldn't be a problem. When Merlin tested the hundreds(?) of steam engines on the four Castaway islands, they were electrically controlled and data transfer was by EM radiation relayed via orbital satellites.

Steve

SHV wrote:"middle-XX century battleship simply would not work good without electricity."
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Shouldn't be a problem. When Merlin tested the hundreds(?) of steam engines on the four Castaway islands, they were electrically controlled and data transfer was by EM radiation relayed via orbital satellites.

Steve

Wrong. They were Federation-level high-tech imitators, designed to have a very low EM-signature. And the Merlin's communication deivces are even more protected from detection.

The main concern was, that the OBS system was, probably, programmed not to react at the Federation-level emissions (otherwise it would be dangerous for Archangels themselves)but at the low-tech technology.

I read the ArsTechnica article and there was a related one by the same author on the mechanical computer fire control systems that is fascinating.

http://arstechnica.com/information-tech ... the-waves/

The following paragraph has particular relevance to the Safhold scenario:

Article wrote:The Rangekeeper Mark 8 still gave operators the option of manually entering data just in case a connection to a sensor failed, and they could also override or adjust data based on observation of shot and other corrections. The machine could even be operated without electricity by turning a hand crank. Target bearing and range now came in as electrical inputs from a gun director. A ship’s speed was fed in using data from the ship’s pitot tube automatically, and wind speed was inputted directly from an anemometer.

ericth wrote:I read the ArsTechnica article and there was a related one by the same author on the mechanical computer fire control systems that is fascinating.

http://arstechnica.com/information-tech ... the-waves/

The following paragraph has particular relevance to the Safehold scenario:

Article wrote:The Rangekeeper Mark 8 still gave operators the option of manually entering data just in case a connection to a sensor failed, and they could also override or adjust data based on observation of shot and other corrections. The machine could even be operated without electricity by turning a hand crank. Target bearing and range now came in as electrical inputs from a gun director. A ship’s speed was fed in using data from the ship’s pitot tube automatically, and wind speed was inputted directly from an anemometer.

Yes, which means it could be built by Charis if their machining precision is up to the task.

Article wrote:The Rangekeeper Mark 8 still gave operators the option of manually entering data just in case a connection to a sensor failed, and they could also override or adjust data based on observation of shot and other corrections. The machine could even be operated without electricity by turning a hand crank. Target bearing and range now came in as electrical inputs from a gun director. A ship’s speed was fed in using data from the ship’s pitot tube automatically, and wind speed was inputted directly from an anemometer.

Yes, which means it could be built by Charis if their machining precision is up to the task.[/quote]


You don't say!

Article wrote:The Rangekeeper Mark 8 still gave operators the option of manually entering data just in case a connection to a sensor failed, and they could also override or adjust data based on observation of shot and other corrections. The machine could even be operated without electricity by turning a hand crank. Target bearing and range now came in as electrical inputs from a gun director. A ship’s speed was fed in using data from the ship’s pitot tube automatically, and wind speed was inputted directly from an anemometer.

[/quote]Yes, which means it could be built by Charis if their machining precision is up to the task.[/quote]

In 1934-35 the Gorton Machine Co engraved the Lord's Prayer on the point of a dressmaker's pin for the 1935 Machine Tool Builders Association trade show in Cleveland. This was done with a Gorton Pantograph, a totally manual tracing and engraving machine that only required electricity to power the spindle. That engraving is on the level of 65nm precision which is in the integrated circuit or semiconductor manufacturing range of precision. I suspect that Howsymn and his employees are only three or four generations of machine tools away from building manual pneumatic powered machines that could equal that precision. With access to Owl's library they may be a lot closer than that.

The information on the Gorton machines is located at: http://gorton-machine.org/links/prayer.html .

My hobby is amateur machine shop or as we call it being a Home Shop Machinist. I am a "dial spinner" which is to say I use only manual machine tools, not being a "button pusher" who does computer controlled machining. In my machine collection, I actually own and operate one of those Gorton pantograph mills among other machine tools that are totally mechanical and non-electronic and not so different from the ones that Howsymn is building. Some of my friends own and operate lathes and mills that date into the last quarter of the 19th century, so their capability is very close to what would be in use in the Delthak Works.

runsforcelery wrote:

Article wrote:The Rangekeeper Mark 8 still gave operators the option of manually entering data just in case a connection to a sensor failed, and they could also override or adjust data based on observation of shot and other corrections. The machine could even be operated without electricity by turning a hand crank. Target bearing and range now came in as electrical inputs from a gun director. A ship’s speed was fed in using data from the ship’s pitot tube automatically, and wind speed was inputted directly from an anemometer.

Yes, which means it could be built by Charis if their machining precision is up to the task.

You don't say! [/quote]

Or you could build a digital computer instead - a Babbage and then find an Ada Lovelace to program it. (Technology cc 1850, 50 years behind Charis's current tech level).
Analog computers are crude by comparison and a pneumatic system would be more than capable of remotely controlling guns at reasonable speed with hydraulic final elements for the power required.

Joat42 wrote:

ericth wrote:I read the ArsTechnica article and there was a related one by the same author on the mechanical computer fire control systems that is fascinating.

http://arstechnica.com/information-tech ... the-waves/

The following paragraph has particular relevance to the Safehold scenario:
The Rangekeeper Mark 8 still gave operators the option of manually entering data just in case a connection to a sensor failed, and they could also override or adjust data based on observation of shot and other corrections. The machine could even be operated without electricity by turning a hand crank. Target bearing and range now came in as electrical inputs from a gun director. A ship’s speed was fed in using data from the ship’s pitot tube automatically, and wind speed was inputted directly from an anemometer.

Yes, which means it could be built by Charis if their machining precision is up to the task.

Would still have some issues with lock time. Gyroscopic stabilization system? Doable. Mechanical fire control computer? Doable. Electrical primer connected to the gyro system? Hmmmm... not really.

I suppose you could build a heavy enough gyro control system that would rely on activating a mechanical trigger, which in turn would detonate a primer. However, it would be useful only in local control. I don't think there's a way to make a long - and reliable - fire control line without electricity.

Would be useful, however, for the King Hahraald's main batteries.

Thoughts, anyone?