Duties of officers and lower ranks of the artillery specialty on ships of the Russian Imperial Navy in 1903–1907.
In the previous cycle dedicated to artillery teachings of the Russian Imperial fleet In 1903 and 1907, I covered in great detail the issues of artillery fire and the means of communication between command posts and the plutongs. However, the question of the duties of officers and enlisted men was left out, and I only touched on it briefly.
Well, that's worth fixing.
The materials for this article were taken primarily from the "Instructions for the commanders of batteries, groups, and plutongs of the squadron battleship Peresvet" (hereinafter referred to as the "Instructions"), published in 1903 and representing the rules of artillery service of the Pacific Ocean Squadron, as well as the "Rules of artillery service on ships of the fleet of 1907" (hereinafter referred to as the "Rules"), which were compiled based on the results of experimental artillery firing and other measures designed to radically improve the effectiveness of domestic naval artillery, including when firing at long distances.
It's worth noting that the 1907 "Rules" clearly outlined the hierarchy of artillery responsibilities, while the 1903 "Instructions" only outlined the duties of plutong commanders, and perhaps even then, incompletely. One suspects that the "Rules" only listed the duties of these commanders in combat and during exercises, but not in peacetime. Nevertheless, even in this form, the duties of plutong commanders, who occupied an intermediate position between gun crews and the senior artillery officer, provide some insight into the activities of both the crews and the senior artillery officer. However, of course, not in as much detail as one would like.
Senior artillery officer
In 1907, the artillery of a squadron battleship was headed by its commander. The "Rules" were written specifically for the most powerful battleships of the Russian Imperial Navy; other ships were required to apply them in accordance with their crew and equipment. The senior artillery officer was considered the ship's commander's closest assistant in artillery, combat training of artillery personnel, and the maintenance of the artillery's equipment.
During combat alerts, the senior artillery officer was required to be in the forward conning tower. He was forbidden from being distracted by damage control; he was to focus exclusively on firing. In 1907, the senior artillery officer was required to:
1. Before shooting:
1.1 Check the installation and adjustment of rangefinders and micrometers;
1.2 Ensure that artillery fire control devices, including electrical signaling, telephones, and speaking tubes, are functioning properly;
1.3 Check that the rangefinder and observation posts have a table for determining the deviations of projectiles in range and to the side, as well as the lead in setting the sight and rear sight, if they are assigned to determine such;
1.4 Obtain the air density from the senior navigation officer and select the firing table most suitable for the given atmospheric conditions;
1.5 Find out the temperature of the charges;
1.6 Check the degree of wear of the tools;
1.7 Prepare tables that should be used as a guide when switching from the installation of sights on a gun of a given caliber to other guns, taking into account paragraphs 1.4–1.6
1.8 Clarify the tactical situation with the commander: at what speed to fire and from which side, the expected maneuvering at the start of the battle and the distance from which to begin firing;
1.9 Based on the data received from the commander in accordance with paragraph 1.8, determine, using tactical tables, whether your ship will approach or move away from the target and the amount of its movement to the side relative to the firing plane.
1.10 Determine the sight and rear sight windage adjustment. The senior artillery officer may do this personally or assign it to one of his subordinates.
2. During shooting:
2.1 Determine the frequency of distance measurements using rangefinders;
2.2 Determine the lead in range in the following order:
2.2.1 Determine the relative movement of the target in range (the amount of change in the distance between your ship and the target);
2.2.2 Determine the true movement of the target in range by adding to the relative movement the movement of your own ship over the same time - with the appropriate sign;
2.2.3 Determine the change in the sight's table height at a given distance (personally or by assigning this to a subordinate).
2.3 Determine the lead to the side (that is, on the rear sight) in the following order:
2.3.1 Based on the accuracy of the lateral lead device readings, the methods of observing the circulation, and the distance to the target, indicate the time interval required to determine the relative angular movement of the target to the side according to the device and the circulation elements;
2.3.3 Find the magnitude of the relative movement of the target to the side;
2.3.4 Find the value of the true displacement to the side by adding the displacement of your ship to the side with the corresponding sign to the relative displacement of the target.
2.3 Select the time for the next determination of the lead times in range and in the direction - as necessary;
2.4 Determine the sight and rear sight adjustments for wind if, as a result of weather changes or maneuvering, the adjustments calculated before the start of the battle have become outdated;
2.5 Supervise sighting and firing to kill, determining and making the necessary adjustments to the sight and rear sight;
2.6. Observe the fall of shells personally, and if this is not possible, use the data transmitted to him by the observation post;
2.7 Periodically check the operability of artillery fire control devices.
Unfortunately, since the 1903 "Instructions" did not regulate the duties of a senior artillery officer, it is impossible to compare his duties with those of 1907. However, it can be assumed that there were no fundamental differences, except perhaps that in 1903 the processes for determining the magnitude of changes in range and bearing to a target ship may have been simplified.
Deputy Senior Artillery Officers
In 1907, the senior gunnery officer had three assistants: the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gunnery officers. In combat, the 2nd gunnery officer was required to be in the aft deckhouse. If the enemy was positioned astern in such a way that the senior gunnery officer could not direct fire at him, or if such control was so difficult that it was impractical, the 2nd gunnery officer assumed control of fire, even if his superior was alive and capable. If the ship was forced to fire on both sides, the senior and 2nd gunnery officers also exercised control of fire, with the senior officer directing fire at the priority target, except in cases where the target was astern, as described above. In this case, the senior gunnery officer assumed control of the guns on the other side.
The 3rd Artillery Officer was stationed in the forward control room during combat, ensuring the accurate and timely transmission of orders from the conning tower to the plutongs. If the senior artillery officer was wounded or killed, the 3rd Artillery Officer would replace him.
The 4th artillery officer was also the commander of the plutong (12-inch turret), which housed the reserve command post.
In 1903, such a hierarchy did not exist. There was a shortage of officers, so the senior artillery officer had no deputies, and if he was killed or seriously wounded, one of the plutong commanders would take his place.
Above, I described the duties of the "first after God" of artillery and his deputies. To give the esteemed reader a complete picture of artillery fire control, I will now describe the duties of officers and enlisted personnel as they relate to the service they perform.
Personnel for rangefinding work
Rangefinder officer. In 1907, he headed the ship's rangefinding department and simultaneously served as the head of the observation post. In rangefinding matters, he served as deputy to the senior artillery officer. His responsibilities included:
1. Ensuring the full serviceability of the ship’s rangefinders and their periodic adjustment;
2. Training of personnel in rangefinding;
3. Before the start of the battle - observation - monitoring the appearance of the enemy and the maneuvers of his ships;
4. During the battle, observe the fall of shells and transmit data to the senior artillery officer.
The 1907 "Regulations" stipulated that if it was impossible to observe the enemy from the conning tower, the ship's fire control could be transferred to the observation post. However, this clearly did not imply transferring such authority to the rangefinder officer, but rather transferring it to the senior gunnery officer's observation post.
Rangefinder quartermasters. Assigned to each combat tower and observation posts. Outside of combat:
1. In terms of rangefinding, they were assistants to the rangefinder officer in terms of maintaining the equipment in order and training rangefinders;
2. Other duties - stood watch as signal quartermasters.
In combat, they measured distances to targets and transmitted them to the artillery fire director. They could also, at the director's direction, determine and report changes in distance.
Rangefinders. They were assigned to each gun pit of 75 mm caliber and above, as well as to the conning towers, reserve command post and observation post.
Although the "Rules" don't explicitly state this, the context suggests that rangefinder quartermasters measured distances using rangefinders, while rangefinder officers used micrometers. Unfortunately, I don't know whether these were Luzhol-Myakishev micrometers or whether they were replaced by a more advanced model.
The problem was that the Luzhol-Myakishev micrometer could only provide reasonable accuracy in determining distances if the ship's height from the waterline to the masthead was precisely known. At the same time, the "Rules" stipulated that during periods of centralized fire control, rangefinders were not supposed to measure and transmit distances. Instead, they were to measure the height of enemy ships using distances transmitted from the command post.
This would have been pointless if the rangefinders had used Barr and Stroud-type rangefinders. The latter had no need for this altitude to determine distances. But if we assume that the rangefinders used micrometers, everything falls into place. It should be noted that having a reference altitude of the target ship is completely insufficient: during combat, it may sustain damage that increases its draft, topmasts or even entire masts may be knocked off, etc. At the same time, measuring the ship's current altitude given a known distance presents no particular difficulty and, in the event of damage to the rangefinders or loss of central fire control, will allow for more accurate determination of the target's distance.
Rangefinders stationed in plutongs were supposed to measure distances only when switching to plutong fire. Outside of combat, rangefinders served as signalmen.
It should be said that the observation post, in addition to the above-mentioned persons, also included a signalman and a galvanizer, but their duties were not directly related to the artillery service and therefore will not be discussed here.
As for 1903, the “Instructions” in force did not regulate the rangefinding business at all.
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