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Product Description
In 1913, the Admiralty rejected Arthur Pollen's Argo system for the Dreyer fire control tables. Many naval historians now believe that, consequently, British dreadnoughts were fitted with a system that, despite being partly plagiarized from Pollen's, was inferior: and that the Dreyer Tables were a contributory cause in the sinking of Indefatigable and Queen Mary at Jutland. This book provides new and revisionist accounts of the Dreyer/Pollen controversy, and of gunnery at Jutland. In fire control, as with other technologies, the Royal Navy had been open, though not uncritically, to innovations. The Dreyer Tables were better suited to action conditions (particularly those at Jutland). Beatty's losses were the result mainly of deficient tactics and training: and his battle cruisers would have been even more disadvantaged had they been equipped by Argo.

After a foreword by Professor Andrew Lambert, the book reviews critically recent studies of fire control, and describes the essentials of naval gunnery in the dreadnought era. It follows the development of the Pollen and Dreyer systems, refutes the charges of plagiarism and explains Argo's rejection. It outlines the German fire control system: and uses contemporary sources in a critical reassessment of Beatty's tactics throughout the Battle of Jutland.

About the Author
John Brooks read Natural and Electrical Sciences at St Johns' College, Cambridge before joining Elliott Automation in 1964 at the beginning of his industrial career in computing and telecommunications. For many years, he has been a student of the history of technology. His first paper, on circular dividing engines, was published in 1992, when he also joined the Department of War Studies, King's College, London as a part-time postgraduate student. He has since published a number of articles on naval fire control and, after retirement, was awarded his doctorate in 2001.

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
rangefinder mounting, gyrocompass receiver, mean rangefinder range, dividing linkage, manual course plotting, enemy compass bearing, electrical dumaresq, gyrocompass relay, bearing clock, rangefinder control, fire control tables, rangefinder ranges, bow pointer, complete patent specification, smoke interference, gunnery record, fire control instruments, armoured hood, gunnery superiority, spotting corrections, gunnery reports, rapid salvoes, spotting rules, fire control apparatus, range clock Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
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