Page:The Development of Navies During the Last Half-Century.djvu/96

 home to lay his plans before the Admiralty. Peace, however, intervened, and nothing further was done. Captain Coles continued working out his ideas, and in June 1860 read a paper at the United Service Institution, in which he proposed a low freeboard vessel, on which were to be a number of cupolas or turrets, such as he had devised for the improved raft, each containing two guns; the space required for a pair of guns being little more than that necessary for a single piece. But now follows the principal feature of his system. Hitherto changing the direction of a gun was effected roughly and laboriously by tackles and handspikes. Captain Coles' proposal is thus described in his own words: 'The horizontal motion or training is effected by turning the shield itself, with the gun, crew, and the platform on which they stand. The whole apparatus thus becomes, as it were, the gun carriage, and being placed on a common turntable, can be revolved to the greatest nicety of adjustment by means of a winch.' The idea of a turntable he no doubt took from the arrangement of the railway system. As all heavy guns are now mounted on turntables, and revolve either with the shield, as in case of turrets, or independently, as in the case of ship barbettes, we must recognise the claim of Captain Coles to be the inventor of the modern system. The 'Monitor' was not built until two years afterwards.

Our Government, however, had decided upon the 'Warrior' type, and were not disposed to try an experiment in quite a different direction. Nor were the continental powers so inclined. The broadsidbroadside [sic]