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Show Spinning Top Is Fatal War Tool I Gyroscope Used in Aircraft, I Underwater Warfare and On Shipboard. NEW YORK. Dr. Charles F. Green, consulting engineer of the , General Electric company, de-, de-, clared that a child's toy the spin-I spin-I ning top or gyroscope is a deadly war instrument that is used in underwater warfare, on shipboard and in aircraft. Under water, the gyro is the means "which directs the deadly torpedo on its path to the battleship, destroyer or transport," Dr. Green said. "On shipboard, it performs the vital job of indicating the vertical in spite of the roll and pitch of the vessel," he continued. "Such stable verticals or elements are precision gyro instruments having means for continuously correcting or 'erecting' the gyro to the vertical, to make them accurate enough to serve as a base from which guns may be fired at distant targets. Acts as Stabilizer. "Many other refinements must be included to render gunfire accurate on a rolling and pitching base. These gyro instruments serve also to control many items of equipment aboard, so that parts or elements are vertical or horizontal, as the case may require. Such stabilization stabiliza-tion makes the firing of guns possible pos-sible at any position in the roll of the ship, and greatly increases fire ' power as well as accuracy of fire." I Dr. Green pointed out another use that has greatly aided in increasing the deadliness of gunfire. This characteristic char-acteristic of the gyro makes possible pos-sible an accurate measure of the lead necessary for firing of guns I from one airplane at another. The gunner in following, or tracking, his target through his sights causes a gyro to set up a proper lead angle, either in his sight or the computer, 1 to make accurate and deadly gun-, fire by shooting ahead of the target. Helps Navigate Ships. According to Dr. Green, gyroj compasses, when equipped with automatic steering equipment, be-. come the means by which the fight-, ing vessels of the world navies today to-day are navigated in fair or foul, weather. He said that all but the' smallest aircraft are equipped today with directional gyros, which are used by the pilots to maintain their determined courses. The directional gyro is one of the instruments used as directing elements ele-ments in automatic pilots for aircraft, air-craft, Dr. Green explained. When sensitive pickup devices are mounted on the gyro, means for transmitting the position of the 'gyro to power devices are provided, the rudder of the plane responds to . the changes in position of the plane with respect to the gyro, or is steered by the gyro. New uses for the gyroscope have been found, not only for war, but for the more desirable . peacetime uses, he concluded. |
