Mechanical naval fire-control computer (Dreyer table and Argo clock)
Calculador mecánico de tiro naval (mesa Dreyer y reloj Argo)
- Date
- 1912 · confidence medium
- Place
- London, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Frederic Dreyer and Arthur Pollen
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
An electromechanical analogue computer that calculated a target's range, bearing and speed and commanded the gun elevation. Fitted to British battleships from 1912, it enabled accurate fire beyond 10 km.
There was a long dispute between Dreyer and Pollen, who claimed credit; the Royal Commission (1925) awarded Pollen compensation. The details of mutual influence are still debated.
What it led to
- Second World War fire directors
- military analogue computing
- fire-control radar