Heavily armoured conning towers really began to arrive by the 1870s on battleships. However, as guns became more powerful, the armour on the conning tower became much thicker to resist them. Most ships carried one to four inches of armor. These early conning towers were lightly protected. The United States also introduced the conning tower aboard the new protected cruisers Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago during the mid 1880s. The United Kingdom also independently developing its own conning towers that saw their introduction aboard the ironclad HMS Warrior in 1860. These floating batteries must have proven the concept as the conning tower was next fitted to their oceangoing ironclad Gloire in 1859. Note her conning tower overlooking her forward 8″ gun.įrance had used an early variation of the conning tower on its Devastation class ironclads. They first arrived during the middle of the 1800s. The origins of the conning tower run largely parallel to the development of the modern battleship. For this reason, the ship was generally commanded from the bridge when not in combat. However, the bridge was not armoured, though it was often larger and more spacious. Most warships carried both a bridge and a conning tower. The conning tower should not be confused with the bridge. Conditions were cramped and the equipment basic. The inside of a conning tower was not pleasant. This meant that it was typically built to be rather high to provide a better view. For this reason, the conning tower had to be armoured so that it could protect the crew within while also being located in a position that granted the people inside a good view of the surrounding area. The conning tower is little more than an armoured cylinder that protects the people directing the ship during combat. A simply armoured cylinder, the process of drilling vision slits into the tower can be seen. The conning tower of the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-2) during construction.
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