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37-517: Mumbles Battery is a coastal battery situated on the north coast of the Bristol Channel , overlooking Swansea . It was built around the base of the Mumbles Lighthouse as part of a network of Palmerston Forts which was established in response to fears of French invasion, and was designed to protect Swansea Bay . History and Construction Construction of the battery began in 1859 and

74-574: A certain amount of time, usually one year from their date of commission as a lieutenant, for the reserve components. The rank of captain should not be confused with the naval rank of captain , or with the UK-influenced air force rank of group captain , both of which are equivalent to the army rank of colonel . The term ultimately goes back to Late Latin capitaneus meaning "head of [something]"; in Middle English adopted as capitayn in

111-463: A company as "larger than a platoon, but smaller than a battalion" while being a "unit consisting of two or more platoons, usually of the same type, with a headquarters and a limited capacity for self-support." The standard NATO symbol for a company consists of a single vertical line placed above a framed unit icon. "Battery" is a relatively modern term at sea. Advanced warships in the Age of Sail , such as

148-483: A few armies. Coastal artillery sometimes had completely different organizational terms based on shore defence sector areas. Batteries also have sub-divisions, which vary across armies and periods but often translate into the English "platoon" or "troop" with individual ordnance systems called a "section" or "sub-section", where a section comprises two artillery pieces. The rank of a battery commander has also varied, but

185-581: A gun) and 12 ammunition mules. During the American Civil War , artillery batteries often consisted of six field pieces for the Union Army and four for the Confederate States Army , although this varied. Batteries were divided into sections of two guns apiece, each section normally under the command of a lieutenant. The full battery was typically commanded by a captain . Often, particularly as

222-558: A lieutenant) who is also the reconnaissance officer. The battery has two Command Posts (CP), one active and one alternate, the latter provides back-up in the event of casualties, but primarily moves with the preparation party to the next gun position and becomes the main CP there. Each CP is controlled by a Command Post Officer (CPO) who is usually a Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant or Warrant Officer Class 2. Gun positions may be "tight", perhaps 150 m × 150 m (490 ft × 490 ft) when

259-460: A more senior officer. Today, a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery (or United States Army cavalry troop or Commonwealth squadron ). In the Chinese People's Liberation Army , a captain may also command a company , or be the second-in-command of a battalion . In some militaries, such as United States Army and Air Force and

296-466: A single position. It some cases batteries have operationally deployed as six totally separate guns, although sections (pairs) are more usual. Captain (land) The army rank of captain (from the French capitaine ) is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to the command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces , but usually refers to

333-429: A smaller secondary battery for self-defense. This leap in heavy offensive armament from a standard four large caliber guns to a main battery of ten made all other battleships obsolete overnight, as the weight of broadside it could unleash, and overwhelming rate of fire a superior number of similar weapons could sustain, could overwhelm any similarly sized warship. A third, or tertiary battery, of weapons lighter than

370-420: A vessel, many in mounts on the hull or superstructure with limited travel. Confusion also arose when combinations of large caliber "main battery" and smaller "secondary battery" weapons of mixed offensive and defensive use were deployed. This began to be resolved with the 1906 launching of the revolutionary "all big gun" battleship HMS  Dreadnought . It shipped a main battery of ten heavy caliber guns, and

407-549: Is a Major (like his infantry company commander counterpart). However, in these armies the battery commander leads the "tactical group" and is usually located with the headquarters of the infantry or armoured unit the battery is supporting. Increasingly these direct support battery commanders are responsible for the orchestration of all forms of fire support (mortars, attack helicopters, other aircraft and naval gunfire) as well as artillery. General support battery commanders are likely to be at brigade or higher headquarters. The gun group

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444-528: Is commanded by the Battery Captain (BK), the battery's second-in-command. However this position has no technical responsibilities, its primary concern is administration, including ammunition supply, local defence and is based in the "wagon-lines" a short distance from the actual gun position, where the gun towing and logistic vehicles are concealed. Technical control is by the Gun Position Officer (GPO,

481-671: Is the equivalent of a company in terms of organisation level. In the United States Army , generally a towed howitzer battery has six guns, whereas a self-propelled battery (such as an M109 battery) contains eight. They are subdivided into: The battery is typically commanded by a captain in US forces and is equivalent to an infantry company . A US Army battery is divided into the following units: Other armies can be significantly different, however. For example: The United Kingdom and Commonwealth forces have classified batteries according to

518-472: Is usually a lieutenant, captain, or major. The number of guns, howitzers, mortars or launchers in an organizational battery has also varied, with the calibre of guns usually being an important consideration. In the 19th century four to 12 guns was usual as the optimum number to maneuver into the gun line. By the late 19th century, a mountain artillery battery was divided into a gun line and an ammunition line . The gun line consisted of six guns (five mules to

555-436: The American Civil War by John Ericsson . Open barbettes were also used to house their main batteries on rotating mounts. Both designs allowed naval engineers to dramatically reduce the number of guns present in the battery, by giving a handful of guns the ability to concentrate on either side of the ship. In time this trend reversed, with a proliferation of weapons of multiple calibers being arranged somewhat haphazardly about

592-470: The French Revolution , during the early modern period , was a nobleman who purchased the right to head a company from the previous holder of that right. He would in turn receive money from another nobleman to serve as his lieutenant . The funding to provide for the troops did not come from the monarch or their government; the captain responsible for feeding, housing, and provisioning their company. If he

629-466: The ship of the line , mounted dozens of similar cannons grouped in broadsides , sometimes spread over several decks. This remained the standard main weapon layout for centuries, until the mid-19th century evolution of the naval rifle and revolving gun turrets came to displace fixed cannon. The first operational use of a rotating turret was on the American ironclad USS  Monitor , designed during

666-438: The 14th century, from Old French capitaine . The military rank of captain was in use from the 1560s, referring to an officer who commands a company. The naval sense, an officer who commands a man-of-war , is somewhat earlier, from the 1550s, later extended in meaning to "master or commander of any kind of vessel". A captain in the period prior to the professionalization of the armed services of European nations subsequent to

703-481: The British Army, captain is the entry-level rank for officer candidates possessing a professional degree, namely, most medical professionals (doctors, pharmacists, dentists) and lawyers. In the U.S. Army, lawyers who are not already officers at captain rank or above enter as lieutenants during training, and are promoted to the rank of captain after completion of their training if they are in the active component, or after

740-524: The army. However, the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force , many other Commonwealth air forces and a few non-Commonwealth air forces use an air force-specific rank structure in which flight lieutenant is OF-2. A group captain is derived from the naval rank of captain. Canada is a unique exception. Due to the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the air force rank titles are

777-416: The basic field organization being the "gun group" and the "tactical group". The former being reconnaissance and survey, guns, command posts, logistic, and equipment support elements, the latter being the battery commander and observation teams that deploy with the supported arm. In these armies the guns may be split into several fire units, which may deploy dispersed over an extended area or be concentrated into

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814-456: The besieged place. The term also came to be used for a group of cannons in a fixed fortification, for coastal or frontier defence. During the 18th century "battery" began to be used as an organizational term for a permanent unit of artillery in peace and war, although horse artillery sometimes used "troop" and fixed position artillery "company". They were usually organised with between 6 and 12 ordnance pieces, often including cannon and howitzers. By

851-436: The caliber of the guns. Typically: Headquarters batteries, which themselves have no artillery pieces, but are rather the command and control organization for a group of firing batteries (for example, a regimental or battalion headquarters battery). The basic field organization being the "gun group" and the "tactical group". The former being reconnaissance and survey, guns, command posts, logistic and equipment support elements,

888-745: The counter battery threat is low, or gun manoeuver areas, where pairs of self-propelled guns move around a far larger area, if the counter-battery threat is high. During the Cold War NATO batteries that were dedicated to a nuclear role generally operated as "sections" comprising a single gun or launcher. Groupings of mortars, when they are not operated by artillery, are usually referred to as platoons. 155mm Howitzer Battery, Artillery Battalion, Artillery Regiment, Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force (Battery Organization consisting of 147 Marines and Navy personnel, per Table of Organization T/O 1113G) Other armies can be significantly different, however. For example:

925-490: The dissolution of the UK's coast artillery. The guns were dismounted and the battery disposed of. Artillery battery Historically the term "battery" referred to a cluster of cannon in action as a group, either in a temporary field position during a battle or at the siege of a fortress or a city. Such batteries could be a mixture of cannon, howitzer , or mortar types. A siege could involve many batteries at different sites around

962-424: The early 20th century necessitated two other groups, firstly observers who deployed some distance forward of the gun line, secondly a small staff on the gun position to undertake the calculations to convert the orders from the observers into data that could be set on the gun sights. This in turn led to the need for signalers, which further increased as the need to concentrate the fire of dispersed batteries emerged and

999-461: The gun emplacement was only one part of an extensive installation that included magazines and systems to deliver ammunition from the magazines to the guns. Improvements in mobile artillery, naval and ground; air attack; and precision guided weapons have limited fixed position's usefulness. Within NATO member nations, it is typical to label company sized organizations of artillery as "batteries." NATO defines

1036-867: The introduction fire control staff at artillery headquarters above the batteries. Fixed artillery refers to guns or howitzers on mounts that were either anchored in one spot (though capable of being moved for purposes of traverse and elevation), or on carriages intended to be moved only for the purposes of aiming, and not for tactical repositioning. Historical versions often closely resembled naval cannon of their day, "garrison carriages," like naval carriages, were short, heavy, and had four small wheels meant for rolling on relatively smooth, hard surfaces. Later, both naval and garrison carriages evolved traversing platforms and pivoting mounts. Such mounts were typically used in forts, or permanent defensive batteries, such as coastal artillery. Fixed batteries could be equipped with much larger guns than field artillery units could transport, and

1073-1066: The late 19th century "battery" had become standard mostly replacing company or troop. In the 20th century the term was generally used for the company level sub-unit of an artillery branch including field, air-defence, anti-tank and position (coastal and frontier defences). 20th-century firing batteries have been equipped with mortars, guns, howitzers, rockets and missiles. During the Napoleonic Wars some armies started grouping their batteries into larger administrative and field units. Groups of batteries combined for field combat employment called Grand Batteries by Napoleon. Administratively batteries were usually grouped in battalions , regiments or squadrons and these developed into tactical organisations. These were further grouped into regiments , simply "group" or brigades , that may be wholly composed of artillery units or combined arms in composition. To further concentrate fire of individual batteries, from World War I they were grouped into "artillery divisions" in

1110-406: The latter being the battery commander and observation teams that deploy with the supported arm. In these armies the guns may be split into several fire units, which may deploy dispersed over an extended area or be concentrated into a single position. In some cases batteries have operationally deployed as six totally separate guns, although sections (pairs) are more usual. A battery commander, or "BC"

1147-452: The multi-barrel Phalanx CIWS rotary cannon used for point defense . The rapid fire 5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun 5-inch (130 mm) and Otobreda 76 mm (3.0 in) used for close defense against surface combatants and shore bombardment are among the last traditional naval guns still in use. In modern battery organization, the military unit typically has six to eight howitzers or six to nine rocket launchers and 100 to 200 personnel and

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1184-410: The secondary battery was typically mounted. To simplify the design many later ships used dual-purpose guns to combine the functions of the secondary battery and the heavier guns of the tertiary batteries. Many dual-purpose guns also served in an anti-aircraft role. In addition, dedicated light-caliber rapid-fire anti-aircraft weapons were deployed, often in the scores. An example of this combination

1221-441: The war progressed, individual batteries were grouped into battalions under a major or colonel of artillery. In the 20th century it varied between four and 12 for field artillery (even 16 if mortars), or even two pieces for very heavy pieces. Other types of artillery such as anti-tank or anti-aircraft have sometimes been larger. Some batteries have been "dual-equipped" with two different types of gun or mortar, and taking whichever

1258-600: Was completed by 1861 at a cost of £8,760. During the Second World War the defences of the Bristol Channel were increased significantly. In 1940 the two 4.7-inch guns were operated by soldiers from the 531st (Glamorgan) Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery . Well before the end of the war, as the German threat decreased, the battery was placed into care and maintenance. The battery was declared surplus to requirements in 1956 upon

1295-401: Was more appropriate when they deployed for operations. From the late 19th century field artillery batteries started to become more complex organisations. First they needed the capability to carry adequate ammunition, typically each gun could only carry about 40 rounds in its limber so additional wagons were added to the battery, typically about two per gun. The introduction of indirect fire in

1332-592: Was the German battleship  Bismarck , which carried a main battery of eight 380 mm (15 in) guns, a secondary battery of twelve 150 mm (5.9 in) guns for defense against destroyers and torpedo boats, as well as a tertiary battery of various anti-aircraft guns ranging in caliber from 105-to-20 mm (4.13-to-0.79 in). Conventional artillery as a vessel's battery has been largely displaced by guided missiles for both offensive and defensive actions. Small caliber guns are retained for niche roles, such as

1369-485: Was unable to support the company, or was otherwise court-martialed, he would be dismissed (" cashiered "), and the monarch would sell his commission to another nobleman to command the company. Otherwise, the only pension for the captain was selling the right to another nobleman when he was ready to retire. Many air forces, such as the United States Air Force , use a rank structure and insignia similar to those of

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