Control room

[ffutures]

Description of spaceship control rooms in The Struggle for Empire (1900):

In the interior of this there was a sphere made of metal a couple of feet in thickness, and varying from 7 to 30 feet in diameter. It was here that were collected together all the handles and wheels for navigating the vessel and sending and receiving messages from other ships, and a number of telephones that communicated with every compartment.

There were no windows, but a picture of the exterior was thrown on to a screen which extended right round the wall by the telephotoscope^[1], so that the captain knew exactly what was going on outside.

When an engagement was taking place in space, the captain, accompanied by one or two other officers, entered this sphere and was hermetically sealed up in it. As two or more solid sheets of metal had to be pierced before they could be touched, the commanding officers and the important machinery which they controlled were
comparatively safe while the rest of the vessel was being battered to pieces.

[1] Television.

I don't think "Electronic cockpit" is quite the right phrase to describe this, any suggestions?

Comments

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

In Star Trek they'd probably call it 'the Bridge.'

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

Seriously, real life submarines probably had something similar.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Not in 1900, when the book was written.

Conning Tower

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

Conning Tower was in use at the time, although the 'tower' doesn't apply. Conning Sphere?

Re: Conning Tower

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

That's not bad - thanks!

Re: Conning Tower

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

I like "conning sphere".

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Quarter Deck.

Poop Deck.

Command Deck.

Something deck-ey, to convey the feel of 1900s sailing ships?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

They go out on deck once the ship is back in atmosphere, so that doesn't quite work.

[nelc.livejournal.com]

I'm wracking my head to remember what they call the control room of a modern warship. Not the bridge, but the room in the interior of the ship where the captain and the weapon officers and whatnot sit during an engagement. Is it the battle room? Battle centre? Battle control room?

Though 'conning sphere' sounds better.

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

Unless the terminology has changed, Combat Information Centre.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

OK, that's the term I was looking for, I think. I really want it as a reference for modern readers, it won't be what I call it in the game.

[johnreiher.livejournal.com]

The Flying Sphere, as in "Flying Bridge".

Conning Bridge does sound good, however.

Hmm, Command Cockpit? Combat Sphere? Battle Bridge? Battle Sphere?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

CIC will do as a reference for modern readers, "conning spheres" as a term in ship construction within the game world.

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

Modern warships have minimal armour, while I get the impression that a major point of the conning sphere is that it is armoured (some late WWII battleships may even have had both a conning tower and a CIC). So maybe compare to an armoured CIC?

[gfieendish.livejournal.com]

Command Sphere...?