Now extinct the British OpticalCompany Ross (Along with Barr and Stroud) provided the Army , RAF and Royal Navy with some excellent optical gear , now very much underrated and negelected. Over the past few years I have picked up some additional items by Ross and a little background info on their use and having had a chance to compare them to some German gear owned mostly by friends in Europe , well I can't say bad of Ross. To look at the gear objectively I find it hard to believe that the RN would have depended so much on "2nd rate" equipment , truth is it was never second rate , the German optical firms may have had an edge but what we had was up to the job and preformed very well. First- Ross 7x50 Gunnery director binocular which was mounted as an AA sight and in gunnery towers of destroyers and cruisers. (If you look carefully you will see this type in the movie "Battle of the River Plate" in the director tower above the bridge.). This set also shown here in a High Angle AA directors position.(Photo IWM). the set has a selection of coured filters in the front plate which can be selected according to need and light conditions , a cross hair is located in Right side of the binocular. Quality of the set is excellent, green crinkle painted finish , waterproof , graticule can be illuminated and purged to remove moisture. In the AA position photo the director's sight is a barr and Stroud GK7 , - the amount of searching done to turn up this one photo which by chance shows both devices.......(GK7 attached)
Ross AA sight. 3.5 magnification, used in laying for AA radar. A wide angle sight with AA graticule in right side, massive field of view , bright and clear. I read on an optical forum one gent expressing the view that this was low quality and not worth while having , well I would disagree with him on more than one point. The set again has a filter selection . Attached diagram shows it on its mounting. Period photos again from IWM show it in use on Prince of Wales. The small brass monocular sight also by Ross can be seen on the radar mounting diagram and in photos. To date this is the only example I have seen, so in ebay terms "must be rare".
View attachment 183271 View attachment 183272 View attachment 183272 View attachment 183273 The Ross 10x70 could be used in place of the 7x50 sight, a much larger, heavier device it is really great in terms of clarity. I have to say I am much impressed by it, it does need to go on a tripod something I must "get done". Internal filters, cross hair sight , it is a bit of a beast to be honest. Workman like in its construction it is not over engineered like it's German counterparts and preforms equally well, therein lies a benchmark of each countries approach. (We mae things to do a job , the Germans pout on bells and whistles making the item more complicated and expensive to produce). As yet I have found no photo of the set in use.
Ross 10x70 "Captain's Glass". The largest hand held binocular used by the Royal navy issued to skippers of cruisers and above, often seen mounted on directors, as a hand held set it is really just to heavy for regular use. It is pretty good clear almost out to the edge of the fov. , has internal filters and click stop adjustemt so it can be "set" for the eyes of an individual user, it is very impressive and owning to its size it still turns the odd head today. two sets shown here an early model which lacked coated lens and a leter model which has the lens coated. I ended up with two of these as both came at a very good price and Royal Mail managed to damage a set in transit to the "cleaners", one of the objective lens housings was squashed out of shape , owing to the packagaing I had put around it I can only think "someone threw that". To say that I was "pi**ed off" is an understatement.
Similar but structurally different from the 7x50 seen at the start of this thread.Internal filters, different shape to filter hood, the classic AA quicksight and sight loacted on the top of the binocular. I have looked this one up Type "P" Mk. II sight fitted to Fiji and Dido class cruisers and george V class battleships. "Layers telescope fitted with searchlight eflecting prism of 10' value and incorporating forecasting graticules and barrage sight." I bought this today via eBay photos belong to the seller.
Ross (10x70) on Mk V AA director. Now to find a photo....... diagram from Norman Friedmann's "naval Anti Aircraft Guns and Gunnery" (Seaforth, 2013). Belwo the offending item , a photo of one in use must exist somewhere.
It is strange what pops up on the big and small screen. This in the remake of "Mad Max" - a Ross 7x50 Patt. 363 , it does make you wonder what lies in the props dept stores of movie companies and TV companies.