View source for Periscope

{{Short description|Instrument for observation from a concealed position}}
{{Other uses}}
[[Image:Periscope simple.svg|thumb|right|Principle of the periscope. The periscope on the left uses mirrors whereas the right uses prisms.<br>
'''a''' Mirrors<br>
'''b''' Prisms<br>
'''c''' Observer's Eye ]]

[[Image:Periskop linsen.svg|thumb|right|Principle of the lens periscope.
The two periscopes differ in the way they erect the image. The left one uses an erecting prism whereas the right uses an erecting lens and a second image plane.<br>
'''a''' [[Objective lens]]<br>
'''b''' [[Field lens]]<br>
'''c''' Image erecting lens<br>
'''d''' [[Ocular lens]]<br>
'''e''' Lens of the observer's eye<br>
'''f''' Right-angled prism<br>
'''g''' Image-erecting prism]]

A '''periscope''' is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position.<ref name="Walker2000">{{cite book|author=Walker, Bruce H. |title=Optical Design for Visual Systems|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yprWx6DfqFUC&pg=PA117|year=2000|publisher=SPIE Press|isbn=978-0-8194-3886-7|page=117}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Submarine Periscope: An Explanation of the Principles Involved in Its Construction, Together with a Description of the Main Features of the Barr and Stroud Periscopes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bkOUoAEACAAJ|year=1928|publisher=Barr and Stroud Limited}}</ref>

In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with [[mirror]]s at each end set parallel to each other at a 45° angle. This form of periscope, with the addition of two simple lenses, served for observation purposes in the trenches during [[World War I]]. Military personnel also use periscopes in some [[gun turret]]s and in [[Armored car (military)|armoured vehicle]]s.<ref name="Walker2000"/>

More complex periscopes using [[Prism (optics)|prism]]s or advanced [[Optical fiber|fiber optics]] instead of mirrors and providing magnification operate on [[submarine]]s and in various fields of science. The overall design of the classical submarine periscope is very simple: two telescopes pointed into each other. If the two telescopes have different individual magnification, the difference between them causes an overall magnification or reduction.

==Early examples==
[[Johannes Hevelius]] described an early periscope (which he called a "polemoscope") with lenses in 1647 in his work ''[[Selenographia, sive Lunae descriptio]]'' [Selenography, or an account of the Moon]. Hevelius saw military applications for his invention.

[[Mikhail Lomonosov]] invented an "optical tube" which was similar to a periscope. In 1834, it was used in a submarine, designed by Karl Andreevich Schilder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=H I Sutton - Covert Shores |url=http://www.hisutton.com/Schilder-1838-Rocket-Armed-Submarine.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.hisutton.com}}</ref>

In 1854, [[Hippolyte Marié-Davy]] invented the first naval periscope, consisting of a vertical tube with two small mirrors fixed at each end at 45°. [[Simon Lake]] used periscopes in his submarines in 1902. [[Howard Grubb|Sir Howard Grubb]] perfected the device in World War I.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120710154316/http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blperiscope.htm The History of the Periscope – Inventors]. About.com</ref> [[Morgan Robertson]] (1861–1915) claimed<ref>Robertson, Morgan (March 26, 1913) ''[[The Daily Gazette|The Schenectady Gazette]]'', Friday morning, p. 19
</ref> to have tried to patent the periscope: he described a submarine using a periscope in his fictional works.

Periscopes, in some cases fixed to [[Periscope rifle|rifles]], served in [[World War I]] (1914–1918) to enable [[Soldier|soldiers]] to see over the tops of [[Trench warfare|trenches]], thus avoiding exposure to enemy fire (especially from snipers).<ref name="FIRST">Willmott, H.P. (2003) 
''First World War''. [[Dorling Kindersley]]. p. 111. {{ISBN|1405300299}}
</ref> The [[periscope rifle]] also saw use during the war – this was an infantry rifle sighted by means of a periscope, so the shooter could aim and fire the weapon from a safe position below the trench parapet.

During [[World War II]] (1939–1945), artillery observers and officers used specifically manufactured periscope binoculars with different mountings. Some of them also allowed estimating the distance to a target, as they were designed as [[stereoscopic rangefinder]]s.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}

{{Gallery
|title=Early examples
|align=center
|Image:Periscope rifle Gallipoli 1915.jpg|[[Australian Light Horse]] troops using a [[periscope rifle]], [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]], 1915. Photograph by [[Ernest Brooks (photographer)|Ernest Brooks]].
|File:An Auxiliary Periscope for Submarines (cropped).png|An Auxiliary Periscope for Submarines from ''The Electrical Experimenter'', Vol. IV, No. 38., 1916
|File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-198-1363-29A, Russland, Artillerie-Beobachtung.jpg|A team of German [[artillery observer]]s using  [[periscope binoculars]], 1943
}}

==Armored vehicle periscopes==
[[Tank]]s and armoured vehicles use periscopes: they enable drivers, tank commanders, and other vehicle occupants to inspect their situation through the vehicle roof.  Prior to periscopes, direct vision slits were cut in the armour for occupants to see out.  Periscopes permit view outside of the vehicle without needing to cut these weaker vision openings in the front and side armour, better protecting the vehicle and occupants.

A protectoscope is a related periscopic vision device designed to provide a window in armoured plate, similar to a direct vision slit.  A compact periscope inside the protectoscope allows the vision slit to be blanked off with spaced armoured plate.  This prevents a potential ingress point for small arms fire, with only a small difference in vision height, but still requires the armour to be cut.

In the context of [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s, such as [[tank]]s, a periscopic vision device may also be referred to as an '''episcope'''.  In this context a periscope refers to a device that can rotate to provide a wider field of view (or is fixed into an assembly that can), while an episcope is fixed into position.

Periscopes may also be referred to by slang, e.g. "shufti-scope".<ref>{{cite book|last=Partridge|first=Eric|title=A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IAjyQdFwh4UC&pg=PA1065|date=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-96365-2|pages=1065–}}</ref>

===Gundlach and Vickers 360-degree periscopes===
An important development, the [[Rudolf Gundlach|Gundlach rotary periscope]], incorporated a rotating top with a selectable additional prism which reversed the view.  This allowed a tank commander to obtain a 360-degree field of view without moving his seat, including rear vision by engaging the extra prism.  This design, patented by [[Rudolf Gundlach]] in 1936, first saw use in the [[Polish Army|Polish]] [[7-TP]] light tank (produced from 1935 to 1939).

As a part of Polish–British pre-[[World War II]] military cooperation, the patent was sold to Vickers-Armstrong where it saw further development for use in [[British Army|British]] tanks, including the [[Crusader tank|Crusader]], [[Churchill tank|Churchill]], [[Valentine tank|Valentine]], and ''[[Cromwell tank|Cromwell]]'' models as the [[Vickers Tank Periscope MK.IV]].

The Gundlach-Vickers technology was shared with the [[United States Army|American Army]] for use in its tanks including the [[M4 Sherman|Sherman]], built to meet joint British and US requirements. This saw post-war controversy through legal action: "After the Second World War and a long court battle, in 1947 he, Rudolf Gundlach, received a large payment for his periscope patent from some of its producers."<ref name=r1/>

The [[Red Army|USSR]] also copied the design and used it extensively in its tanks, including the [[T-34]] and [[T-70]].  The copies were based on Lend-Lease British vehicles, and many parts remain interchangeable.  [[Wehrmacht|Germany]] also made and used copies.<ref name=r1>Łukomski, Grzegorz and Stolarski, Rafał E. (1999) ''Nie tylko Enigma... Mjr Rudolf Gundlach (1892–1957) i jego wynalazek'' (Not Only Enigma... Major Rudolf Gundlach (1892–1957) and His Invention), Warsaw-London.</ref>

===Periscopic gunsights===
Periscopic [[Sight (device)|sights]] were also introduced during the Second World War. In British use, the Vickers periscope was provided with sighting lines, enabling front and rear prisms to be directly aligned to gain an accurate direction.  On later tanks such as the Churchill and Cromwell, a similarly marked episcope provided a backup sighting mechanism aligned with a vane sight on the turret roof.

Later, US-built Sherman tanks and British [[Centurion tank|Centurion]] and [[Charioteer tank|Charioteer]] tanks replaced the main telescopic sight with a true periscopic sight in the primary role. The periscopic sight was linked to the gun itself, allowing elevation to be captured (rotation being fixed as part of rotating turret). The sights formed part of the overall periscope, providing the gunner with greater overall vision than previously possible with the telescopic sight. The [[Chieftain (tank)|FV4201 Chieftain]] used the TESS (Telescopic Sighting System) developed in the early 1980s that was later sold as surplus for use on the [[McDonnell Douglas Phantom in UK service|RAF Phantom]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.david-gledhill.co.uk/the-phantom/tess/ | title=TESS :: David Gledhill }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bpag.co.uk/the-day-of-the-j/ | title=The Way of the J. – British Phantom Aviation Group }}</ref>

===Modern specialised AFV periscopes===
In modern use, specialised periscopes can also provide night vision.  The Embedded Image Periscope (EIP) designed and patented by Kent Periscopes provides standard unity vision periscope functionality for normal daytime viewing of the vehicle surroundings plus the ability to display digital images from a range of on-vehicle sensors and cameras (including thermal and low light) such that the resulting image appears "embedded" internally within the unit and projected at a comfortable viewing position.

==Naval use==
[[File:1889 Arthur Krebs & Jean Rey periscope for the french Gymnote submarine.jpg|thumb|1889 Arthur Krebs & Jean Rey periscope for the French submarine ''Gymnote'']]
Periscopes allow a [[submarine]], when submerged at a relatively shallow depth, to search visually for nearby targets and threats on the surface of the water and in the air. When not in use, a submarine's periscope retracts into the [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]]. A submarine commander in tactical conditions must exercise discretion when using his periscope, since it creates a visible wake (and may also become detectable by [[radar]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2100&tid=1300&ct=2|title=The US Navy – Fact File: AN/SPS-74(V) Radar Set|last=Petty|first=Dan|website=www.navy.mil|language=en|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-date=2019-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214061316/https://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2100&tid=1300&ct=2|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ousborne|first1=Jeffrey|last2=Griffith|first2=Dale|last3=Yuan|first3=Rebecca W.|date=1997|title=A Periscope Detection Radar|url=http://techdigest.jhuapl.edu/TD/td1801/ousbourn.pdf|journal=Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest|volume=18|pages=125|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-date=2017-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808171500/http://techdigest.jhuapl.edu/TD/td1801/ousbourn.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> giving away the submarine's position.

Marie-Davey built a simple, fixed naval periscope using mirrors in 1854. Thomas H. Doughty of the [[United States Navy]] later invented a prismatic version for use in the [[American Civil War]] of 1861–1865.

Submarines adopted periscopes early. Captain [[Arthur Krebs]] adapted two on the experimental French submarine {{ship|French submarine|Gymnote|Q1|2}} in 1888 and 1889. The Spanish inventor [[Isaac Peral]] equipped his submarine {{ship|Spanish submarine|Peral||2}} (developed in 1886 but launched on September 8, 1888) with a fixed, non-retractable periscope that used a combination of prisms to relay the image to the submariner. (Peral also developed a primitive [[gyroscope]] for submarine navigation and pioneered the ability to fire live [[torpedo]]es while submerged.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pedrocurto.com/1.html |title=El Arma Submarina Española |access-date=2009-10-21 |archive-date=2009-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217120312/http://pedrocurto.com/1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=March 2011}})

The invention of the collapsible periscope for use in submarine warfare is usually credited{{By whom|date=January 2010}} to [[Simon Lake]] in 1902. Lake called his device the "omniscope" or "skalomniscope".{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

{{As of|2009}} modern submarine periscopes incorporate lenses for magnification and function as [[telescope]]s. They typically employ [[Prism (optics)|prisms]] and [[total internal reflection]] instead of mirrors, because prisms, which do not require coatings on the reflecting surface, are much more rugged than mirrors. They may have additional optical capabilities such as [[range finding|range-finding]] and targeting. The mechanical systems of submarine periscopes typically use [[Hydraulic machinery|hydraulics]] and need to be quite sturdy to withstand the drag through water. The periscope chassis may also support a radio or radar antenna.

Submarines traditionally had two periscopes: a navigation or observation periscope and a targeting, or commander's, periscope. Navies originally mounted these periscopes in the [[conning tower]], one forward of the other in the narrow hulls of diesel-electric submarines. In the much wider hulls of {{as of | 2009 | alt = recent}} [[United States Navy|US Navy]] submarines the two operate side-by-side. The observation scope, used to scan the sea surface and sky, typically had a wide field of view and no magnification or low-power magnification. The targeting or "attack" periscope, by comparison, had a narrower field of view and higher magnification. In World War II and earlier submarines, it was the only means of gathering target data to accurately fire a torpedo, since [[sonar]] was not yet sufficiently advanced for this purpose (ranging with sonar required emission of an acoustic "ping" that gave away the location of the submarine) and most torpedoes were unguided.

Twenty-first-century submarines do not necessarily have periscopes.  The United States Navy's {{sclass|Virginia|submarine|1}}s and the [[Royal Navy]]'s {{sclass|Astute|submarine|1}}s instead use [[photonics mast]]s,<ref name="Publishing2011">{{cite book|title=War at Sea and in the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TfOcAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA65|date=1 November 2011|publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing|isbn=978-1-61530-753-1|page=65}}</ref> pioneered by the Royal Navy's {{HMS|Trenchant|S91|6}}, which lift an electronic imaging sensor-set above the water. Signals from the sensor-set travel electronically to workstations in the submarine's control center. While the cables carrying the signal must penetrate the submarine's hull, they use a much smaller and more easily sealed—and therefore less expensive and safer—hull opening than those required by periscopes. Eliminating the telescoping tube running through the conning tower also allows greater freedom in designing the pressure hull and in placing internal equipment.

{{Gallery
|title=Naval use
|align=center
|File:Submarine periscope.jpg|Officer at periscope in control room of a U.S. Navy submarine in World War II
|File:Attack periscope.png|Submarine monocular attack periscope
|File:Torpedoed Japanese destroyer Yamakaze sinking on 25 June 1942.jpg|Torpedoed Japanese destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yamakaze|1936|2}} photographed through periscope of {{USS|Nautilus|SS-168|6}}, 25 June 1942.
}}

==Aircraft use==
Periscopes have also been used on aircraft for sections with limited view. The first known use of aircraft periscope was on the [[Spirit of St. Louis]]. The [[Vickers VC10]] had a periscope that could be used on four locations of the aircraft fuselage,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vc10.net/Technical/oddities.html | title=Oddities & Innovations }}</ref> [[V-Bomber]]s such as the [[Avro Vulcan]] and [[Handley Page Victor]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.victorxm715.co.uk/bobs-tale-of-phantoms/ | title=Bob's Tale of Phantoms – Victor XM715 }}</ref> and the [[Hawker Siddeley Nimrod|Nimrod MR1]] as the "on top sight".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Wilson |first=Michael |date=1968-06-13 |title=Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR.1 |url=https://newsassets.cirium.com/Assets/GetAsset.aspx?ItemID=33320 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225115034/https://newsassets.cirium.com/Assets/GetAsset.aspx?ItemID=33320 |archive-date=2023-12-25 |magazine=[[Flight International]] |page=892}}</ref> Various US bomber aircraft such as the [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] used sextant periscopes for [[celestial navigation]] before the introduction of [[Global Positioning System|GPS]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/explore/museum/past-exhibits/citizen-soldier/periscopic-aircraft-sextant | title=Periscope Aircraft Sextant &#124; Pritzker Military Museum & Library &#124; Chicago }}</ref> This also allowed the aircrew to navigate without the use of an [[Astrodome (aeronautics)|astrodome]] in the fuselage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reichel |first=Jack |title=Perscopic Sextant |url=https://www.ion.org/museum/item_view.cfm?cid=1&scid=1&iid=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705035757/https://www.ion.org/museum/item_view.cfm?cid=1&scid=1&iid=1 |archive-date=2023-07-05 |website=ION Navigation Museum}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://opg.optica.org/josa/abstract.cfm?uri=josa-46-11-944 | doi=10.1364/JOSA.46.000944 | title=Aircraft Flight by an Optical Periscope | date=1956 | last1=Campbell | first1=Charles J. | last2=McEachern | first2=Lawrence J. | last3=Marg | first3=Elwin | journal=Journal of the Optical Society of America | volume=46 | issue=11 | page=944 | url-access=subscription }}</ref> An emergency periscope was used on all [[Boeing 737]] models manufactured before 1997 found under "Seat D" behind the over wing exit row to regulate the landing gear. High speed and [[hypersonic aircraft]] such as the [[North American X-15]] used a periscope.

{{Gallery
|title=Aircraft use
|align=center
|File:XV426 (32195090654).jpg|TESS (telescopic sighting system) panel mounted periscope between front and rear cockpit on a Royal Air Force [[F-4 Phantom II]]
}}

==See also==
* [[Aquascope]]
* [[Coincidence rangefinder]]
* [[Relay lens]]
* [[Rangefinding telemeter|Rangefinder]]
* [[Vickers Tank Periscope MK.IV]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|School Science|Demo periscope}}
{{Commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071015135054/http://maritime.org/fleetsub/pscope/index.htm ''The Fleet Type Submarine Online: Submarine Periscope Manual''] United States Navy '''Navpers 16165''', June 1979
* [http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php?topic=1348.0 ''Simulation of a Periscope''] at [http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php NTNUJAVA Virtual Physics Laboratory]
* [https://www.petan.net/aviation/cn.htm Periscope used for Celestial Navigation in Petan.net]
* [https://airfactsjournal.com/2014/09/navigating-old-days/ Air Facts]
* [http://www.blackmanbooks.co.uk/navigation.html THE V-FORCE]
* [http://www.sofajpl.com/airnav/index.html Air Navigation Periscope Sextants]
* [https://www.e-pics.ethz.ch/index/ETHBIB.Bildarchiv/ETHBIB.Bildarchiv_466080.html Periscope Sextant in a Douglas DC-8]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Optical devices]]
[[Category:British inventions]]
[[Category:1902 introductions]]
[[Category:Submarine components]]