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Master and Commander
Posts: 2191
Location: Port Ludlow, WA (the Olympic Penninsula) | Subject: Daily Picture - Monday 11/24
Shooting the Ford Island Bridge while listening to Kaliponi Slack Key (clickity click) http://www.usssealion.com/sealion/images/featured_picture.htm |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2561
Location: Rapid City, SD | Subject: Probably everyone but me...
...knows what kind of gun that is...so what is it?
Cora
Edited by Corabelle 2008-11-24 4:43 PM
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2191
Location: Port Ludlow, WA (the Olympic Penninsula) | Subject: RE: Daily Picture - Monday 11/24
Aha! A DOUBLE answer needed here as this photo shows the aft cigarette deck gun AND the main deck gun! O.K. dudes answer the lady's question! |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: Hey! If you know where to look, all is evident.
Corabelle - 2008-11-24 5:43 PM...knows what kind of gun that is...so what is it?Cora
To which I reply, Corabelle: Which gun?
Courtesy of OldSubsPlace.com
The one in the camera foreground is likely a Switzerland (Oerlikon): 20mm/70 Mark 1 - 20mm is about equal to .80 cal. It's role was anti-aircraft, but it could be used on light shipping like sampans and junks.
The gun on the deck, aft of the conning tower, is probably a 5”/25 Mark 40 Mod 0. It was first installed as new construction inUSS Spadefish in 1944. This gun couldfire a 53 pound projectile to a range of over 14,000 yards. The 5"/25 designation indicated it fires 5" rounds and the barrel length is 25 times the bore, or 125" (a bit less than 10 1/2 feet long).
Of course if you look WAY in the background over the Oerlikon, you can see the Arizona Memorial; just to the left of that is the USS Missouri, which has main guns with 16" bores! They can fire a projectile that weighs as much as a VW Bug 20-some miles!
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: RE: Daily Picture - Monday 11/24
Done, Chief Clear.
My source: http://www.oldsubsplace.com/Submarine%20Deck%20Guns.htm ... a great summary.
Edited by Flapper 2008-11-24 5:35 PM
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1323
Location: Oxnard, CA | Subject: RE: Hey! If you know where to look, all is evident.
I will agree with the 5"/25 on the after deck, but the one on the upper deck is absolutely a 40mm Bofors. There are missing parts, of which is the base that held the two seats for the pointer and trainer, the pointing and training crank handles and the firing pedal. The sights are also missing.The reason it's a 40mm Bofors is that the loading port is on the top, which accepted a 4 round clip of ammunition. I also see on the left hand side that the cocking lever is in the up (open) position. That opens the breach block and cocks the main spring. It would be safer if it was in the forward position, and the hammer (unseen internal) dropped. This gun takes four people to operate, the pointer, the trainer, the loader, and the ammo passer.
Were it a 20mm Oerlikon, it would have been side fed with belted 20mm ammunition. There would have also been a pair of shoulder "half hoops" that a person could lean into to fire. It takes two people to fire the Oerlikon, the gunner and the loader.
Considering the missing parts, and no size reference, it could be mistaken for the Oerlikon if you weren't familiar with one or the other. My minesweep had a 40mm Bofors as a main battery, and our secondarys were M2 .50 cal air cooled machine guns. We also had 4- .30 cal Browning Machine guns, a bunch of BARs, a few Thompson SMGs, M1 Garands and .30 M1 Carbines. We also had a few shotguns, M-1911's and a few .38 S&W revolvers. We may have had a couple .22 training rifles. The CO had his own .38 Spl snubby. Later in 1967, we picked up a couple M-79 grenade launchers.
Edited by JrKrup, Skimmer 2008-11-24 5:58 PM
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Holland Club
Posts: 101
Location: Brentwood, CA | Subject: RE: Daily Picture - Monday 11/24
The above picture is defiantly a 40mm minus the seats, sights and aiming handles.. Note the flash gaurd on the end of the barrel. The 20mm used on submarines during that era used a 60 round drum magazine. BTDT
GGambel |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2561
Location: Rapid City, SD | Subject: RE: Daily Picture - Monday 11/24
The Bowfin?
I have a picture that looks very much like this.
Cora |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: I bow to superior knowledge...
Got me, Jr! I took an (semi-) educated guess twixt Bofors or Oerlikon and, I guess, chose wrong. Couldn't quite ID a likely caliber.
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Daily Picture - Monday 11/24
