| 6-pdr / 10cwt QF Mark I | |
|---|---|
The 6-pounder gun mark I in twin mark I mounting on board HMS Mackay whilst she is at Harwich. |
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| Type | Naval gun and coastal gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | British Commonwealth |
| Wars | Second World War |
| Production history | |
| Variants | Naval gun (twin mount) Coastal gun (twin mount) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,060 lb (481 kg) |
| Length | 9 ft (2.787 m) |
| Barrel length | 47 calibres |
| Crew | 6 |
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| Calibre | 57 millimetres (2.24 in) |
| Recoil | 12 inches |
| Elevation | -10/+80 |
| Traverse | 360 degrees |
| Rate of fire | 18 rounds per minute |
| Effective range | 11,300 yards (10,330 m) @45° |
The British QF 6 pounder 10 cwt gun[note 1] was a 57 mm twin-mount light coast defence and naval gun from the 1930s to 1950s.
Contents |
Following the emergence of small fast attack craft during World War I, it was decided that the British Royal Navy Dockyards were vulnerable to attack by Motor torpedo boats which had the speed to evade the heavy coast defence guns which defended them. In 1925, a design was adopted for a twin barrelled weapon capable of sustained semi-automatic fire. Both barrels of the weapon could be fired singly or they could be combined. The pedestal mounting accommodated the gun crew who were protected from the front, sides and overhead by a large shield. The first trials were in 1928 and production began at the Woolwich Ordnance Factory in 1933 with formal War Office acceptance on 28 February 1934. Baker Perkins was asked to take over production in March 1939; the first examples leaving their Westwood, Peterborough factory in March 1941[1]. A Mark II version had a monobloc barrel instead of the original lined barrel.
The first twin 6-pounders were installed at Singapore in 1937. The first UK installation was at Eastern Arm Battery in Dover, just before the outbreak of World War II[2]. Also in 1939, nine pairs of guns were installed in Fort St. Elmo and Fort Ricasoli in the Grand Harbour at Valetta, Malta. These were to play a vital role in the successful defence against an attack by 19 Italian MAS boats on 26 July 1941[3]. By the end of 1942, 155 of these weapons had been produced for 31 locations worldwide[4].
It was fitted to:
One of the problems that persisted throughout the war was lightning surface night attacks by E-boats. These would lie in wait for convoy and then at the appropriate moment sweep across the front, firing torpedoes and making a speedy escape into the darkness. The 4.7-inch and 4-inch guns of destroyers could not fire fast enough to deal with this form of attack, and the 20 mm Oerlikon cannon did not fire a shell heavy enough to cripple the vessel. A remedy was offered in the form of the twin 6 pounder quick-firing coast-defence gun.
For naval use it was mounted in place of No 1 gun (A mount) on four W class destroyers and proved an effective countermeasure. However, since the need for an increased anti-submarine capability was critical, even on the coastal convoys, and the 6pdr competed for space with the new ahead-throwing Hedgehog mortar, only four ships; HMS Walpole, HMS Windsor, HMS Whitshed and HMS Wivern, were fitted with this twin-6-pdr mounting.
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