1.1-inch Cannon--The 3rd Worst?
Note: I'll grant that at a second-tier level we have 'stinkers' like the M3 37mm antitank gun or the M50 Reising submachine gun, which were bad, but more of the 'close but no cigar' type, and don't qualify as 'worst.'
Thus, ranking slightly below the M4 tank and the Mark XIV torpedo (but much worse than the stinkers), for your consideration, I present the water-cooled Mk 2 1.1-inch (75 Caliber) Quad-barrel machine cannon.
At one time the 1.1-inch seemed to be just what the Navy needed to provide enhanced antiaircraft protection to its ships. But, once WWII started it was found that a twin barrel Bofors 40-mm gun could do the job better. In addition, the Mk2 1.1-inch was hard to maintain and unreliable.
The 1.1-inch ammunition suffered from being smaller than the 40-mm round and bigger than the 20-mm round. The 40-mm round was large enough to have a fuse that could be set for time and/or altitude and could detonate spewing fragments increasing it lethality area. The 20-mm round was smaller, easier to handle, and could be fired at a higher rate of fire than the 1.1 inch.
In addition, the 1.1-inch round had a fuse that was built only for contact detonation. The 1.1-in. round would only detonate if it actually struck an airplane greatly reducing it's effectiveness and lethality. The fuse was equipped with a simple set back system that could be armed if dropped while loading, which could result in a burst barrel.
So hobbled by its:
- Poor ammunition,
- High maintenance requirements,
- And, threat of injury to its operator
I feel justified in putting forward the Mk 2 1.1-inch for a dubious lack of achievement while in combat award.
Tip of the hat to the web site Destroyer Escort Central (located at: http://www.de220.com ) a treasure trove of information on WWII Navy technology.
Labels: 1.1-in, Machine Cannon, Navy, WWII
posted by Steve at 1:23 PM
3 Comments:
I also nominate the M247 Sgt. York DIVAD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M247_Sergeant_York)
It was a money saving concept from the start: put a twin Bofors on a Patton chasis and use the radar from an F-16. Needless to say, the only part that performed as planned was the Bofors. The F-16 radar also could easily be spotted by an off the shelf car radar detector.
The Sgt York also was an idea that should have worked. Combine three proven systems to quickly make a cheaper and lethal weapon system.
As one person said, it was a program of good people with good intentions doing the wrong thing.
Now that I think about, the F-111 started life as a multi-service plane that could be carrier based. Lots of money savings in that idea.
Also, the beloved M-14 represented 15 years of development by the U.S. Army to attach a box magazine and selector switch to an M-1 rifle. Unfortunately,the Army forgot to address overheating problems in the M-1 that became considerably worse on the M-14's full-auro mode.
Post a Comment
<< Home