60 pdr Gun

60 pdr Gun

 

Originally dating from 1904, the gun and carriage of the 60 pdr Gun were redesigned by Vickers Armstrong in 1918. The Mark 2 Gun on Carriage Mark 4 became the standard medium gun but by 1939 was obsolescent. It was to have been replaced by the 4.5 and 5.5 inch Guns but in their absence it had to continue in service. It was last used in action in the Desert Campaign, notably by the Australians at Tobruk. It was retained in Britain as a training equipment until late 1944.

 

Gun

 

Mark 2 Vickers Armstrong design, 37 calibres long, with Asbury breech mechanism
Mark 2* Slight changes in construction to prevent rotation of the inner “A” tube from
torque generated by the action of the shell on the rifling

 

Carriage

 

Mark 4 Box trail with hydropneumatic recoil system, trough cradle & retracting system
Mark 4P New axle tree, hub brakes and pneumatic tyres

 

Crew

 

No.1 Detachment Commander
No.2 Breech Operator – fires gun
No.3 Layer
No.4 Traverse trail
No.5 Loader – rams shell
No.6 Prepares & loads cartridge
No.7 Prepares shell
No.8 Prepares shell
No.9 Prepares shell
No.10 Coverer

 

DataGun Mark 2 on Carriage Mark 4

 

Weight of gun & breech mechanism 4,900 lbs
Total length 192.25 inches
Length of bore 185 inches (37 calibres)
Rifling 32 grooves, uniform right hand 1/30
Breech mechanism Asbury interrupted screw, percussion fired
Elevation -4.5° to +35°
Traverse 4° right & left
Recoil system Hydropneumatic, variable, 21.6 inches to 54 inches
Weight in action 12,048 lbs

 

Perfomancefiring standard 60 lb HE shell

 

Muzzle velocity 2,125 feet/second
Maximum range 16,400 yards

 

Ammunitionseparate loading, bag charge

 

Shell HE, Mark 9C Nose fuzed, non-streamlined shell with Percussion Fuzes Nos.
101, 106, 119 or 231. Weight 60 lbs
Shell, Shrapnel, Mark 5C Nose ejection shell with Time & Percussion Fuze Nos. 88 or 20.
Weight 60 lbs
   
Propelling Charge Single bag of 8 lbs 12 ozs of Cordite. A gunpowder igniter was
stiched to the rear

 

 

 

The Royal Artillery 1939-45