maurice de saxe wrote:
Were the 1.1-inch guns in place by the time Tuscaloosa was in Iceland?
It is not clear when the 1.1's were installed. Photos suggest she had 3" guns in the upper bridge tubs into 1942, but the shots are not clear enough to be definitive.
maurice de saxe wrote:
How many 1.1-inch guns was Tuscaloosa to receive?
Eventually, she received 4 mounts. Two on the upper bridge and two on the quarterdeck. But photos of early 1942, in the MS-12 MOD paint scheme seem to indicate that the quarterdeck tubs were empty.
maurice de saxe wrote:
Where were the tubs fitted? Jeff Sharp’s images show that two were on the battle lookout & machine gun platform on the forward superstructure, presumably replacing the four 0.5-inch machine guns previously there.
The two tubs on the forward machinegun platform displaced the .50's rather than replaced them. The 1.1's were additional rather than replacements. The .50's were eventually replaced by 20MM guns.
maurice de saxe wrote:
Tuscaloosa’s other four 0.5-inch guns had been on the after 8-inch director platform. Did a pair of 1.1-inch weapons replace them (it’s not clear from Jeff Sharp’s images)? Photographs of Tuscaloosa four or five months later do show tubs in that position. They also show tubs on the quarterdeck, so were there to be six such weapons?
No 1.1 tubs were ever installed on the after superstructure. Any tubs there were for 20MM guns. When 40MM guns replaced the 1.1's, tubs were installed on the hangar roof. That brought the total number of quad 40MM to 6 mounts. The quad 40MM was heavy enough that the forward mounts on the bridge had to be at a lower level, requiring the bridge wings to be cut back. But there were only 4 1.1 mounts installed before their replacement.
maurice de saxe wrote:
What happened to the 0.5-inch machine guns while Tuscaloosa was waiting for the installation of the 1.1-inch weapons?
The forward .50's were relocated, but I am not sure exactly where. The after .50's remained in place until replaced by 20MM guns.
maurice de saxe wrote:
Assuming the report is accurate, Tuscaloosa did not temporarily fit 3-inch guns in their place.
Photos seem to indicate 3" guns forward. But since the quarterdeck tubs were empty in early 1942, it is unclear if 3" mounts were ever installed there.