Tim Stoneman wrote:
LB mentions an AA gun by the searchlight platform (between the funnels) - I can't see one there. Without knowledge of the origin of LB's info that the 12pdr was removed in the Singapore refit or the provenance of the statement in the AWM caption, I'd go along with the idea that it was left in place, and the 2pdrs were in addition to, not in place of, the larger weapon (after all, at that stage, any weapon was likely to have been considered vital - even though hindsight shows that it would have been almost useless without proper fire control).
Bottom line - I think both photos are in the same configuration - ie 3 torpedo tubes, searchlight platform moved for'd, single 12pdr on the iron deck in place of the after tubes, and 2 staggered single 2pdrs where the old searchlight platform had been. There would have been room for this, even with the 2pdrs staggered, since the 12pdr appears to aft of the tubes' centre of rotation (using space made available when the mainmast was removed).
PS - no idea what the object aft of the after funnel is!
Sorry as ever there has been a little misintreptation.
When I mentioned the searchlight platforum I was speaking of the original location of the searchlight platform between the 1st & 2nd bank of triple torpedo tubes, not the new positioned one between the funnels.
Hope that makes my earlier point clearer.
Please Tim & Alan re-read my 1st post on page 1 of this thread.
As I said there I encountered conflicting A and A information in the Australian sources I briefly checked with 3 different researchers all saying slightly different things about
Vampire's AA fit.I disagree that 2 x 2pdr would have been added in addition of the 1 x 3pdr due to top weight, these V/W's were already harking about with a lot of added ASW gear, some of which can be seen just on the quartedeck of my photo if one zooms in.
I believe If the 2 x 2pdrs were present in the photo I posted you would be able to see them as the AWM photo shows them clearly slightly offset. Also if you could not see both guns (say the angle was positioning the stb. side one infront of the portside one) one should still be able to see the associated 'bandstand' structure which they were cited on.
I see neither in the photo I posted.
My interpretaion of the AWM photo is your right Tim if there was a 12pdr still located in place of the aft tubes if would be masked by the aft superstructure making it difficult to see.
However, look at the photo more closely and we can see there is a carley float stored there in a raised position right where the 12pdr circular bandstand ought to be. Would that not rather get in the way? On the wartime photo I posted we can see it resting more forward against the original superstructure the single 2pdr is on. Thus I suggest it was resited aft due to the 3pdr being removed and the new 'bandstand' structure constructed to house 2 x 2pdr.
Thus I stick with my late 1941 date ar, before those A and A's were done.
Thank you though ar for clearing up what was just aft of the 2nd funnel, ws just a blurr to me!
I believe the photo to most likely having been taken in Trincomalee or Ceylon as the scenery strongly resembles photos I have from my Grandad who was based there for 2 years.
If I get more time this week I'll put some more photo's of Vampire up here and also any more decent V/W close-up ones I can share.
Cheers
Laurence