Longshaor wrote:Hey all,
Have any of you ever come across detailed drawings of the sextuple 40mm mounts? Even close-up photos would do at this point, it's like nobody ever bothered to document the bloody thing...
The photos posted earlier are from the John Brown 1/64th scale builder's model in the Science Museum of London. It has been known to me since childhood, and inspired me to start my own 1/72nd scale modelling project. (Of course I had to choose a scale that left me scratch-building everything.) The photos of this model show as much detail as there is of the Mk IX mountings on the model, which is really only a bare outline sketch.
To endorse what GTDEATH13 posted, you can purchase original Vickers works photographs for 5 pounds sterling each from:
<
http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/archive/index.asp >
Here are the catalogue reference numbers for the Mk IX photographs that I found there:
4964, 4969, 4970, 4971, 4972, 4973, 4974, 4975, 4976, 4977, 4992, 4993, 4994, and 6940
Six of these (4964, 4972, 4973, 4975, 4977, and 4994) include views of the controller's enclosed position (one, 4972, a full interior shot), and provide a fair understanding of its shape and integration into the mounting. The other views give a variety of details of the position and staggering of the three pairs of barrels, the elevating mechanism, the training mechanism, the feed tray storage, the mount platform and railings, and the mounted active feed trays (one per barrel). More than enough information to produce a convincing model, although you have to do some creative work if you want to add a crew to model the position at action stations.
If you go to the website you will see the catalogue illustration photographs, which are both small and low resolution, but may give you sufficient information for your needs without ordering the truly beautiful real photographs.
If you can find a copy of the book:
British Battleships of World War Two. The development and technical history of the Royal Navy's
battleships and battlecruisers from 1911 to 1946.
by Alan Raven and John Roberts
Originally published by Arms and Armour Press in the UK in 1976, but republished since outside the UK.
You will find an absolute wealth of useful material on the Vanguard and the weapons systems installed, although there are no specific drawings of the 40 mm six-barrel Mk IX mounting. However, this is a physically large book, and may not be easy to find.
Yes, I also endorse the recommendation for the book "Naval Weapons of World War Two", by John Campbell, which will give some additional insight into the Mk IX naval mounting. However, bear in mind that this mounting was only ever deployed on HMS Vanguard, so those ten mountings are all there ever were! That's precisely why they were never generally described.
Finally, if you look at some of the other Vickers multi-barrel 40mm naval gun mountings, you will see details of common features from the four- and eight-barrel mounts that were carried over to the six-barrel mount.
I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for, but you may also need to know that each of the ten six-barrel mountings had a separate high-angle fire control director tub associated with it. I have comprehensive documentation on the layout and equipment of this mounting, including detailed plans, should you need them. The ones on the model in the Science Museum are totally lacking in detail. When not manned, a hooped canvas cover was raised over them, looking vaguely like a mushroom or snail shell. You can see one of these very clearly in the photograph stuffed full of waving sailors. Modelling the HACD with the cover up is an easy way to avoid detailing the rather complicated interior of the whole high-angle control system, which has several crew positions.
Good luck finding the information you are looking for.
