Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

Inter War, Australia, Western Australia, Albany, Princess Royal Fortress, 1937

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1936

Overview

Rear view of 6 inch Mark V gun of Plantaganet Battery at Albany

Historical information

The BL 6 inch gun Mk V ] was an early Elswick Ordnance Company breech-loading naval gun originally designed to use the old gunpowder propellants. They were used for coast defence around the British Empire including the original armament of the Princess Royal Fortress in Albany.
The gun was an export design, completely different from and longer (30-calibres, 183.5 inches) than the contemporary 26-calibres British naval service 6-inch Mk III, IV and VI guns designed by the Royal Gun Factory, although it fired the same 100-pound projectiles. The gun was of a complex all-steel built-up construction, of a steel A-tube surrounded by multiple steel hoops, breech-piece and jacket.
Several were acquired by the British government for coast defence in the UK and designated BL 6-inch gun Mark V. The breech fittings and firing mechanism were modified in British service to standardize them with the British service guns, Mark IV and VI. The breech-screw was locked by turning to the left, unlike standard service guns made by the Royal Gun Factory, which all locked to the right. Rifling consisted of 28 grooves of the polygroove "Elswick section" type, increasing from 0 to 1 turn in 30 calibres (i.e. 1 turn in 180 inches) at the muzzle.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-P1984.41.1b

Item type

Photographs

Themes

War and Conflict

Year

1936

Geotag

-35.034970850646, 117.91316233604
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