Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

World War 2, Australia, Western Australia, Albany, Princess Royal Fortress,1940

« Prev Item Next Item »

1950

Overview

View of 6 inch QFC gun 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.
During the 1890s, when the new "QF" technology of loading propellant charges in brass cases to increase the rate of fire was in favour, 4 guns were returned from New South Wales, Australia to the UK to be converted to QF. Two of the resulting QFC guns are known to have been still in commission until 1945, in the Princess Royal Fortress, Albany, Western Australia.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-P1900.1772

Item type

Photographs

Themes

War and Conflict

War and Conflict > World War 2

Year

1950

Last modified

Monday, 6 October, 2025