Tag Archives: 57mm bofors

Halifax 57 Art

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Below we see the Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) arriving at Busan, South Korea last week as part of the RCN’s continuing Operation Neon— Canada’s contribution to the monitoring of United Nations Security Council sanctions designed to pressure North Korea to abandon its weapons of mass destruction programs. Note the art on the rear of Vandy’s Bofors 57mm L/70 Mk3 naval gun.

Canadian Forces image by Sgt Ghislain Cotton

The dozen Halifaxes all have similar gun shield art as a matter of pride.

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate 57mm Bofors Gunshield art HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC 332

HMCS ST JOHN’S, on Op Reassurance

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate 57mm Bofors Gunshield art HMCS FREDERICTON 337 departs Den Helder 17 Oct 2021

HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN,OP REASSURANCE

HMCS CALGARY 335 honors her namesake, the WW2 corvette HMCS CALGARY K231(left), with her gunshield art

HMCS CALGARY departs Sasebo Japan

57mm Bofors old lion gunshield art Canadian navy frigate Halifax class HMCS St.Johns Mediterranean Sea Operation Assurance

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate 57mm Bofors Gunshield art HMCS Winnipeg.

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate 57mm Bofors Gunshield art HMCS Montreal

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate 57mm Bofors Gunshield art HMCS Halifax

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate 57mm Bofors Gunshield art HMCS Ottawa carrying the legacy shield art of HMCS GRIFFIN

More on the art, here.

Ever Seen the Magazine of a MK 110?

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I thought this shot was interesting, as it shows something I personally have never seen before: the below-deck stowage of rounds aboard USS Charleston (LCS 18) for the ship’s No. 1 mount, its Bofors Mark 3/BAE Mk 110 57 mm gun. Capable of a whopping 220 rounds per minute until its 120 round automatic loader drum is empty, GMs would likely then have to refill said drum from this magazine.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 20, 2021) Mineman 2nd Class Hunter Auslander, left, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Mineman 1st Class Danielle Epperson stow 57mm rounds aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 20, 2021. Charleston, part of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, is on a rotational deployment, operating in the U.S. 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam Butler) 210820-N-WU807-1040

With a range of 9.1 nautical miles, the MK 110 gun is installed aboard both classes of LCS and the Coast Guard’s large National Security Cutters, taking the place of the 75mm OTO Melera gun in the fleet. It is also set to be used on the Constellation-class frigates and the USCG’s offshore patrol cutters.

Personally, I’d like to see all of the above carry a MK 45/62 5-incher, firing beautiful 70-pound shells, but that’s just me and SECNAV never returns my phone calls. 

USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) conducted the first live-fire of her Mk. 45 5in 62 Mod 4 gun, Feb 2020. (U.S. Navy photo)

Say what you like, but I really like the 57mm for small jobs

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Developed by BAE Bofors in Sweden, the 57mm Mark 3 cannon is used around the world — but can it kill a giant floating sausage?

The above video, released this week by the Canadian military, shows the warship HMCS Vancouver in a surface fire exercise while deployed in a joint exercise with U.S. forces in the Pacific. The handy little Halifax-class frigate is armed with a 57mm Bofors as a hood ornament and they get some gunnery practice in against a big red target float. These floats are unofficially termed killer tomatoes in the U.S. Navy and boudin (sausage) in the Canadian service, for obvious reasons.

Stick around till the end to see the perforated vinyl deep-sixed with some good old reliable M2 love, sent to the bottom like Megatron.

For those who are curious and squee out to specs, the Bofors fires at up to 220-rounds per minute (though the magazine drum only holds 120 party sub-length shells) with a range out to nine miles. The U.S. uses the same gun, designated the Mk110, on littoral combat ships and Coast Guard cutters. Sure, they are no 16-inchers, but they get the job done on small stuff.

Want a little more excitement? The below from gun maker BAE shows tests of various 57mm loads against selected targets.

Baltic 57mm Firepower

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During the Dansk-Hanseatic war (who doesn’t remember that like yesterday?),  Christoffer, son of the Dansk king Waldemar IV Atterdag was killed in action by a cannonball on 11th of June 1363 during a sea-fight. This is one of the first instances of warships using cannon at sea.

The picture below is of a ship much more advanced than the galleys of the 14th century. Its the 238-foot long, 640-ton HSwMS Helsingborg of his majesty’s Swedish Navy. She is the second in the new class of Swedish Visby-class corvettes. These ‘stealth ships’ are constructed with a sandwich design consisting of a PVC core with a carbon fiber and vinyl laminate with good conductivity. Good conductivity and surface flatness means a low radar signature, while good heat insulation lowers the infrared signature and increases survivability in case of fire. The composite sandwich used is also non-magnetic, which lowers the magnetic signature. Composites are also very strong for their relative weight, and less weight means a higher top speed and better maneuverability. The composite weighs roughly 50% less than the equivalent strength steel.

p7iLUTY

The Helsingborg‘s angular design reduces its radar signature (or radar cross-section). Jan Nilsson, one of the designers, told BBC News Online: “We are able to reduce the radar cross-section by 99%. That doesn’t mean it’s 99% invisible, it means that we have reduced its detection range.” Even the 57 mm cannon barrel can be folded into the turret to reduce its cross-section.

Speaking of 57mm guns, that’s her Bofors Mk3 ripping off at 220-rounds per minute. In US service the Mk 3 is known as the Mark 110 Mod 0 and is in use on the new Legend-class National Security Cutters of the USCG as well as the two classes of Littoral Combat Ships (with some issues). The mounting has 120 ready rounds, and a total of 1,000 rounds in mounting, each a 6.1 kg (13 lb) shell with a range of 17,000m.

Besides the 57mm hood ornament, she carries 8 × RBS15 Mk2 antiship missiles,  4 × 400 mm torpedo launchers for Type 45 torpedoes, Mines, depth charges, and has provision for a dozen 127 mm ALECTO anti-submarine rocket launchers and 8 × Umkhonto SAMs.

So, there you have it, a stealth ship powered by state of the art gas turbines and diesel engines, still packing naval cannon some 600-years later.

Take that Christoffer.