Photo © M.D. Thomas.

Canadian Navy Gun Systems

Gun Systems

This is a basic list of the gun systems used by the Canadian Navy. Not all guns are covered, and individual systems are arranged by gun calibre. The different sources upon which this page is based sometimes have conflicting information and details, and some of the information seen here has therefore been extrapolated from those conflicting sources. The information provided herein is not intended to be a detailed technical resource, but rather an inventory and identification aid for gun systems used by the Canadian Navy. This page includes a fair bit of guesswork, and corrections will be welcomed! Basic Definitions AA Anti-Aircraft AAVT Anti-Aircraft VT round, for 3"/50 Mk.33. "A" mounting Gun mountings were given designations based on their position on the ship. In general, "A" mounting was located furthest forward, with "B" mounting located aft of and above "A" mounting and before the bridge. "Y" mounting was located furthest aft, with "X" mounting located immediately forward of and above "Y" mounting. APDS Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot, for Phalanx. ASuW Anti-Surface Warfare BL Breech Loading. Bofors 40mm/56.25 The Bofors 40mm/56.25 gun was used widely during WWII and long after, on a variety of different mountings. Each mounting is listed separately below, despite the fact that they used the same gun. Although frequently listed as being 60 calibre, this gun was actually 56.25 calibre. C Sometimes used as suffix to designate Canadian versions of foreign equipment (i.e. Oerlikon Mk.VC mounting is Canadian version of Oerlikon Mk.V mounting). However, this is not always the case. Calibre Barrel interior (or bore) diameter. "Calibres" is a measure of the length of the barrel in multiples of the diameter of the projectile (i.e. 3"/70 gun barrel has a bore diameter of 3", and a length of 70 times longer than the barrel interior diameter or bore). CIWS Close-In Weapons System CPBC Common Pointed Ballistic Cap, later changed to SAPBC (Semi-Armour Piercing Ballistic Cap). DART Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of flight (for 76mm/62 gun) DP Dual Purpose, indicates that gun is used in both AA and ASuW roles. Fixed Refers to ammunition, describes a cartridge that is attached to the projectile. HA High Angle, refers to AA guns elevating to greater than 50 degrees. HA/LA High Angle / Low Angle, refers to DP guns. HC High Capacity rounds, for use against lightly armoured targets (HC refers to amount of explosive carried). HCER High Capacity Extended Range. These 57mm rounds are optimised for anti-surface warfare. HE High Explosive HE-PD High Explosive, Point Detonating Fuze HE-CVT High Explosive, Controlled Variable Time Fuze Illum-MT Illumination, Mechanical Timed Fuze LA Low Angle, indicates guns with a low maximum elevation with primary use as ASuW weapons. MG Machine Gun. Mk Mark, refers to revision of design. NF Non-Fragmentation. 57mm AA round. Pdr Pounder, refers to weight of round fired. PFHE Pre-Fragmented High Explosive. 57mm AA rounds. Pom-Pom Used to describe some 1 and 2 Pdr guns, refers to sound made during firing. QF Quick Firing. SAP Semi-Armour Piercing. SAPOM Semi-Armour Piercing OTO Munition (for 76mm/62 gun) SAPOMER Semi-Armour Piercing OTO Munition Extended Range (for 76mm/62 gun) Xmm/Y or X"/Y X denotes the bore diameter in the designated units, while Y denotes the length of the barrel in calibres. See definition for "calibre". TP Target Practice.  57mm round. VT Variable Time, refers to Proximity Fuzed rounds. Detailed definitions and explanations, as well as detailed technical information and histories, can be found off-site on the excellent Naval Weapons of the World website. Small Guns (< 3" (76mm) diameter) 0.5"/62 Mk.III machine gun Fitted to River class destroyers Role Light AA Barrels Single (Mk.III mounting), Twin (Mk.II), Quad (Mk.I) Range 730m (effective) Performance 150-200 rounds per minute (practical) Ammunition Fixed, solid bullet. Design Date 1926 Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1930s to early 1940s. Comments UK origin Vickers gun used on various single, twin, and quad mountings. Largely ineffective against aircraft during WWII, these mounts were replaced as more effective guns were available. This gun was considerably less powerful than the Browning version below. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Macpherson, Ken. (1985). The RIVER Class Destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy. Charles J. Musson & Associates, Publishers. Toronto, ON. Macpherson, Ken. (1990). Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy 1938-1945. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catharines, ON. Macpherson, Ken and Milner, Marc. (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catherines, ON. Photos 1: © DND 1. Quad on ASSINIBOINE (River class). 0.5"/90 Mk.II machine gun Fitted to Flower class corvettes, BANGOR class minesweepers, Fairmiles, others. Role Light AA Barrels Twin Range 2,400m (effective) Performance 450-600 rounds per minute Ammunition Fixed, solid bullet. Design Date 1932 Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1939 to early 1940s. Comments US origin water-cooled Browning gun used on a Mk.3 twin mounting. Largely ineffective against aircraft during WWII, these mounts were replaced as more effective guns were available. In photos 3 and 4, two twin Brownings are mounted in the aft gun tub on a Flower class corvette, a position that was later taken up by the more effective 40mm/39 Mk.VIII (2-pounder) pom-pom. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Macpherson, Ken. (1985). The RIVER Class Destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy. Charles J. Musson & Associates, Publishers. Toronto, ON. Macpherson, Ken. (1990). Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy 1938-1945. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catharines, ON. Macpherson, Ken and Milner, Marc. (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catherines, ON. Photos 1&2: © DND Photos 3&4: © Rolie Leduc 1. Twin on BANGOR class. 2. Twin on SHEDIAC (Flower class). 3. On SHERBROOKE (Flower class) 4. On SHERBROOKE (Flower class) 5. 6. Oerlikon 20mm/70 Fitted to UGANDA / QUEBEC, ONTARIO, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, minesweepers, Fairmiles, various other ships. Role Light AA Barrels Single or twin Range 3 to 4 km Performance 250-320 rounds per barrel per minute (practical) Ammunition HE and SAP Design Date 1939 Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1939 on Comments Oerlikon origin gun produced by the UK and US, and fitted to many ships as basic AA armament. The Mk.VC powered twin mounting (see photos 6 and 7 below) was produced in Canada by General Motors, and was later converted to mount a single 40mm Bofors gun (see photo 8). Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Macpherson, Ken and Milner, Marc. (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catherines, ON. Canadian War Museum Photos 1-8, 10: © Sandy McClearn. Photo 9: © Charles Sadler, courtesy of John Sadler. 1. On SACKVILLE (Flower class). 2. On SACKVILLE (Flower class). 3. On SACKVILLE (Flower class). 4. Plaque in Cdn. War Museum. 5. Single mounting in CWM. 6. On Tribal class model, CWM. 7. On Tribal class model, CWM. 8. Mk.VC twin mounting plaque. 9. On JOLIETTE (River class). 10. Unknown twin mounting at HAIDA. 11. 12. General Dynamics Mk.15 Phalanx 20mm CIWS Block 1 and 1B Fitted to IROQUOIS class (post-TRUMP) destroyers, HALIFAX class frigates, and ATHABASKAN and TERRA NOVA (Gulf War) Role Close-in AA and ASuW Barrels sextuple Range 1.5km effective Performance 3000 to 4500 rounds per minute Ammunition Fixed, APDS. Design Date 1969 (Block 0) with Block 1 entering service in 1988 and Block 1B from 2000. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates Early 1990s to present. Block 1B slowly being retrofitted from 2002 on. Comments Incorporates the M-61A1 gatling gun on the Vulcan Phalanx Mk.72 mounting. Block 1 is 20mm/76, while Block 1B is 20mm/99. Phalanx is a self-contained gun system incorporating its own radar and fire control system. These guns are considered as last-ditch protection against missiles and aircraft. Kits purchased in 2002 to upgrade Block 1 mountings to Block 1B, which incorporates various improvements including a FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) to allow engagement of small, fast surface targets. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Naval Technology website. Photos 1&2: © Sandy McClearn. 1. Block 1. 2. Block 1B with FLIR. 3. Block 1B with FLIR. 40mm/39 (2-Pdr) Mk.II single Fitted to River class destroyers Role AA Barrels Single Range 3.5 km. Performance 50-75 rounds per barrel per minute approx. Ammunition Fixed, HE rounds. Design Date 1914 Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1939 to 1942? Comments Mounting unknown. Often referred to as a Pom-pom gun. Generally similar, but inferior to, the Mk.VIII. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Macpherson, Ken. (1985). The RIVER Class Destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy. Charles J. Musson & Associates, Publishers. Toronto, ON. Metson, Graham. (1981). An East Coast Port...Halifax At War 1939-1945. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Canada. Photo 1: © DND / National Archives of Can. Photo 2: © DND. 1. On OTTAWA (1) (River class). 2. On ASSINIBOINE (River class). 3. 40mm/39 (2-Pdr) Mk.VIII single Fitted to UGANDA / QUEBEC, ONTARIO, Flower and Revised Flower class corvettes, MTBs. Role DP Barrels Single Range 3.5 to 4.5 km. Performance 100 rounds per barrel per minute approx. Ammunition Fixed with HE, AP, and SAP rounds. Design Date 1923 Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1943 to 1950? Comments Cruisers and MTBs used UK origin Mk.VIII gun on a Mk.XVI single power mounting. Corvettes used the Mk.VIII hand operated mounting. Often referred to as a Pom-pom gun. Primarily used as AA weapon on larger ships, but was also used for ASuW, especially on MTBs. In photos 4 and 5 below, the two twin Brownings in the aft gun tub of HMCS SHERBROOKE have been replaced by a single pom-pom (see photos above). Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Correspondence with B. Lake. Canadian War Museum Photos 1, 6-10: © Sandy McClearn Photos 2&3: © DND / B. Lake Photos 4&5: © Rolie Leduc 1. On SACKVILLE (Flower class). 2. Power mounting on ONTARIO. 3. Power mounting on ONTARIO. 4. On SHERBROOKE (Flower class) 5. On SHERBROOKE (Flower class) 6. Removed from Corvette. 7. Removed from Corvette. 8. Removed from Corvette. 9. In CWM. 10. In CWM. 11. 12. 40mm/39 (2-Pdr) Mk.VIII quad Fitted to WARRIOR, UGANDA / QUEBEC, ONTARIO, Tribal class (Batch 1 and Batch 2) destroyers. Role AA Barrels Quad Range 3.5 to 4.5 km. Performance 100 rounds per barrel per minute approx. Ammunition Fixed with HE, AP, and SAP rounds. Design Date 1923, with quad mounting entering service in 1936. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1943-1950 Comments UK origin Mk.VIII guns on a Mk.VII quad mounting. Often referred to as a Pom-pom gun. Two different quad mountings were used for this gun during the Second World War: the older of the two mountings had the guns offset from each other, while the later mounting had the top and bottom barrels in line with each other (see photo 2). Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Gough, Barry M. (2001). HMCS HAIDA - Battle Ensign Flying. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catharines, ON. Correspondence with B. Lake. Canadian War Museum Photo 1: © DND / B. Lake. Photo 2: © G. E. Sullivan. Photo 3&4: © Sandy McClearn 1. On ONTARIO, starboard side. 2. On ONTARIO, above X mounting. 3. On Tribal model in CWM. 4. On Tribal model in CWM. 5. 6. 40mm/39 (2-Pdr) Mk.VI octuple Fitted to ?? Role AA Barrels Octuple Range 3.5 to 4.5 km. Performance 100 rounds per barrel per minute approx. Ammunition Fixed with HE, AP, and SAP rounds. Design Date 1923, with quad mounting entering service in . Approximate Cdn. Service Dates ?? Comments UK origin Mk.VIII guns on a Mk.VI octuple mounting. Often referred to as a Pom-pom gun. May never have seen RCN service as it was mostly used on capital ships. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Metson, Graham. (1981). An East Coast Port...Halifax At War 1939-1945. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Canada. Photo 1: © DND / National Archives of Can. 1. 2. 3. 40mm/56.25 QF Mk.IV Hazemeyer (or Haslemere) Fitted to V anc C class destroyers Role AA Barrels Twin Range Up to 10km. Performance 120 rounds per barrel per minute Ammunition Fixed, HE and SAP rounds. Design Date Late 1930s? Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1940s Comments Watercooled Bofors (probably Mk.IC) guns on the Dutch Hazemeyer tri-axially stabilized mounting. This Dutch mounting arrived in the UK in 1940 on a Dutch destroyer, and was adapted for British use. Often fitted with the Type 282 fire control radar right on the mounting. Gun was water cooled. This mounting was replaced by the less complicated and more reliable Mk.V mounting. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1982. (1983). Conway Maritime Press Ltd., London. Correspondence with B. Lake. Photo 1: © DND. 1. On SIOUX. 2. 3. 40mm/56.25 single Fitted to UGANDA / QUEBEC, ONTARIO Role Primary AA, secondary ASuW. Barrels Single Range Up to 10km. Performance 120 rounds per minute Ammunition Fixed, HE and SAP rounds. Design Date 1940s. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1945-1950. Comments Air cooled Bofors gun on single manual mounting. The gun was operated by two sailors, the "gunlayer" on the left and the "trainer" on the right. The gunlayer elevated the mounting, while the trainer rotated it. Two more sailors were required to load the gun. Photo #4 was taken in the Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, in 2001. From the photographic evidence available, the author presumes this mounting to be similar to the mounting used on Canadian cruisers, but this is not certain. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Correspondence with B. Lake. Photos 1-3: © DND / B. Lake. Photo 4: © Sandy McClearn. 1. On ONTARIO boat deck. 2. On ONTARIO boat deck. 3. On ONTARIO, aft port gun tub. 4. In Sydney Maritime Museum. 5. 6. 40mm/56.25 twin (USN mounting) Fitted to NABOB and PUNCHER Role Primary AA, secondary ASuW. Barrels Twin Range Up to 10km. Performance 120 rounds per minute per barrel Ammunition Fixed, HE and SAP rounds. Design Date 1940s. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1943-1946. Comments Water cooled Bofors guns on twin powered mounting. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Corvus Publishing Group / Canada's Navy Annual. Various Issues. (1985-1991) Roscoe, Theodore. (1949). United States Destroyer Operations in World War Two. Naval Institute Press. (via B. Lake) Correspondence with B. Lake. Photo 1: Courtesy Corvus Pub. Grp. 1. On NABOB. 2. 3. 40mm/56.25 "Boffin" or "Bofin" Fitted to UGANDA / QUEBEC, ONTARIO;  MAGNIFICENT, Tribal (Batch 1 and Batch 2), V, C, some ST. LAURENT class destroyers (ST. LAURENT, SAGUENAY, SKEENA, ASSINIBOINE, and OTTAWA only), PRESTONIAN class frigates, Bay class minesweepers, Porte class gate vessels, KINGSTON class MCDVs, airbases in Europe. Role Primary AA, secondary ASuW. Barrels Single Range Up to 10km. Performance 120 rounds per minute Ammunition Fixed. Unknown rounds, but probably HE and SAP. Design Date Mid-1940s. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1940s to present (though not continuously). Comments Bofors 40mm single gun on an Oerlikon Mk.VC twin mounting intended for 20mm guns (see photo 10 below). The twin Oerlikon mounting had previously seen service with the RCN mounting the intended 20mm guns. The large number of ships and extended period of time over which this gun has served is a misleading indicator as to its actual usefullness, and it should have been retired to museums years ago. First fitted to RCN ships after the Second World War, they have been fitted at one time or another to most major Canadian warships, were retrofitted to ships involved in the 1991 Gulf War, and have been dusted off for use on the present fleet of KINGSTON class MCDVs. The Boffin was installed on 5 of 7 of the original ST. LAURENT class ships. The remaining two ships did not receive it, and in any case the mounting was removed from the other 5 during the DDH refits, if not earlier. The mounting was also fitted to ships that deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1990-91 during the Gulf War (ATHABASKAN (3), TERRA NOVA, and PROTECTEUR). The Mk.VC Boffin mounting has undergone various modifications over the years, and the mounting that is installed on the KINGSTON class MCDVs looks considerably different from the original Boffin mounting. See photos 1 through 3 for the original mounting configuration, which was used as recently as the 1990 Gulf War. The current mounting (photos 4 through 8) has had part of the left side cut away and a new clip rack (which looks similar to that found on the Mk.7 mounting, see below) added to the left rear of the mounting (see photo 4). The original clip rack was horizontal and attached to the right side of the mounting (see photo 2 in particular). Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Corvus Publishing Group / Canada's Navy Annual. Various Issues. (1985-1991) Correspondence with B. Lake. Correspondence with K. Chaddock. Canadian War Museum HMCS HAIDA National Historic Site Photo 1: © M.D. Thomas Photo 2: © Rolie Leduc Photo 3: Courtesy Corvus Pub. Grp. Photos 4-10:  © Sandy McClearn. 1. On HAIDA. 2. On QUEBEC. 3. During Gulf War (1990/91). 4. On MCDV (left side). 5. On MCDV (right side). 6. On MCDV (right front side). 7. On MCDV (left side). 8. On MCDV (right side). 9. In CWM. 10. 11. 12. 40mm/56.25 (Bofors) Mk.7 Fitted to MAGNIFICENT, CRUSADER, possibly CRESCENT, some Tribals. Role Primary AA, secondary ASuW. Barrels Single Range Up to 10km. Performance 120 rounds per minute Ammunition Fixed. Unknown rounds, but probably HE and SAP. Design Date Mid-1940s. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1945s to 1960s. ?? Comments CRUSADER carried the mounting shown in Photo #1 below in 1945, and it was still installed circa 1950 when the photo was taken, although two Boffin mountings had also been installed by this time. The mounting is assumed to be an RN pattern Mk.7 Bofors mounting due to its appearance and the timeframe, but identification is not certain. Mountings of similar appearance also appear in photos of various Tribal class destroyers, usually between the funnels, sometimes in combination with Boffin mountings. Conway's (see sources below) stated that ATHABASKAN and CAYUGA received the Mk.7 mounting in place of the Boffin, which suggests that this mounting was indeed used by the RCN, although ATHABASKAN and CAYUGA appear to have carried the Mk.7 forward and the Boffin mounting aft. The Mk.7 mounting may be very similar to the Mk.9 mounting in appearance. CRESCENT may also have used this mounting, although the author has no photos at this time to confirm this. Corrections are welcomed. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1982. (1983). Conway Maritime Press Ltd., London. Correspondence with B. Lake. Chatham Historic Dockyard Photo 1: © DND. Photos 2&3:  © M.D. Thomas. Photos 4&5:  © G. E. Sullivan. Photos 6-9:  © Sandy McClearn 1. On CRUSADER. 2. Mk.7 mounting on HMS BATTLEAXE. 3. Mk.7 mounting on HMS CAVALIER. 4. 5. 6. Chatham Historic Dockyard 7. On HMS CAVALIER. 8. On HMS CAVALIER. 9. On HMS CAVALIER. 40mm/56.25 on Mk.IV mounting Fitted to UGANDA / QUEBEC, ONTARIO, MICMAC. Role Primary AA, secondary ASuW. Barrels Quad Range Up to 10km. Performance 120 rounds per minute Ammunition Fixed. Unknown rounds, but probably HE and SAP. Design Date Early 1940s. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates Late 1940s / Early 1950s. Comments Bofors gun on US origin quad mounting. Fitted in B position on MICMAC after her 1947 collision, as she could not yet support the weight of the twin 4" mountings. Mounting on MICMAC was fitted with a gun shield. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1982. (1983). Conway Maritime Press Ltd., London. Correspondence with B. Lake. Photo 1: © DND / RCL White Ensign. 1. On MICMAC. 2. 3. 40mm/56.25 Mk.V Fitted to MAGIFICENT, CRUSADER, Tribal class (Batch 2) destroyers, and PRESTONIAN class frigates. Role Primary AA, secondary ASuW. Barrels Twin Range Up to 10km. Performance 120 rounds per minute Ammunition Fixed. Unknown rounds, but probably HE and SAP. Design Date 1940s. Approximate Cdn. Service Dates 1940s to 1960s. Comments Bofors guns on a new twin RP50 Mk.VC mounting (which was a slight improvement over the British RP50 Mk.V mounting pictured below). Replaced the Mk.IV Hazemeyer mounting. Used optical director. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1982. (1983). Conway Maritime Press Ltd., London. Correspondence with B. Lake. German, Tony. (1990). The Sea is at our Gates - The History of the Canadian Navy. McClelland and Stewart Inc. Toronto, ON. Canadian War Museum Photos 1-3: © M.D. Thomas. Photo 4: © DND / B. Lake. Photos 5-8: © Sandy McClearn. 1. On HMS BELFAST. 2. On HMS BERMUDA. 3. On HMS BERMUDA (side view). 4. Director and mounting on STETTLER. 5. On HMAS VAMPIRE. 6. On HMAS VAMPIRE. 7. In CWM. 8. In CWM. 9. 47mm/40 (Hotchkiss 3 Pdr) QF Fitted to Fairmile Motor Launches Role Barrels Single Range Performance Ammunition Design Date Approximate Cdn. Service Dates Comments Originally mounted on cruisers in the late 19th century, and converted to saluting guns, but converted back for use on motor launches. The mounting shown in photos 2 through 4 was originally installed on HMS ANTRIM. Sources Naval Weapons of the World website. Maritime Museum of Quebec Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Photo 1: Roy Woodruff coll., courtesy of the Naval Museum of Quebec and the Maritime Museum of Quebec. Photos 2-4: © Sandy McClearn 1. On Fairmile Q-074. 2. In Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. 3. In Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.