Real deck gun loading times?

[Paul Riley]

Does anyone know the real loading times for the deck gun,and the larger deck gun you get later on? (I forgot its calibre rating).I am simply trying to find a reasonable figure in my Commander setup while maintaining realism.I seem to think 10 secs is reasonable?,and 15 secs for the larger gun?,owing to the increased size and weight of the shell.

Cheers.

[RConch]

All shells were stored inside the boat and had to relayed up through the hatch in the tower and then down a chute to the gun crew.
The shells weighed approx 30 lbs. for a 8.8.
If everyone is lined up and in position, baring slips and drops, 15 seconds sounds reasonable per round.
The most time was spent getting everyone and every thing set up.

[Paul Riley]

15 secs for the 8.8 ,and say 20 secs for the 10.5?
Thanks.

[Jimbuna]

The firing times of deck guns have been a consistent topic of debate over the years.

Here is a reputable source that suggests as little as 3/5 seconds per round (some rounds were stored on the deck nearby the gun for ready use) in ideal conditions with a well trained crew.

http://www.uboataces.com/weapon-deck-gun.shtml

What the tue figure was is probably anyones guess.

[Paul Riley]

3-5 seconds?! ,bloody hell thats fast.
I have set my 8.8 to 12 secs and the 10.5 to 15 secs,this seems reasonable

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

3-5 seconds?! ,bloody hell thats fast.
I have set my 8.8 to 12 secs and the 10.5 to 15 secs,this seems reasonable

Actually I agree with you but in ideal/calm conditions and with a well drilled team it was probably possible....I couldn't imagine it being achievable in battle conditions though.

Ammunition for the 8.8 cm and 10.5 cm guns came assembled and was loaded in one operation after which the breach would be closed with a single rotation of its operating lever. The gun was then ready to lay and fire.

A good loader could theoretically trip the cartidge extractors automatically closing the breach and saving one operation but doing so would require cleaning of all protective grease, of which generally there was a considerable amount, from the breech mechanism. So the 3-4 second figure is probably very optimistic and unsustainable for any length of time.

Getting the gun ready for the opening round and securing it after the action probably took some time as well. There are incidents recorded of failing to remove the tampion (muzzle cap) before firing which likely resulted in the muzzle being shot off. Other instances of burst barrels might be attributed to excessive corrosion in the tube or the build-up of solidified grease creating overpressure behind the shell and causing the tube to fail.

I would guess that 5-rounds per minute for the 8.8 (12-seconds) and 4 for the 10.5 (15 seconds) is probably very generous in the real world. I use 20 and 30 seconds respectively but then almost never use the gun in action.

[frau kaleun]

OMG I've heard about deck gun threads!

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

OMG I've heard about deck gun threads!

What's the big deal?

When retired real-world gunners see topics about gunnery not diving in head first can be a bit difficult at times.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Randomizer

What's the big deal?

When retired real-world gunners see topics about gunnery not diving in head first can be a bit difficult at times.

One can only hope. I've got lots of popcorn.

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

One can only hope. I've got lots of popcorn.

Well, popcorn is always good and however many grains of salt you do not need for the discussion just make it that much better. Particularly if there are a couple of golden sodas to help wash it down.

The ol'lady always found gunnery a tiresome topic too. Can't understand why though...

[vergol]

Speaking of deck guns, I've noticed they don't appear in the tech availability timeline. I see torps and flak, but not deck guns.

Anyone know how I can fill that gap?

[KL-alfman]

Originally Posted by vergol

Speaking of deck guns, I've noticed they don't appear in the tech availability timeline. I see torps and flak, but not deck guns.

Anyone know how I can fill that gap?

I'd suppose, both guns (are there more? ) were available from the beginning. it depended on the type of U-Boot which one was installed.

[Sailor Steve]

Yes, a 3 or 4 inch deck gun can be loaded and fired in four seconds. If the crew is fresh, if the shells are handy (they did have a ready-use locker by the gun). The problem is firing it. A submarine sits very low in the water, and is not what you would call a stable platform. There is no stabilization available, so the gunner has to fire "on the roll" as the sailing ship guys used to say. And that's in a calm sea. As the weather gets worse, so do the firing conditions. The game doesn't take any of this into account, so people have tried in the past adjusting the loading times according to real-world averages, which did indeed lead to some "fun" arguments.

I keep my 8.8cm set to 10 seconds and the 10.5cm set for 12 seconds. If the weather gets worse I manually halt the firing to get a slower rate.

Originally Posted by vergol

Speaking of deck guns, I've noticed they don't appear in the tech availability timeline. I see torps and flak, but not deck guns.

Anyone know how I can fill that gap?

Fill it to what? Type VII u-boats came with an 8.8cm gun, and Type IXs had the 10.5cm gun. There were no upgrades or options available, except to remove them later in the war.

[vergol]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Fill it to what? Type VII u-boats came with an 8.8cm gun, and Type IXs had the 10.5cm gun. There were no upgrades or options available, except to remove them later in the war.

You've just answered my question. Thank you.