HMS Exeters fore guns angle of arc

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Kev D
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HMS Exeters fore guns angle of arc

Post by Kev D »

Hi Gents,

Having been queried a few times re the accuracy of the fore-gun angles on the painting I had commissioned after we discovered the wreck of HMS Exeter back in 2007, thought I'd post the following which shows just what an acute angle the fore guns could train aft on. Schematic from official plans of Exeter: Red dots mark B turrets angle of train, green dots A turrets. As they say, or to paraphrase in this instance, a schematic is worth a thousand words.

It also shows just who Exeter was concerned with / firing on in her last moments, i.e. the southern Jap cruisers, Haguro and Nachi, which were not abeam as portrayed in Capt Gordon's post war drawing.

Also recent historical photos have turned up that seem to confirm that one of Exeters port torpedo warheads 'dislodged' prior to firing and now rests (or did before her recent salvage) under the tubes, as is shown in u/w photos I took.

For more info on the background of the painting, should one so desire, please visit; http://www.jamesaflood.com/exeter.html
Attachments
x Exeter painting -gun angle plan.jpg
x Exeter painting -gun angle plan.jpg (113.78 KiB) Viewed 10242 times
We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant. HMS Repulse. Dec. 8 1941
A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942