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 Author  Topic: .30 cal cockpit gun
AlmKord

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of AlmKord  Posted on: Jun 24, 2009 - 9:05am
I've resently read that some boats had .30 cal machine guns mounted on the board below the windshield. It was used by the second officer. It was refered to as the "cockpit gun" . I haven't found any pictures of boats with this gun mounted where they say it should be mounted but I know as the war went on the boats gained more and more arament. Any thoughts?


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Blake

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Blake   Send Email To Blake Posted on: Jun 24, 2009 - 10:33am
Ed Casacia has done quite a bit of research on the armament added to PTs. Here's a picture of his PT 495 Ron 33 model in progress that shows the addition of a .30 cal on either side of the cockpit & the extra twin .50 cal just inside the port torpedo rack. The 2nd photo shows the same port .30 cal at the far right side of the image with the canvas cover on the gun. I've never seen a .30 cal mounted just below the windshield but thought these guns might be the same ones you were referring to. As I research my uncle's service with Ron 33 & collect info to build the Italeri kit as PT 488 I'm always amazed at how much I don't know. That said, there are people who know much more than I about PTs, but thought I'd throw out what I have seen. Also the Images I posted were borrowed from others on the forum & are not mine. I've borrowed them with only the intent to share info & the credit should go to those who own & have posted the originals.
Hope that helps.
Blake-


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AlmKord

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of AlmKord  Posted on: Jun 24, 2009 - 11:07am
Thanks for the pictures and the info. I'll put it to good use.


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AlmKord

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of AlmKord  Posted on: Jun 24, 2009 - 11:30am
I'm looking to mount one on the 728, to enhance our display of weapons. Does anyone know what type of mount was used? Was it a standard jeep mount or was it something special?


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Frank J Andruss Sr

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank J Andruss Sr   Send Email To Frank J Andruss Sr Posted on: Jun 24, 2009 - 4:36pm
As a .30 caliber machine gun was not part of the standard factory mounted wepaons systems, most gunners mates simply mounted these weapons on a pipe mount using wooden ammo boxes. Some even had twin .30 caliber mounts. The pintal just slid into the pipe top, and threw out some pretty good lead.


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Allan

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Allan   Send Email To Allan Posted on: Jun 24, 2009 - 7:36pm
My reasearch has uncovered the following: At least two of the Division 17 boats, the 114 and the 120, had .30-cal. Browning M 1919 A4 machine guns mounted on top of one of the torpedo tubes on each boat. I have not been able to ascertain whether it was a forward or after tube. These were added early summer of 1943. These particular guns must have become available in a lot and they were mounted by the base force assigned to USS Hilo. These same type guns were used in the standard tripod mount system on the deck and forward of the chart house on PTs 113 and 120. But it appears that these two guns may have been moved from boat to boat, depending upon who was going out on patrol. CMoMM John Masters was killed while operating one of these on the foredeck of the 120 during a lively attack in January of '43. They became available early to the Div 17 boats but it seems that the first two may well have been "traded" away from Australian units before they were to become available "officially". Action reports show very large amounts of .30-cal. ammo being expended during attacks. Biggest drawback was that they had to be fired in short bursts because the lightweight barrels were prone to severe overheating. They were used "in close" where the fifties became inneffective on the low-riding troop laden barges. And-- they were highly maneuverable, therefore, effective against enemy personnel.

Those six little boats of Div 17 did a lot of damage-- with damned little in the way of support.

Allan


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