Anti Submarine DCT cases etc

[charley777]

Greetings...can anyone help with info??
I have four cases (all made from adapted existing cartridge cases) that are connected with Depth Charge Throwers and A/S mortars.
1) 32x70R(x48) HS: LOT 7 11 51 B B CO 328379-I-I 1.75in P.C.MK.2
shortened,necked 2PrNo1 case without primer

2) 63x152R(x76) HS: VT(in triangle) MK.II N P.H.1944
HS crossed out : 6Pr LOT307 NP VAEL N 1943
shortened 6Pr8cwt case with neck lathed out, and longer
and wider primer and tube


3) 83x156R(x104) HS: CIT N7 TRE MK1 N 1960
HS crossed out : 12Pr 12cwt I LOT 13 ECC 1956
shortened 12Pr12cwt case with longer and wider primer
and tube

4) 88x304R(x116) HS: A/S MARK 10 MORTAR MK2 LOT3 ECC FV N 1955
shortened 3in 20cwt case

So can anyone point me to a source of info on these and other similar cases and their weapons. 1) is from Hedgehog? 2) maybe Squid or Limbo? I have John Campbell's Naval Weapons of WW2...not much info though...

 

[glevum]

Anti Submarine Mortar Mark 10 is the designator for Limbo. So the case marked A.S. Mark 10 is a Limbo Case.

Limbo had a max range of about 1000 yards, Squid had a max range of less than 300 yards, The squid propelling charges are much smaller than the Limbo ones.

Hedgehog had a separate propelling cartridge and primer, but I have never seen either.

 

[nitrocellulose]

Hedgehog is a spigot type munition fired from a multiple discharger. I don't normally like Wikipedia for references, but this one is pretty good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_(weapon)

 

[TimG]

1) Is an 'Hedgehog' propelling cartridge. There would normally be a cardboard tube extending from the mouth of the case, giving it the appearance of a giant rim-fire shot round. The cartridge was electrically fired, with the wires passing through the top of the cardboard tube. The cartridge was fitted inside the tubular tail of the mortar.

This case was made by the Barking Brass Company, Creek Road, Barking.

2) This case was made by Vickers Armstrong, Elswick (VAEL) some work, maybe reloading was carried out at Priddys Hard in 1944 (P.H. 1944).
The primer is of antipodean origin.

3) & 4) Cases were made by Edward Curran & Co.

A 'square on' photo of the headstamp on case 3 would be much appreciated.

Regards

TimG.

 

[Falcon]

There is also a 2 Pounder one of these. I have a case marked "2PR I & II GUNS & 9.5IN D.C.T." Made in 1929.

 

[TimG]

Charley,

There is a noticeable lack of information on Royal Naval weapons.

Suggest you try contacting Firepower Museum

http://www.explosion.org.uk/Research.html

If you look through their site there is an article on a 'Limbo' the have restored.

www.explosion.org.uk

The following is a link to the handbook for an American depth charge thrower. Which, IIRC looks very similar to one of ours.

http://www.hnsa.org/doc/destroyer/depthprojector/index.htm#pg8

Regards

TimG

 

[Tony Williams]

Slightly OT, but the Explosion museum is a great place to visit if you're ever near Portsmouth, although check the opening hours. There's also Fort Nelson in the same area.

 

[charley777]

Thanks everybody for the information and links. I will get a better photo of case three HS early next week.

 

[radioman1]

Hello All
Info on Projectile AS and its cartridge case.

1 first Projectile AS fist manufactuered 1n the early 40s HE mk 3

" later 1s where HE mk 6 Both types filled with minol approx weight Fuzed 392 lbs + or - 2 lbs

3 info abot the fuze on wikipedia is wrong it was not contact but was set to the depth before firing

4 the case in the pict is for the HE proj filled with aprox 29 ozs of propellant well called AS 29. For the prac proj mk 4 i think aprox weight of proj was round about 130 lbs used a smaller case filled will 11 ozs of propellant AS 11

5 far as i can remember the AS 29 case after firing was reworked and refilled there was a cup lid pushed into place and glued

6 The UK proj was superceded by a Canadian 1 Never worked on 1 so cant give you any info on filling. but where yellow in color .

7 Heghog worked on them only 1 time many many years ago and as far as i can remember they used a contact fuze.

Hope this info helps

Steve
Ex RNAD Trecwn

 

[2pounder]

a/s mortar

there is also a case 65 x 170R knurled rim marked A/S 13 dated1955 by ECC screw in primer. Any ideas what that is for? 2pr

 

[tigbrand]

A/s 13

Hi Clive ,A/S 13 is for Squid i believe,these are found in various different case lengths. Mine are packed away so cannot take pics. The same applies to A/S MK 10 cases,i have 2 different case lengths. Will try to remember to snap picks of these tomorrow. Cheers Tony.

 

[charley777]

Another photo of the base of #3 plus one with the primer removed.
The stencil :- SUK/T RNP. 2218
19 OZ MK.N 10
SKF/V . 1-65

 

[Falcon]

I have one of these cases made from a shortened 6Pr Mk V case that has been re-stamped "A/S 3", n reloaded at Priddy's Hard in 1952. What type of AS eapon was this for?

I also have a case that looks to have been made as an AS case that measures 64 x 171R. This is marked "A/S 12" and was made by ECC in 1954. What was this used for?

Thanks for any info.

 

[Tony Williams]

The A/S 12 is a Limbo mortar charge, I believe.

 

[Falcon]

I don't think it is for the Limbo as the Limbo was designated A/S mark 10 and used a much larger case based on a cut down 3" 20 CWT.

 

[Tony Williams]

I am pretty certain that there were no RN AS mortars after the Limbo, so what a later Mark might be I have no idea.

 

[ken68]

AS mark 10 limbo mortar

Hi i picked up this cut down AS mark 10 for the Limbo , bummer its been cut down few quid off ebay . had a load of candle wax in it , nice head stamp , also has H.M.S ARETHUSA 1976 79 inscribed on the side .

cheers ken

 

[Hoeksel]

I recently learned from a collector friend (R. van D., not sure if he is on this forum) that case # 1 is indeed for the Hedgehog and in origin it is a 2 part system. The pictures are clear for explaining this. I have never seen the 2nd part. In my collection I have 2 US cases like shown in this topic (1 is for trade) and a UK 2-pounder case.

 

[Richard709]

Hi to All,

I have 2 cases an AS12 & AS13, both cases are identical in height and diameter.

AS12 - 171x64mm made 1965 ECC lot 40, Primer has been reworked and is a N38 Mk 1, CY 8/74 - inked mark RW CY 11/77.
stencil on case reads - MK N29, RNP 2796, 11oz - 44GR, TRE 1-78.

AS13 - 171x64 made 1961, ECC, lot 1 knurled edge to base, no primer.



The AS13 Has been polished by someone in the past and all the stencil information has been lost.
Richard

 

[wichitaslumlord]

The 2 cartridges I have pictured are for the Hedgehog but the domed brass cap on the left in pictures 1, 2, and 5 is a mystery. It came with the two launching cartridges and is supposedly a Fuse cover to protect the fuse while awaiting firing on deck. It would be removed just before launching. It is 57mm tall and 45mm inside diameter. Any thoughts would be appreciated. THANKS! Pat