British WW2 3.5pdr shell dated 1944

[Rrickoshae]

Good morning, does anyone have info. on this shell? It’s marked 3 1/2pd, VAD 1944. The drive band is very slightly tapered towards the base and the fuze looks very similar to that used with 40mm Bofors but is unmarked. It’s 47mm calibre.

any thoughts?

many thanks, Dave

 

[TimG]

Educated guess - HE variant of 47mm Vickers Class P Gun, experimentally fitted to Hawker Tempest.

TimG

See here - https://www.quarryhs.co.uk/47mmUK.pdf - see 47 x 326R. Alas, the P Gun link doesn't work (for me).

 

[Rrickoshae]

Many thanks for that Tim, that’s probably it. The link doesn’t work for me either,

Dave

 

[Tony Williams]

I don't think so: this is the extract in my Autocannon book (see also the final group of ammo on my website - hope it works): https://web.archive.org/web/20220621045956/https://www.quarryhs.co.uk/tankammo1.html

Vickers 3½ PR (47 x 428R)

All that is known of this late-WW2 project for a British naval automatic AA gun is a brief entry in Campbell's Naval Weapons of World War 2, to the effect that two prototype guns had been made by Vickers Armstrong (one with the barrel recoiling through the water jacket, the other with the water jacket recoiling with the barrel), and the ammunition used 613 g of NF/S 093-031 propellant to drive a 1,590 g projectile at a muzzle velocity of c.1,020 m/s. It appears that the automatic mechanism was never fully developed and the project was cancelled in 1946. No examples of the ammunition are known to exist, but recently a factory drawing of the round came to light and the replica shown in the Experimental group photo was made using that. The overall length of the round is 611 mm.

 

[Rrickoshae]

Actually that would make more sense Tony, the proj. is more AA shape. Thank you very much and the link to your amazing site & info will be of interest many readers I’m sure.

Dave

 

[Tony Williams]

You're welcome!

Actually it was the designation which tipped me off: "3 1/2 pdr" is more of a naval designation (or maybe army) in late W W2, the RAF would have used metric calibres.

 

[Uktripwire7]

Good morning, does anyone have info. on this shell? It’s marked 3 1/2pd, VAD 1944. The drive band is very slightly tapered towards the base and the fuze looks very similar to that used with 40mm Bofors but is unmarked. It’s 47mm calibre.

any thoughts?
?
many thanks, Dave

Looks like the early 6PR 6cwt AA?? Fuze No.370....or without more details, the 2PR 75cal fuzed No255?