USN MK 59 VT Fuze

[raymeketa]

I also posted this over on the "Cutaway" forum hoping to get a response.

I want to fabricate a replica MK 59 VT fuze to complete the restoration of a 5"/54 projectile but cannot find any details of the interior of the fuze. I have the usual photographs and drawings of the outside but nothing to tell me what the guts looked like and how much of the interior detail can be seen through the green plastic exterior. I know that all of the early USN VT fuzes had similar interior components and functions but the MK 59 was a new and larger fuze and must have had it's own unique features.

Anbody???

Here's a photo of one that I made a while back. I patterned it after the MK 58 but I'm really just guessing. It's dimensionally correct but the camera angle makes it look wrong, especially the bottom.

What do you guys think? Anybody seen one??

Ray

 

[Mrfuze]

VT fuzes MK 59 fuze & cutaway

Hi Ray,
I have 2 fuzes in my collection , also as a cutaway. From the outer geometrical shape these could be the MK 59 fuzes, but I am not certain, since there are no markings on both of them. The difference on these fuzes is the largest diameter body, one has a more straight contour with an edge, the other is ogive shaped only. Certainly both of the fuzes are WW II area fuzes, indicated by the clear dome shaped plastic heads. I hope this helps a little!
Mrfuze, USA

 

[raymeketa]

Mrfuze

Those photos help, a lot. They certainly look like MK59 or some variation of it. The MK 59 had a 2.35" x 10 thread and a largest diameter of 2.7", so they were bigger than the older fuzes, in order to fit the 5"/54 HC projectile without the need for an adapter..

It's interesting that one of yours has a steel perforated cap while the other has the plain transmitter/receiver nose. But since this was a time of development and experimentation I suppose that would be expected.

With your OK I will copy the photos for my files and consider making another replica more along their lines.

Thanks

Ray

 

[Darren]

Hi Ray,
I have 2 fuzes in my collection , also as a cutaway. From the outer geometrical shape these could be the MK 59 fuzes, but I am not certain, since there are no markings on both of them. The difference on these fuzes is the largest diameter body, one has a more straight contour with an edge, the other is ogive shaped only. Certainly both of the fuzes are WW II area fuzes, indicated by the clear dome shaped plastic heads. I hope this helps a little!
Mrfuze, USA

Nice fuzes that you have there Mrfuze, great cutaways!

Darren

 

[Mrfuze]

Hi Ray,
of course you can use the images from me, if you need any more measurements , maybe from the internal parts also, let me know!
Mrfuze, USA

 

[Nudelmannrichter]

Hi,

whithin the next couple of days I shall recieve several parts of these types of vt-fuzes, as far as I know it will be the electronic tube amplifier unit, placed in the fuze top, the electric ignition unit placed in the bottom of the fuze and maybe the mechanical safety unit from the bottom.

As far as I remember, the parts look slightly different from the ones in the fuzes mrfuze showed above. If helpful I can try to make some pictures and measurement of this and provide.

best regards
nudelmannrichter

 

[raymeketa]

Yes

I would like to see photos of any parts that you can find. I'm sure others may want to see them also. There seems to be little information available on the MK 59. Maybe it was short lived and replaced by another MK ??

Ray

 

[Mrfuze]

Hi ray, all what I have (from original OP,s) right now:
The MK 59 VT fuze was used for projectiles out of the 5/54 and 6/47 gun.
Drawing # GA 459699
It incorporates the aux. det. fuze MK 44 and the rear fitting S & A device MK 8.
It was designed with contour of fuze MK 54 for use in 5/54 and 6/47 projos.
It is similar to the MK 53 VT fuze with improved water proofing compounds and reserve energizer.
Mrfuze, USA

 

[Nudelmannrichter]

ok, here we go.
Finally I recieved the parts and managed to picture them a little bit.

Unfortunately I am not really sure if all that helps, because how can I see if these are MK 59 fuzes.

One of these I have here is marked T74E6 LOT 5017.
I found ot that the T74E6 is a fuze type that has been used during WW2 but how about the nomenclatura MK... (Mark xx)? Maybe somebody knows.

I can also do some measurement but therefore it would be good if I will be told what points have to be measured to help. At the moment I have no time to do a good 3D model.

First the one with only the outer parts sectionned.

 

[US-Subs]

The T designation before the number was used for ordnance test items until the mid 1950s, when it changed to XM for experimental. If the item was adopted for use the designation was then changed to an M or MK number, not necessarily the same number (i.e. the T77 became the M121).

The MK (mark) designation was used primarily by the US Navy (couple of exceptions with the Army) and continues to be in use today. Unfortunately the MK designation does nothing to date your fuze.

 

[Nudelmannrichter]

ah ok, I had somthing like that in mind, good to be confirmed. Yes, the Mark is not a key for the year like to be seen at much of the early german stuff.

Do you know to which Mark the T74E6 was changed if it was?
Would be interesting due to this thread deals with the MK59
Year of the T74E6 is 1944, as far as I could find thru the net it was used from 16th of Dec 1944 up to 1st of May 1945 by AA units of the First Army. These types were said to won the Battle of the Bulge by Patton as they also used them not only for AA-Guns but also for field artillery.

Here some pics of the scond fuze, same type but completely sectionned.

 

[Nudelmannrichter]

here a comparison half and fully sectionned

 

[Nudelmannrichter]

and finally some separate internal parts like electronic tube unit, electric ingnitor

best regards
nudelmannrichter

P.S. little additional info: as I found out the small item next to the ignitor is a mercury switch...

 

[Darren]

Those are some great fuzes that you have there, pretty lucky to get hold of them.

Darren

 

[raymeketa]

Yes, I agree. Those are some great fuzes to have in a collection, and I really appreciate your photos.

If they are marked with "T" numbers, they are most likely Army. I've never heard of the USN using that designation system, although that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

But since both the Army and Navy fuzes were nearly identical in shape and function it could mean that a "T" Army fuze may be exactly the same as a "MK" Navy fuze.

I think the one feature that set the MK 59 apart from the others, at the time, was its size. It was made for the new 5"/54 projectile and so it had a 2.35" thread, 10TPI, compared with the others that were 2", 12TPI. It also had a 2" lower body diameter compared with 1.8" for the others. It was also longer and heavier.

Thanks again for posting the photos.

Ray

 

[Nudelmannrichter]

yep, those I have here have definitely 2" thread, and as far as I know they come from abandoned ammo that has been used at artillery positions to cover an area where the US troops crossed the Rhein river. As I was told the VT fuze made the US troops able to shoot behind the Rhein dam while the shells detonated a bit above the ground so the germans where not able to hide in foxholes or whatever and the dam was no shelter too. I must countercheck these info a bit, maybe more interesting history comes out.

regards
nudelmannrichter