A Vickers-Armstrong design built specifically for the training cruiser La Argentina.
This gun is interesting as it was a semi-automatic design firing separate ammunition whereas contemporary British 6"/50 (15.2 cm) designs built for the Royal Navy were hand-operated bag guns.
Constructed of autofretted loose liner, jacket and breech ring. Used a horizontal sliding breech block with semi-automatic operation.
| Designation | 6"/50 (15.2 cm) QF Mark W |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | La Argentina |
| Date Of Design | 1936 |
| Date In Service | 1939 |
| Gun Weight | 6.776 tons (6.885 mt) |
| Gun Length oa | 315.54 in (7.9894 mm) |
| Bore Length | 300.0 in (7.620 m) |
| Rifling Length | 253.70 in (6.444 m) |
| Grooves | (40) 0.06 x 0.315 in (1.27 x 8.00 mm) |
| Lands | 0.156 in (3.96 mm) |
| Twist | Uniform RH 1 in 30 |
| Chamber Volume | 1,500 in3 (24.58 dm3) |
| Rate Of Fire | about 10 rounds per minute |
| Type | Separate |
|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights | CPC 4crh: 100 lbs. (45.3 kg)
HE 4crh: 100 lbs. (45.3 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | CPC: 7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg)
HE: 13.3 lbs. (6.0 kg) |
| Projectile Length | CPC: 23.5 in (59.7 cm)
HE: 22.9 in (58.2 cm) |
| Propellant Charge | N/A
Cartridge weighed 69 lbs. (31.3 kg) |
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,953 fps (900 mps) |
| Working Pressure | 19 tons/in2 (2,990 kg/cm2) |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 45 degrees | 25,700 yards (23,500 m) |
| Designation | Three-gun Turrets: La Argentina (3): N/A |
|---|---|
| Weight | 132 - 139 tons (134 - 141 mt) including 60 ready rounds |
| Elevation | -7 / +45 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | N/A |
| Train | about +150 / -150 degrees |
| Train Rate | N/A |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
- Guns were in separate sleeves but could be coupled together in pairs or as a triple.
- There was no break in the hoists between the magazines and the guns. Hoists came up to the right of the left gun and to the right of the other two guns. Shells and cartridges were hoisted in the same cage and transferred to the loading cage in the gunhouse.
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Cruisers of World War Two" by M.J. Whitley
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Special help from George v. Rauch
27 November 2007 - Benchmark
02 December 2015 - Changed Vickers Photographic Archive links to point at Wayback Archive
29 December 2023 - Converted to HTML 5 format, added photographs