Quote:
Originally Posted by DWalt
A very few U. S. vessels were equipped with 1.1" AA guns throughout WWII, but most were given the deep 6 very early on in the war by replacing them with the Bofors 40mm, which was far more effective. The Oerlikon 20mm was also fairly effective as AA if the enemy planes got in close enough.
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The 1.1" had a very interesting action with a very mild recoil. The problem was that it was VERY complicated for the result achieved, from a requirement that was essentially obsolete by the time the gun was fielded.
The 1.1" was designed to deal with aircraft which by the time it entered service, only the British were using. The projectile was designed to detonate upon impact with a doped fabric fuselage or wing, an important consideration... if we were attacked by Fairey Swordfish. There was no problem getting a conventional impact fuse to detonate when it struck a Val or a Kate.