HISPANO OR OERLIKON 20MM 1942/3

20MM Oerlikon or Hispano 1942

At the begging of the dive seasson 2015 came across 3 20mm live rounds covered in marine stone calcium deposits,,,, for 70 years under water, so after 3 months soaking in soloition they have cleaned up and we have dates calibare size just to give you idea of were and when it was involved during the war.
 In the buildup to the Second World War, the United Kingdom had embarked on a programme to develop cannon-armed fighters. They acquired a licence to build the HS.404, which entered production as the Hispano Mk.I intended as aeroplane armament. 

Its first use was in the Westland Whirlwind of 1940, and later in the more powerful Bristol Beaufighter, providing the Royal Air Force with powerful cannon-armed interceptors.The Beaufighter highlighted the need for a belt feed mechanism; as a nightfighter the 60-round drums needed to be replaced in the dark by the Radar Operator, often while the aircraft was manoeuvering to keep sight of its quarry. In addition, the early trial installations in the Hawker huicane and Supermarine Spitfire had shown a tendency for the gun to jam during combat manouvres, leading to some official doubt as to the suitability of cannons as the sole main armament. bsequently a suitable belt-feeding system was developed by Mark Baker and the new design was adopted by the RAF in 1941 in a slightly modified form as the Hispano Mk.II. Four cannons replaced the eight .303 Browning machine guns in the Hurricane.

The British were concerned their production would be inadequate and licensed production of the Hispano to the US. However, the US production never became satisfactory and the British eventually gave up on the U.S. versions. British production was eventually increased to the point where this was no longer an issue. The ultimate version of the British wartime Hispanos was the Hispano Mk. V, which had a shorter barrel, and lacked the cocking cylinder thus requiring Manuel cocking before flight. It was lighter and had a higher rate of fire (desirable in aircraft armament), although at the expense of some muzzle velocity. The shorter barrel meant that the weapon could be housed within the wing of a fighter plane, reducing drag and making them less vulnerable to freezing and mechanical stress. One of the main British fighters to use the Mk. V was the Hawker Tempest mounted two cannons in each wing. 




Or is it the widely produced by Oerlikon contraves and others, with various models employed by both Allied and Axis forces during WWII, and many versions still in use today.All war ships British and American we fitted with these machine guns 20mm stop any plane  which 

was widely used

from 1942..So if you zoom in on the photo on the top right you can just make out the markings 


'1942   FJN   U S   MKII   20MM   WB 191' In between the U S there is an anchor if you look 

closely




Caution, All live ammo should be treated with caution and even more cation if removed from the sea 

as the cordite is more volatile after 70 years....

Weekend Diving @ Dawn Diving Malta.

Well the summer is coming and now its time to work again,Living and working in Malta and in the Diving industry can be tough, but its every ones DREAM! So last week i popped into Dawn diving for coffee ad chat and Big Trevor (if you know him,you will understand nearly 7ft of diving machine)
ask's if i am free for the weekend for some diving? so hell yes not that i need to find and excuse to jump in the water, So i find out its recreational dive! Oh i said and off home i went and packed all my side mount and tec gear away and blew off the cobwebs of my regs and bcd and thought hard wet suit or dry suit straight away i headed to the kit room at home and fetched out my undersuit packed and ready.

So sat 8am i roll up out side meet by dave fantastic guy and instructor i have know just over year, he there counting out the cyl for the groups, then Trevor appears with big smile and list of my divers for the days guided dives, followed by Jane the better looking part of Dawn ;-) with big cup of Coffee 2 sugars white!!! what a way the start the day, so we get the vans loaded all the kit and paper work is done by 08.10, now its time for the divers, and they all turn up by 08.20 wowowo 10 min early, they get there kit sorted and then loaded, we had clients out for PADI Deep Spec and few guys from SIA CP UK doing their open water courses and me out on guided dives.

So we head out to West of the island to Cirkewwa Dive site once there its booming with divers from all over the island, well what would you expect Malta just won 3 place as best diving destination in the world. so we fight for parking and get all the vans together.Dave our driver jumps out and grabs his students and gives the low down on the site toilets and food and drink area, entry exit areas and heads straight into the main briefing, i have head off with my guys and briefing on the P29 Ex German mine sweeper starts,... Trevor in the back ground sorting out his student for deep diving....

All kitted up and off we go, the day was fantastic there was no push or rush everyone was relaxed the way it should be when your on holiday we done our 2nd dive and that was equaly as good as the wreck heading down on the reef swimming through tunnels and over hangs fantastic day, so we headed back and washed our gear and sunday morning the sun was shining but the ground was wet darn it! the vis is not going to be great today so headed down and everyone turned up and same again packed up and headed out to same location this time the other wreck the rozi and the arch, we done our briefings and off we went down to the rozi and the vis was great 30+ meters baraccuda on the wreck, nudibranci all over the wreck but also alot of sea ghosts and salpas maxumus.

Then on the end of the 2nd dive family of john dorys swam past which i have never seen in this part of the island,which was fantastic and the clients were buzzing from the dive all the way back to the center.

I just want to say thanks to Dawn diving and their team for making me feel welcome and for letting me help do some guiding i had a fantastic weekend Thanks.
For more information on recreational courses or guided diving you can contact me direct Dawn.
techdivingmalta@gmail.com
www.dawndiving.com

Schnellboot S-31 -72 meters.

E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: Schnellboot, or S-Boot, meaning "fast boat") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. The most popular, the S-100 class, were very seaworthy, heavily armed, and fast – capable of sustaining 43.5 knots (80.6 km/h; 50.1 mph) and briefly accelerating to 48 knots (89 km/h; 55 mph)

  The overall  Length: 34.9 m and Weight up to 120 t, with a  Speed: 43.8 knt the Engines Three 20-cylinder 2000 hp Daimler-Benz MB501 diesels driving three shafts. Armament: 2 × 53.3 cm (21 inches) torpedo tubes, with room for 2 more torpedoes (for reloading). 1 × 20 mm gun, (20 mm single on early boats, twin and special bow version on later classes) 1 × 40 mm gun (40 mm Bofors) on some S-38 class boats.

               

1 of the 3 engines that can be found.

The outside of S-Boats were covered by mahogany casing, with an internal hull of light metal. The mahogany would have rotted away. S-31 had three Daimler Benz MB502 diesel engines = 4800 BHP total. With 3 propellers. Maximum speed 38 knots. Range - 800 sea miles at 30 knots. Armament: 2 x 533 mm torpedo tubes, 2 x 20mm guns. Crew: 24 men. At the time of loss S-31 had 2 Italian officers as observers, who were among the survivors.

 During the afternoon of 9/5/42 intelligence through the Luftwaffe indicated that the WELSHMAN, which was making a solo run to Malta, would arrive at Valletta before dawn of 10/5/42. So the German 3rd MTB Flotilla carried out an operation to intercept the minelayer as she approached Valletta harbour from the NE, which was the normal direction of approach to Valletta by the British warships at that time. Four MTBs (S-54, S-56, S-57 & S58) would wait for WELSHMAN off the St Thomas area to attack her as she approached up the SE coast. Three other MTBs (S-31, S-34, and S-61) were first to lay a minefield stretching out off Sliema point in order to cover this side should WELSHMAN approach Valletta via the NW instead - this would be a fresh minefield which the British would have had no time to clear. After laying this minefield the three MTBs were to go eastwards.

Words cant explain the feeling of looking down a tube at a torpedo.

The 7 MTBs left Augusta at 2200 of the 9/5/42 and at 0414 of the 10 May the three MTBs began laying the minefield which was in the shape of an isosceles triangle. The minefield consisted of 20 FMC mines (contact mines), 6 explosive buoys and 2 cutting buoys and it was completed at 0421 (7 minutes). The three MTB had to regroup, & go eastwards in search for WELSHMAN, but suddenly one minute after the lay had stopped S-31 exploded a mine, probably one S- 31 had just laid and had cut loose from its moorings, rising to the surface and drifted into S-31. She now sits on the sea bed -72 meters fully intact with its original weaponry including torpedoes ready for launching in the torpedo tubes. However, divers are advised that the areas are prone to strong underwater currents & caution moving around on the wreck as its still got lots of live ammo on her and she is a war grave so respect the site pls.

More information contact techdivingmalta@gmail.com

HMS Southwold -72 Meters.

HMS Southwold was a Type II British Hunt-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She served in the Mediterranean for a few months until she was sunk off Malta in March 1942.

Armament:  6 × QF 4 in Mark XVI guns on twin mounts Mk. XIX,4 × QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII on quad mount MK.VII, 2 × 20 mm Oerlikons on single mounts P Mk. III, 110 depth charges, 2 throwers, 3 racks.

Southwold was ordered on 20 December 1939, and was built by J. Samuel White and Company of East Cowes as part of the 1939 emergency program. Her keel was laid on 18 June 1940 with Job number J6274, and the ship was launched on 29 May of the following year. The vessel was completed on 9 October 1941. On 20 March 1942, she carried out an anti-submarine sweep along planned path for Malta relief convoy MW10 along with some other destroyers. On 21 March, she joined this same convoy and took part in the Second Battle of Sirte a day later. On the 23rd she and HMS Beaufort left the convoy to escort HMS Breconshire to Malta.

Photo by Julian Goffin.

HMS Southwold left again Alexandria on 20th March 1942 as an escort to convoy MW10 to Malta. The convoy was under the command of Admiral Philip Vian. The 820 nautical mile journey to Malta was severely attacked both by the Italian war ships and by the Luftwaffe  Convoy code named MW10 consisted of the merchantmen Breconshire (10000 GRT), Clan Campbell (7000 GRT) Talabot (7000 GRT) & Pampas (5000 GRT). These cargo ships were escorted by the 15th Cruiser Squadron with a strong destroyer force , and another scout close escort running ahead with the anti-aircraft cruiser Carlisle with 4 hunt class destroyers. Admiral Vian’s Cruiser Squadron followed behind with the light cruisers Dido, Cleopatra Euryalis, & Penelope plus some destroyers.

As soon as the convoy located by the enemy it was reported to Admiral Iachino of the Italian Navy who hurried with his squadron composed of the battleship Littorio and 6 destroyers. At the same time he signalled to another Italian squadron made up of the cruisers Gorizia, Trento, & Giovanni delle Bande Nere accompanied by another 4 destroyers to meet him so as to join forces. They met on Sunday 22/3/42 and waited for the Convoy in the Gulf of Sirte (Sidra) 150 miles NW of Benghazi. The Italians had superior power.

On 24 March, Southwold was attempting to pass a line to Breconshire when she activated a British land mine and there was an explosion in which an officer and four ratings were killed . She sustained major structural damage and the engine room flooded while electrical supplies failed. She was towed by the tug Ancient but the hull split and she began to sink. The survivors were rescued by HMS Dulverton.

Photo Julian Goffin

The wreck of Southwold lies in two sections about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of Marsaskala Bay, Malta. The bow is the largest piece, about 40 meters in length, and it lies on its starboard side at a depth of 70 meters. The stern, which is located about 300 meters away from the bow, is about 28 meters  long and it lies upright in 72 meters of water