3''/70 Mark 37

History

The Mk 37 mounting was developed as a counter to the Kamikaze attacks of World War II. The 20mm and 40mm guns then in use had projectiles too small to stop a target the size of a suicide plane. This lead to the development of 3" guns with autoloaders, followed postwar by the 3"/70. 3" was chosen because this was the smallest projectile size that could still fit a VT (radar proximity) fuse. Development started in 1945.

The guns fitted in this mounting were co-developed between the USN and the RN. The RN mounting was the 3"/70 Mark VI.

The Mk 37 mounting was intended to have a similar ship impact to the 5"/38 Mark 12 so it could become the standard weapon for post-war destroyers. However, the Mk 37 mounting ended up very complex and was only ready for service in 1956. By that time, it's usefullness against aircraft was limited. As it ended up being very unreliable and hard to maintain because of that same complexity, the Mk 37 was quickly withdrawn from duty. Only one ship would retain these guns to the end of her career: DL-1 Norfolk. She was decommissioned in 1973.

Fire control for these mountings was on-mount, from the control cupolas on top. Some mountings used the GUNAR antenna.

Used on

• DDE-825 (testing)
• CLC-1 Northampton
• DL-1 Norfolk
• DL-2 Mitscher class

Affiliated systems

• 3"/70 Mark VI

Part description

Included in the part are an right side view, left side view and top view. 2 variations of the mounting are drawn: with and without the GUNAR antenna.

See also

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_3-70_mk37.php