Hello,
If I posted this to the wrong area, please let me know! I'm really new here.
I'd like to find out how the 151/20 cannon mounts in the HDL-151 turret, like on the FW 200 and the BV 138. Most photos show the turret with a barrel in place, but there are a couple showing without. In these photos I don't know if the barrel is removed or the whole cannon itself has been removed. It appears to be a tricky proposition to install the whole cannon into the turret from the outside, as the specs say it weighs nearly 100 pounds. I wonder if the firing mechanism is installed first from the inside and then the barrel attached afterwards? Or could the whole arrangement slide in from the outside on the rear of the turret? I don't know how the Perspex panels open and close, either. In the case of the BV 138, a seaplane operating on salt water, I can only assume the cannon and turret would need to be constantly maintained to avoid corrosion, so you think the designers would have made it as easy as possible for the crew to work on the equipment. One picture shows ammunition being loaded through a hatch directly ahead of the turret. I've attached a few pics to help explain my questions. I haven't yet been able to locate any detailed training or operations manuals for the turret and gun combination. If anybody has any information about these details or ideas where I could find applicable documents, it would be of tremendous help.
Thanks,
Barry
If I posted this to the wrong area, please let me know! I'm really new here.
I'd like to find out how the 151/20 cannon mounts in the HDL-151 turret, like on the FW 200 and the BV 138. Most photos show the turret with a barrel in place, but there are a couple showing without. In these photos I don't know if the barrel is removed or the whole cannon itself has been removed. It appears to be a tricky proposition to install the whole cannon into the turret from the outside, as the specs say it weighs nearly 100 pounds. I wonder if the firing mechanism is installed first from the inside and then the barrel attached afterwards? Or could the whole arrangement slide in from the outside on the rear of the turret? I don't know how the Perspex panels open and close, either. In the case of the BV 138, a seaplane operating on salt water, I can only assume the cannon and turret would need to be constantly maintained to avoid corrosion, so you think the designers would have made it as easy as possible for the crew to work on the equipment. One picture shows ammunition being loaded through a hatch directly ahead of the turret. I've attached a few pics to help explain my questions. I haven't yet been able to locate any detailed training or operations manuals for the turret and gun combination. If anybody has any information about these details or ideas where I could find applicable documents, it would be of tremendous help.
Thanks,
Barry