Kay Dee
Contributor
Hi Brett,Well, as usual, things are confusing. I've got four sets of data points:
1) Wikipedia - 2 x 5" / 38 cal guns, 2 x twin 40mm AA guns, 2 x twin 20mm AA guns
2) Navsource - 2 x 5" / 51 guns, 2 x twin AA 40mm guns, 2 x twin 20mm AA guns
3) Neil's Diagram - 2 x 5" guns, 2 x 3" AA guns, 2 x 20mm Oerlikon AA cannons
4) Neils' Document - 2 x 5" / 38 cal guns, 4 x 3" dual purpose AA guns, 8 x 20mm Oerlikon AA cannons
According to Neil's document, there was a 3" dual-purpose gun at the fore-deck area that was removed in the 70s but the tub remains. He also mentions that the "four 20mm Oerlikons that were on top of the bridge were removed at some point...." Also, at amidships are two 3" dual-purpose guns. He also mentions two 5" guns at the stern along with a 3" gun.
The only thing I know for sure is that there are two 5" guns (caliber either 38 or 51 -- I'm guessing 38). If I ever go back, I will probably spend another dive or two on this wreck with a tape measure trying to figure out exactly what is what.
If you have more info, I'd love to incorporate it. I'm going to review my post and photos and try to make sense of all the above and make any corrections.
- brett
Well, not so confusing.
First re your points 3 and 4 above (1 and 2 are just plain wrong, which is no fault of yours). 3 is what can probably be seen on the wreck today (although a few more 20mm's were visible back in the 90's). 4 is what she was fitted with when sunk.
Now they say a photo (or four) is worth a thousand (or four thousand?) words, so see below. (Hope you don’t mind me using two of yours as comparison examples.)
*The historical photo was taken on 2 January, 1943 (3 months before her demise) and shows position of all guns. 8 x 20mm, 3 x 3”, 2 x 5”. No Bofors at this time, and highly unlikely they were put on ‘somewhere’ in interim prior to sinking, and as I said previously on all my dives on her (many) I never saw any. (Bow 3” removed by salvors circa 1970’s, four 20mm atop fwd superstructure - which was standing when I last dived her - have simply collapsed down onto deck over the years.)
*The three inch in your photo matches a 3” / 50 (7.62cm).
*The five inch (K'wha port side aft) in my photo matches an historical image of a 5” / 51 (12.7cm).
* The gun the diver is swimming past in your photo is a 'decayed' 20mm (see below).
Now a couple of questions re your collage towards bottom of your K’wha page, with photos that you say are from the stern of K'wha, going clockwise from top left;
#3” gun (is that the one from the very stern, or one from amidships, as it ‘looks’ from one of your (5”) photos that the raised stern 3” enclosure has collapsed; has it?)
#3” shells (rear end of) in ready-use 'locker'
#5” gun (same port side one as in my photo)
#5” gun
#Now this looks suspiciously like (is) a 20mm gun sans collapsed / rotted away shield (see an ID point in sketch below). But, given there were no 20mm on the very stern, is it one from either side just abaft the ER skylights, or a 'misplaced' photo from one of the 20mm’s on the bow?
EDIT. The historical pic of Kanawha I posted was 3000 x 1170 @ 72dpi, but after posting I see that this site has shrunk it to only 800 x 315. If you dont have that one yourself I can send it high res, marked or unmarked.
Best fishes,
KD (aka Kevin Denlay)
