HMS Sutherland illuminated the range with a para illum star shell, fired from her 4.5 inch main gun, say the Royal Navy.
The Royal Navy say in a release that the para(chute) illum(ination) flare bathes the area in an eerie greenish-white light for about 30 seconds.
“Such shells have been used by the British military since the Great War, but more recently the Navy has added the less obvious infra-red shell to its arsenal. It too is fired by a 4.5in main gun and bathes a specific area in light – infra-red light, invisible to the naked eye, but visible to friendly forces wearing the appropriate eyewear; night becomes day and, more importantly, the enemy has no idea he’s being lit up.
The illuminations came in the middle of 18 hours of gunnery during which time Sutherland laid down some serious lead: 180 rounds left the barrel of the 4.5in gun on the frigate’s forecastle (120 during the day shoot, 60 overnight) and crashed down on Cape Wrath as part of two exercises running concurrently.”
I suspect that potential enemies are investing in Infra red glasses as we speak or simply putting them on when a Brit ship is around.
Anybody heard anything more on the Martlet 30mm gun mount testing that was done a little while back? Would be very curious to hear what’s happened since/planned for the future.
Thanks everyone!
I wonder who at Cape Wrath subsequently has to clear up all the mess?
And why cape wrath, the Navy closed that other gun range right next to its home base! Why! Or maybe large bombs couldn’t be used there but can at cape wrath, only place in Europe they can be dropped by fighter jets right?
EDIT not working!. Anyway here’s a good idea of why they use cape wrath. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Riyo7NDMjj4
Divers do go down to the sea floor and look for unexplored bombs every once in a while, good training for the minehunters,
I was based on Cape Wrath, on a steep rise above lighthouse in 1978/9. Woke up one morning to the scream of F111s firing their Vulcans at, and dropping bombs on, Garvie Island a short distance offshore. I assume that the Navy use it as a target as well. I felt very sorry for the seabirds that had made the island their roost. I wonder if they only conduct these exercises out of breeding season?
Yeah I think they do only conduct exercises when birds aren’t breeding. Pain in the ass.
I’m surprised we could afford to fire 180 shells!
Believe it or not but we have a huge defence budget, not big enough imo. Maybe they are using up the 4.5 ammo in preparation for new guns.
That info red shell would b great for marines night amphibious assaults, but they probably have mortars that do similar, can or do Royal marines fire mortars from landing craft big or small when assaulting a beach for eg?
Cam, IR 81mm have been used since 2006, in Sangin mate. Came as a UOR, IR illuminating L58A1, good bit of kit.
Cam mortars require a baseplate to fire accurately and need to be be bedded in, preferably. Firing a mortar, and adjusting the fall of shot, from a moving and rocking/dipping platform such as a landing craft is not something which can be achieved safely it with any sort of accuracy mate. I would not be happy calling in fire when the rounds could be landing pretty much anywhere mate lol.
It was tried by the US Marines in WW2 but to many variables. Saying that tho the lightweight 60mm can be fired from “the hip” so to speak and is a useful bit of kit to have around.
Cheers mate, learned something again ?
Aptly named rock, ain’t it? I’d be bloody pissed if all that stuff was dumped on me.
I thought it was Garvie Island and not the cape itself where the bombs fall? May well be wrong.
See my post above DM
Thanks H, just read it. Agree. The thought of the animals upsets me. I know at Donna Nook they make sure there are no seals, but that is also a dumb bomb range I think?
What happened to the project to standardise what the RN have with the Army’s 155 mm gun?