COW 37 mm gun
| Ordnance QF 1½ pdr Mk III | |
|---|---|
| Type | autocannon |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1918 - 1940s |
| Used by |  United Kingdom
|
| Production history | |
| Designer | Coventry Ordnance Works |
| Manufacturer | Coventry Ordnance Works |
| Variants | Mk III, Mk IV |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 200 pounds (91 kg) for cradle, gun & breech[1] |
| Length | 91.8 inches (2.33 m) total |
| Barrel length | bore of 75 inches (1.9 m)[1] |
| | |
| Shell | 37x190R HE 1 lb 7 oz (0.65 kg) |
| Calibre | 37 mm (1.457 in) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | automatic, gas operated |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,950 ft/s[1] |
The COW 37 mm gun was a British automatic cannon that was developed as a heavy-calibre aircraft weapon for the Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighter. However the project did not yield results and the weapon did not enter general service.
Design and development
Coventry Ordnance Works had been set up in 1905 by a consortium of British shipbuilding firms (John Brown, Cammell Laird and Fairfield) in order to compete with the duopoly of Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth in producing naval guns. Besides the larger naval gun, COW worked at the smaller end on anti-aircraft guns. There was a demand for a gun that could be mounted on an aircraft. Their first attempt at an automatic gun was a "1-pounder" (the nominal weight of the shell) from a rimless 37x94 cartridge. This developed into a 1½-pounder using a longer 37x190 cartridge in a five-round clip. The gun was ready to produce only as the First World War came to an end and was only in service briefly fitted to a pair of Airco DH4s.[2]
Post war it was tried in a number of different aircraft, mostly flying boats such as the Blackburn Perth, where it was seen as being effective against small vessels but also in fighters. The Air Ministry specifically requested designs that could use the weapon, such as the Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighter and the Vickers Type 161.
After Vickers acquired the Coventry Ordnance Works, the COW 37 mm was used as for the development of the 40mm Vickers S gun which was used by Hawker Hurricanes as an anti-tank weapon.
In the Second World War, COW guns were used as the armament for the Bedford OYD Armadillo a Bedford truck fitted with a wooden structure pillbox for Lewis guns; the COW gun with its shield on the rear part of the flatbed.[3] The vehicle was used by the RAF for airfield defence and later the Home Guard.
Notes
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- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 27
- ↑ http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/37-40mm.htm 37 mm and 40 mm guns in British Service
- ↑ http://www.accurate-armour.com/ShowProduct.cfm?manufacturer=0&category=14&subcategory=26&product=1624
