Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50

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Not to be confused with Bofors 120 mm Automatic Gun L/46 (FAK 120, TAK 120), or other Bofors 120 mm guns.
Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50
HMS Smaland, aft 120 mm turret (cropped 2).JPG
Swedish 12 cm akan m/50 turret on Destroyer HMS Småland, 2008.
TypeNaval gun
Place of originSweden
Service history
In service1952 – 1985
Used by Royal Netherlands Navy
 Swedish Navy
 Colombian National Navy
Production history
DesignerAB Bofors
Designed1950
ManufacturerAB Bofors
No. built54
Specifications
Mass67,000 kg (148,000 lb)
LengthL/50 (including breach)
Barrel lengthL/50 (including breach)
Shell120 × 835 mm R
Shell weight23.35 – 23.5 kg
Caliber120 millimetres (4.7 in)
Barrels2 ×
ActionAutomatic extraction with integrated autoloader
Elevation-9°/+85°, 25°/s
Traverse360°, 22°/s
Rate of fire2 × 42 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity835–850 m/s (2,740–2,790 ft/s)
ReferencesBofors 1958,[1] AMKAT 1977, Marinen[2]

Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50 (full English name: Bofors 120 mm Automatic Gun L/50 In Naval Twin Turret),[1] also known as Bofors 120 mm gun model 1950 and the like, was a Swedish twin-barreled 120 mm (4.7 in) caliber fully automatic dual purpose naval gun turret system designed by Bofors from the end of the 1940s to the early 1950s to meet a request from the Dutch Navy.[3] Besides the Dutch Navy, the weapon was also adopted by the Swedish and the Colombian Navy.[3]

Use in the Dutch Navy[]

The Dutch were the initial users of the Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50. As part of rebuilding the Dutch Navy post WWII, the Dutch Navy had requested several naval gun systems to be developed by Bofors for their next generation of naval-vessels,[4] one being a twin-barreled 120 mm dual-purpose gun for the planned Holland-class destroyers.[3] This request led to the creation of the Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50.

The gun entered active service with the Dutch Navy in 1954 mounted on the Holland-class destroyers. Even before the first Holland-class destroyer had been completed the Dutch Navy decided to order yet another class of destroyer armed with the Bofors 120 mm L/50, the Friesland-class destroyer. The Dutch really liked the design and decided in the mid 1970s to save two turrets from the Holland-class destroyer HNLMS Gelderland (D811) when she was decommissioned in 1973, and then fit them to the new Tromp-class frigates under construction.

Use in the Swedish Navy[]

HSwMS Halland (J18) aiming both of her 12 cm akan m/50 turrets (bow & stern), 1972.

Following the Dutch example, the Swedish Navy decided to acquire the new 120 mm system being developed for them and fit it to a new generation of destroyers in 1950. In Swedish service the weapon was fitted to the Halland-class destroyers HSwMS Halland (J18) and HSwMS Småland (J19), both of which entered service in 1956. The weapon was initially designated 12 cm automatkanon m/50 (12 cm akan m/50),[5] meaning "12 cm autocannon m/50", but around 1970 the weapon was redesignated to 12 cm torndubbelautomatpjäs m/50 (12 cm tdblapjäs m/50),[6][7] meaning "12 cm turret double automatic piece m/50" (literal).

The gun was in use until the Halland-class destroyers were taken out of service.

Use in the Colombian Navy[]

Colombian destroyed ARC 20 de Julio (D-05) fitted with three Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50 turrets.

In Colombian service the Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50 was fitted to the destroyers 7 de Agosto (D-06) and 20 de Julio (D-05), both of which were Swedish built Halland-class destroyers. Unlike the Swedish Halland-class destroyers, the Colombian version carried three Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50 turrets instead of two.

See also[]

References[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b Bofors (in Swedish). Karlskoga, Sweden: AB Bofors, Karlskoga (Boforskoncernen). 1958. p. 88.
  2. ^ AMKAT, Ammunitionskatalog, Data och bilder, Marinen, 1977 års utgåva (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). 1977.
  3. ^ a b c "120 mm Bofors naval guns". tfd.chalmers.se. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  4. ^ "Bofors automatic 57mm Dual-Purpose guns". tfd.chalmers.se. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  5. ^ Amreg Fl, Ammunitionsregister för flottan, 1955 (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Ammunitionssektionen, Marinförvaltningens Artilleribyrå. 1955.
  6. ^ Amreg Marinen, Ammunitionsregister för marinen, 1962, ändringar 1965 (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Kungliga Marinförvaltningen. 1965.
  7. ^ AMKAT, Ammunitionskatalog, Data och bilder, Marinen, 1977 års utgåva (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). 1977.

Bibliography[]

  • Borgenstam Insulander Kaudern; "Jagare". Karlskona 1989. CB Marinlitteratur. ISBN 91-970700-41
  • 12 cm luftvärnsautomatkanon m/50 tekniskt beskrivning fastställd 1951. (12 cm anti air autocannon m/50 technical description established 1951) booklet.
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