Submarine Guns

Submarine Guns 1900-1941

For the first 14-15 years of USN submarine operations, guns were not considered to be a useful weapon on a ship designed for a stealthy submerged attack. In fact, no USN submarine carried a deck gun until the L-class of 1914, and even then it was a retrofit and not part of the original design. Simon Lake's Protector of 1903 briefly carried a Hotchkiss Mk 1 1 pdr/20 caliber gun in an "armored sighting hood" atop the conning tower, but the idea did not catch on in the USN for several more years.

It is likely that submarines from the C-class and on carried small arms for self defense while in port. These would have included the Colt M1895 and M1909 revolvers for officer use, and eventually the famous M1911 and M1911A1 pistols. Rifles would have been Krag-Jorgensen M1896/M1898 and Springfield M1903 models. The number of variations for these weapons is large, and small arms of these types will not be listed here.

By late 1912 it was realized that a deck gun of some sort might prove useful to submarines if they were forced to surface in the midst of small enemy picket and patrol vessels, and to potentially finish off already crippled targets. When the L-class bidder's package was developed by the Bureau of Construction & Repair (BuC&R) a proviso was written into it for a small deck gun. Underwater performance was still highly emphasized at this time, so it was stipulated that the gun be retractable to limit underwater drag.

Machine Guns

Designation	Type	Manufacturer	Cartridge	Capacity/Feed Type	Action	Weight (lbs)	Length OA (in)	Rate of Fire (RPM)	Muzzle Velocity (Ft/s)	Effective Range (yds)	Dates of Use	Photos & More Info
M1917 Lewis Machine Gun	Light Machine Gun	Savage Arms	.30-06 Springfield	47/pan magazine	Gas, rotating open bolt	28	50.5	600-800	2440	880	1917-1945	Lewis Gun
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle	Light Machine Gun	Colt/Winchester	.30-06 Springfield	20/detachable box magazine	Gas, rising bolt lock	15.98	47	500-650	2822	100-1500	1918-1945	B.A.R.

Deck Guns

Mount Mark/Mod	Bore Size/Caliber	Weight w/mount (lbs)	Length OA (in)	Elevation (deg)	Range at elevation	Muzzle Velocity (fps)	Rate of Fire (RPM)	Ammo type/weight complete (lbs)	Bursting Charge for Common Type (lbs)	Subs used on/Dates of service	Photos & More Info
Mk 9	3"/23	~1000	77.05	-15 to +65	5000@9.47	1650	8-9	Fixed/16.5	.28	L, M, O, S-1	3"/23 Mk 9
Mk 7 Mod 19	3"/50	5400	164	-20 to +30	4500@4.3	2700	15-20	Fixed/24	1.27	R, Porpoise-class	3"/50 Mk 17 Mod 19

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