Gun Shop Days - The Mount

The Mount

The 4 in. Twin Mounting operates on the same general principle as the larger naval mountings in that it is equipped with training and elevation receivers for receiving instruction on the laying of the guns from the fire control station. Firing of the guns is usually carried out electrically but can be done by hand if desired.

An interlock system is provided so that the guns cannot be fired by hand when they are set for firing electronically and vice versa. In normal operation both guns are fired simultaneously although if desired they may be fired independently.

Twin 4inch Mk XIX mount in working order

It is to be noted here that this article covers the manufacture of the mounting only and not that of the gun bodies or barrels as they are commonly called. The guns themselves which are excellent in every respect are known as the 4 in. Mark XVI and are produced by Sorel Industries Ltd. The function of the mounting is to provide a suitable holder for these guns so that they may be rapidly and easily elevated, trained and fired.

Fig. 3 (left) – Rear view of mount with guns about 45° elevation. This view shows that aiming mechanism of the mount and breech mechanism of the guns.

The credit for the success of the program goes to the men who were loaned to us from the United Kingdom. There were 8 or 10 top technicians came over from Vickers-Armstrong organization of Barrow in Furness through the British Admiralty Technical Mission. Approximately half of the group were specialists in machine shop practice and the remainder were specialists in fitting work. Among them were: Dave Stubbins - Turret Lathes; Rollie Small - Fitters ; Mr. Gawthrop - Head of A.B.T.M Group; Mr. Beeson - Chief Inspector; Charles Featherstone - Head Fitter - cradle side; George Johnson - Fitters Specialist; Norman A. MacKay - Chief Draftsman; Art Vey - Draftsman and Bob MacDonald - Shop Manager.

Doug Cameron tells us that Bob MacDonald stayed in Canada after the war and had one of the top jobs at Sydney Steel Works. George D. MacDougall was chief engineer and worked closely with the designing and drafting group under Norman MacKay. Margaret MacKeen Loveridge was George’s secretary.

Other section heads that Doug Cameron remembers are: Jimmie “Dodge” Fraser – Machine Shop Forman; Roddy MacDougall – Foreman of Repairs; Big Bill MacLeod (from Sydney) – Electrician Foreman; Kemp Chapman – Foreman; Dan MacNeil (Iona, Cape Breton) – Foreman – (he was known as indicator Dan); Charlie Higgins – Inspector; John MacLean – Inspector and Kenzie MacDonald – Lathe Section

The course for the men was for eight weeks and they were paid eight or ten dollars a week for board and money. The instructors were Alex Schurman, Russell MacDonald and Ray Enman. When Doug Cameron finished his training he went to work in the Tool Room of the Gunshop. The foreman at that time was Neil Barclay (Alex’s uncle), and after him Eugene McMullen had charge of that department until about 1959.

The first General Superintendent of Trenton Industries Ltd. Was James O’Halloran, a former chief engineer of Scotia, George D. MacDougall came out of retirement to serve as chief engineer. Upon this pair fell the heavy load of directing the installation of the equipment and of producing the gun mounts at the specification of the British Admiralty, and the exacting inspection standards of on-the-spot agents of the Royal Navy. Robert C. Logan was the first Superintendent and the general Night Foreman was Kemp Chapman.

Under orders from Dosco for a profitable operation, under orders from the Government for weapons to arm destroyers for the Convoy routes, under orders from the inspectors for top grade work – all this with a working force which, if experienced in metal craftsmanship was new to Naval Contracts, and last but not least the brand new machinery made elsewhere in a hurry meant that the above named quartet had a sizeable job on their hands. The four leaders and the employees made good!! Later O’Halloran was succeeded by J.W. Fleming, and R.C. Logan went to the car plant. Still later Douglas Cameron succeeded Fleming as superintendent, when the latter was promoted General Superintendent of the Car Plant and Trenton Industries Ltd.

Doug Cameron has included a “rubbing” of a name plate which went on the mounting of the Gun

Another plaque on the gun states:

Bullets weighed 65 lbs.
Range 16,000 yards
Velocity 265 F.R.S.
Crew of 16

A total of 201 guns were completed and used by the Royal Navy and the Canadian Navy

Roy Fraser, Ontario, tells us he joined the navy after Gunshop days. He was on a frigate named the Joliette, also a Corvette named Thorlock and a destroyer named Courtenay, each of them had one of our guns.

In the original gun mounting shop employees were: Bud Rose 1001; John Reid 1002; Tapey Brown 1003; Louie D’Entremont 1004; Everett Mackenzie 1005; Bernie McCarron 1006; Rod MacDougall 1008, Oiler Duncan MacGillivray 1010; Oiler Finly MacIntosh 1011; Cecil Mercer 1012 and Rollie Johnson 1014. Some names are missing. 2nd class was larger than the first one. Second Class: Doug Cameron 1018; Doug Ogden; John MacLeod; Jim MacKenzie 1030; Larry Ogden; Bernie MacDonald; Eric Chisholm; Bob Jackson; Bob MacBeth; Harold Cox; Ossie Beck; Edgar Dewar; Ian Haggart; Robert Cullen; Henry Golding; Fulton Lawlor; Jim Cunningham and Dave West. Third Class: John Turner; Charlie Archibald; Orland Chambers; Keith Wark and others.

Everett McCormick tells us there was also a Machine Fitters Course taught in the shop from January 1 to April 1, 1942. Russell MacDonald was the supervisor of the course and Pete Stanfield from Truro taught Shop Math. Reuben Arkwright taught blue print reading. Charles Sutherland (Eastern Car) and Reuben Arkwright at the war’s end went as members of a Canadian Government Mission to Romania.