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Limbo (weapon)

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Limbo
Limbo ASW mortar on HMNZS Taranaki (F148) c1963
A Limbo mortar on HMNZS Taranaki (F148)
TypeAnti-submarine mortar
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1955–1980s
Used byRoyal Navy
Royal Australian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
Libyan Navy
South African Navy
WarsFalklands War
Production history
DesignerAdmiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment
Specifications
Crew3

Shell400 lb depth charge
Calibre12 inches (30 cm)
Barrels3
Effective firing range400 yards (366 m) to 1,000 yards (914 m)
WarheadMinol
Warhead weight94 kilograms (207 lb)
Detonation
mechanism
Proximity and/or time

Guidance
system
Type 170 sonar

Limbo, or Anti Submarine Mortar Mark 10 (A/S Mk.10), was the final development of the forward-throwing anti-submarine weapon Squid, designed during the Second World War[1] and was developed by the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment in the 1950s.[2]

Limbo was installed on the quarterdeck of Royal Navy escort ships from 1955 to the mid-1980s, Australian–built Daring-class destroyer and River-class destroyer escorts. Limbo was widely employed by the Royal Canadian Navy, being incorporated into all destroyer designs from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, including the St. Laurent, Restigouche, Mackenzie, Annapolis and Iroquois classes and the Type 12 President Class frigates built for the South African Navy in the 1960s.

Discover more about Limbo (weapon) related topics

Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment

Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment

The Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment was an Admiralty research department dedicated to underwater detection systems and weapons. It was formed at the Isle of Portland in 1959 and later became part of the Admiralty Research Agency (ARE) in 1984.

Quarterdeck

Quarterdeck

The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on board, and the word is still used to refer to such an area on a ship or even in naval establishments on land. Many such facilities have areas decorated like shipboard quarterdecks.

Daring-class destroyer (1949)

Daring-class destroyer (1949)

The Daring class was a class of eleven destroyers built for the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Constructed after World War II, and entering service during the 1950s, eight ships were constructed for the RN, and three ships for the RAN. Two of the RN destroyers were subsequently sold to and served in the Peruvian Navy (MGP). A further eight ships were planned for the RN but were cancelled before construction commenced, while a fourth RAN vessel was begun but was cancelled before launch and broken up on the slipway.

Destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or battle group and defend them against powerful short-range attackers. They were originally developed in 1885 by Fernando Villaamil for the Spanish Navy as a defense against torpedo boats, and by the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, these "torpedo boat destroyers" (TBDs) were "large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats designed to destroy other torpedo boats". Although the term "destroyer" had been used interchangeably with "TBD" and "torpedo boat destroyer" by navies since 1892, the term "torpedo boat destroyer" had been generally shortened to simply "destroyer" by nearly all navies by the First World War.

River-class destroyer escort

River-class destroyer escort

The River class was a class of six destroyer escorts operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Plans to acquire four vessels, based on the British Type 12M frigate, began in the 1950s. The first two vessels had some slight modifications to the design, while the next two underwent further changes. Two more ships were ordered in 1964, following the Melbourne-Voyager collision; these were based on the Type 12I frigate.

Destroyer escort

Destroyer escort

Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a 20-knot warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships.

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submarines, 12 coastal defence vessels, eight patrol class training vessels, two offshore patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. The RCN consists of 8,570 Regular Force and 4,111 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the current commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and chief of the Naval Staff.

Restigouche-class destroyer

Restigouche-class destroyer

The Restigouche-class destroyer was a class of seven destroyer escorts that served the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from the late-1950s to the late-1990s. All seven vessels in the class were named after rivers in Canada.

Mackenzie-class destroyer

Mackenzie-class destroyer

The Mackenzie-class destroyer was a class of warship used by the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces from the 1960s–1990s. Six such ships were envisioned, of which four were completed to this specification. The last two hulls were completed to the post DDH conversion St. Laurent-class design ; they were designated as the Annapolis class instead. The four Mackenzie-class destroyers spent most of their service in the Pacific Ocean, used primarily in a training role. Their only significant update was the DELEX program, which was completed between 1982 and 1985 and updated their navigational radar and their sonar.

Annapolis-class destroyer

Annapolis-class destroyer

The Annapolis-class destroyer escort was a two-ship class of destroyer escorts that saw service with the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces from the 1960s to the 1990s. The final version of the St. Laurent-class design, the class was used extensively for anti-submarine warfare purposes. Both ships were sunk as artificial reefs after being retired, one on each coast of Canada.

Iroquois-class destroyer

Iroquois-class destroyer

Iroquois-class destroyers, also known as Tribal class or DDG 280 class, were a class of four helicopter-carrying, guided missile destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy. The ships were named to honour the First Nations of Canada.

Rothesay-class frigate

Rothesay-class frigate

The Rothesay class, or Type 12M frigates were a class of frigates serving with the Royal Navy, South African Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Operation

Limbo was loaded and fired automatically with the crew under-cover and was stabilised in pitch and roll. The firing distance of the mortars was controlled by opening gas vents; rounds could be fired from 400 to 1,000 yards (370 to 910 m). The weapon was linked to the sonar system of the ship, firing on command when the target was in range. The rounds were projected so that they fell in a triangular pattern around the target in any direction around the ship.[3][4]

The weapon was used in the 1982 Falklands War and remained in service in the Royal Navy and Commonwealth navies until the 1990s. A surviving system is preserved at Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower in Gosport, Hampshire.

Sonar control of the A/S Mortar Mk 10

The firing of the Mortar Mk 10 was controlled by the Type 170 (and later the 502) attack sonar from the Sonar Control Room (SCR), which was generally located next to the operations room in the warship. The 170 sonar had three operators who maintained sonar contact with the target and aimed the weapon in bearing, range and depth. Firing was done by means of a pistol grip and trigger mounted to the deckhead.

General characteristics

  • Total system weight: 35 tons including 51 projectiles (17 salvos).

Source: "Limbo (weapon)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 17th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(weapon).

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References
  1. ^ British ASW weapons
  2. ^ Bogart, Charles H. (2010). "An Anti-submarine Weapon: The Limbo Mk NC 10 Mortar". Warship International. XLVII (4): 359–362. ISSN 0043-0374.
  3. ^ Richardson, Doug (1981). Naval Armament. London; New York: Jane's Publishing. ISBN 0-531-03738-X. OCLC 642104997.
  4. ^ YouTube showing loading and firing

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