From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter discussing the feasibility of a 300 rounds per minute gun and arranging a demonstration.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 175\3\ img299 | |
| Date | 19th January 1941 | |
| SECRET 3 19th January, 1941. R.L./MT. G.S. Jackson, Esq., The British Power Boat Co, Ltd., Hythe, SOUTHAMPTON, Hants. Dear Mr. Jackson, Thank you for your letter of 18th January. I was interested in your remarks regarding the requirements of the Admiralty. Have they any idea how they are going to get a gun firing 300 rounds a minute, which is very light and does not have an excessive recoil load? It is possible that our gun can be made to fire up to 150 rounds a minute, but the barrel is very light and would have to be liquid cooled for anything but the shortest burst, at the suggested high rate of fire. It seems curious to me to jump from a single shot gun to a higher rate of fire than has previously been achieved, and at the same time ignore the very useful intermediate step which we are suggesting. We have arranged a demonstration of our gun on the power driven mounting for the end of the month and I suggest, if it is at all possible, that you should arrange to be present. I will let you know the exact date nearer the event. Yours faithfully, | ||