[Gunner]

Hi David:

I think you will note that the photo you posted is of the twin Polsten, a mount that had the two guns side by side. The RCN was unsatisfied with the range and lethality of this mount and had it re-engineered to take a single 40mm creating the famous (in Canadian Navy and Bird Gunner circles) "Boffin" mount (a contraction of "Bofors" and "Oerlikon")

These saw service on naval vessels for some years and were subsequently stored when the HMCS Bonaventure and HMCS Magnificent went for razor blades in the 1960's. They were pulled out of mothballs in the 1970's to serve as fixed airfield air defences on our two bases in Germany. A number were fixed on ranges in Canada for training the Air Defence batteries of the RCA until they were superceded by the twin 35mm Skyguard system.

These venerable mountings are still earning their keep as close in defence weapons on our coastal defence vessels. Built in 1942 and still going strong!

Cheers! Mike