Cornwall At War Museum

Just a reminder that as it is a Bank Holiday weekend,  and school half term the museum is open all week.

In June last year we had a post on this blog showing Steve and grandson Bertie returning from a "raiding party" and obtaining this Rapier surface to air missile launcher for the museum. Now it's been fitted with inert missiles and stands proudly in the hangar. It's quite an imposing item.

This U-Boat gun from the first World War could well be the only one of it's kind left. It was handed over to the museum by Mr W Stevenson of Newlyn after one of his trawlers, Philomena, had brought it up in her nets whilst 90 miles off the coast of south west Cornwall. This is where records show that U-41 sunk. The gun is a KRUPP Ubts L/30 8.8cm gun, mounted on a KRUPP disappearing mount. It's believed that it was fitted on U-Boat 41. U-41 was a member of II flotilla: Length O.A 64.7 meters. Weight 97.1 tons. Range 8790 miles surfaced.                 80 miles submerged. Power (Diesel) 1850HP Power (Electric) 1200HP 28 ships sunk - total tonnage 58,648 tons 1 ship damaged - 4,409 tons 1 ship taken - 355 tons.

Another new addition to the museum this year is the PAP 104 MK 5 ROV - 1984 Tripartite Class Mine Hunting/Killing Vehicle. In case you can't magnify the photo of the information it reads: Netherlands Type: ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicle Max Depth: - 300m Max Speed: - 6 Knots Commissioned: - 1984 Length: - 2.7m Beam: - 1.2m Draft: - 1.2m Crew: - 0 Displacement: - 1t Displacement full: - 0t Propulsion: - Batteries Sensors/EW: - Generic Explosive Charge Mine Disposal - Mine Neutralisation, Explosive Charge Mine Disposal, Max Range: 0km Generic LLTV - (Submarine, 3rd Gen, Mine Reconnaissance) Visual, LLTV, Mine Reconnaissance, Max Range: 01km. Generic Mechanical Cable Cutter Mine  Sweep - (Submarine, 3rd Gen, Mine Reconnaissance) Mine Sweep, mechanical Cable Cutter, Max Range: 0km.

Another new addition to the museum is a protector that a pilot would put over his head when ejecting from his jet. It is made of a thick canvas like material and has two loops at the front. The idea is that the pilot places the "cap" over his flying helmet and holds on to the loops prior to ejecting. By holding on to the loops the pilot ensures that his arms are folded in closely to his body to avoid any danger of them catching as he ejects. I have assumed that the pilot would be male as the protector is dated 1963 and I'm quite sure that there weren't any female fighter pilots at that time. Thank you Ricky for being the model.