| Of course for the RN, they couldn't let Vickers have all the fun. So, they followed up the Pom pom with two of the more ill thoughtout overly complex naval AA guns of the war: The Hazemeyer and its even more complex successor the STAAG (Stabilized, Tachymetric, Anti-Aircraft Gun). The later had 2 40mm Bofors on the mount at an all up weight of 16 tons!
Both were maintenance nightmares with their three axis stabilization, on mount radar and fire control and the need for both hydraulic and electric power provisions.
With the Hazemeyer, more usually refered to as the "Hasslemeer" one could see the scene of some sailor standing next to the boffin trying to fix it as it leaned cocked over to one side with the guns skewed at an odd angle saying "Auch, I see ta' tha' hasslemeer es bein' a bit eel agan!" The STAAG was often refered to as "the antlered beast."
Both were ahead of their time and likely not worth the weight or cost of their installation in terms of effectiveness. |