Identification of parameters of Spanish 120-mm gun in NG-53 mounts
The author developed a method of complex historical reconstruction of the artifacts, using the throwing principle of destruction, which is a system of "gun" – "shell" – "target". Previously, the author used this technique to identify the parameters of the Spanish 120-mm gun of NG-53 mount of destroyer "Oquendo" and published a monograph. The bibliographic study proved the validity of our conclusions. In isolation, each block is described by fairly well-known equations and systems of equations, but the integrated treatment of all three blocks of the system acquires a new quality of its missing blocks when you work autonomously. This opens up new vistas of historical reconstruction, and allows to obtain new information using conventionaldiscriminatory methods of historical research. Studies have shown that the method is suitable for both reconstruction of ancient weapons (arrows), and modern weapons (rifled artillery). Despite the available information that the weapon set NG-53 represented in the standard model of the Spanish fleet Vickers-Armstrong Mk F with a simple increase in barrel length from 45 to 50 caliber, the study and
numerical simulations showed that the gun had to suffer more serious alterations. In the work of Camon del Valle containing a detailed technical description of the weapon information is available, for example, the use of a removable liner, which automatically means a thorough modernization. Thus, documentary evidence was obtained of deep modernization of weapons of NG-53 mount, which
confirmed our earlier conclusion by mathematical modelling. This proves the effectiveness of the developed technique of complex historical reconstruction as an example of rifled artillery weapons – 120-mm gun of NG-53 mount. Next historical reconstruction was carried out of the upgraded guns, which showed that compared with the basic variant of 120-mm gun Vickers-Armstrong Mk F the exterior-ballistic performance of NG-53 weapons have improved slightly. Probably as a result this gun was removed from service and replaced by the American counterpart – Mk-32 with 127-mm gun Mk-12 still in service during World War II. Thus, from a constructive point of view the 120-mm gun of NG-53 should be considered as the last attempt of the Spanish to produce a weapon, compatible in
properties with similar foreign models.