Mk 1 Underwater Defense Gun
Encyclopedia
The M1 Underwater Defense Gun, also called the Underwater Defense Gun Mark 1 Mod 0, is an underwater firearm
developed by the United States
during the Cold War
. Like other underwater firearms, it fires a special 4.25 inch metal dart as its projectile.
. Originally, the idea was for the LanceJet, a rocket-based weapon similar to the Gyrojet
family of firearms, but rocket-powered weapons proved to be expensive and inaccurate, so alternatives were researched. The result was the Mk 1 Underwater Defense Gun, introduced in the early 1970s. It proved effective but, says Tom Hawkins of the nonprofit Naval Special Warfare Foundation, "It was bulky and heavy and the men never warmed up to it. It was also a signature controlled item -- as in signing your name to check it out -- and administratively a burden to the operational units." In 1976, the Heckler & Koch P11 was introduced, and it soon replaced the Mk 1.
weapon, and its removable cylinder magazine fits into the side of a gun, being inserted and removed through a door on the left side of the gun. The frame, cylinder, door assembly, and action are made of aluminum, the trigger is made of self-lubricating nylon, and all other parts are made of stainless steel. The magazine holds six rounds.
The dart itself is long and thin, and it has four fins machined into its rear section, with each fin having a small angle cut into it that causes water to flow over it and give the projectile a stabilizing spin. The shape of the dart helps it to penetrate the water while retaining a high velocity.
The self-contained design of the Mark 59 makes it so that when it fires, the propellant gases are kept in the cartridge, which eliminates muzzle blast that could produce a dangerous shock wave. It also has the side effect of eliminating muzzle flash and reducing sound, so that the weapon can function as an emergency covert weapon if necessary, although this was rare because of the high cost of the ammunition.
Underwater firearm
An underwater firearm is a firearm specially designed for use underwater by frogmen.Underwater firearms were first conceived during the Cold War during the 1960s and 1970s as a way to arm frogmen, and remain in arms inventories today.-Design:...
developed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Like other underwater firearms, it fires a special 4.25 inch metal dart as its projectile.
History
The gun was developed as part of a project called TDP 3801 during the 1960s, and much of the work on it occurred at the Naval Surface Weapons Center White Oak Laboratory in Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
. Originally, the idea was for the LanceJet, a rocket-based weapon similar to the Gyrojet
Gyrojet
The Gyrojet is a family of unique firearms developed in the 1960s named for the method of gyroscopically stabilizing its projectiles. Gyrojets fire small rockets, rather than inert bullets, which have little recoil and do not require a heavy barrel to resist the pressure of the combustion gases. ...
family of firearms, but rocket-powered weapons proved to be expensive and inaccurate, so alternatives were researched. The result was the Mk 1 Underwater Defense Gun, introduced in the early 1970s. It proved effective but, says Tom Hawkins of the nonprofit Naval Special Warfare Foundation, "It was bulky and heavy and the men never warmed up to it. It was also a signature controlled item -- as in signing your name to check it out -- and administratively a burden to the operational units." In 1976, the Heckler & Koch P11 was introduced, and it soon replaced the Mk 1.
Design
The Mk 1 is a double action only pepper-boxPepper-box
The pepper-box revolver or simply pepperbox is a multiple-barrel repeating firearm that has three or more barrels grouped around a central axis. It mostly appears in the form of a multi-shot handheld firearm...
weapon, and its removable cylinder magazine fits into the side of a gun, being inserted and removed through a door on the left side of the gun. The frame, cylinder, door assembly, and action are made of aluminum, the trigger is made of self-lubricating nylon, and all other parts are made of stainless steel. The magazine holds six rounds.
Mark 59 Mod 0 Projectile
The distinctive cartridge fired by the M1 is the Mark 59, a stainless steel cylinder containing a single 4.25 inch long heavy tungsten dart. Near the base of the cylinder is the firing assembly, and when the firing pin strikes the primer, the propellant, contained in a chamber below the firing assembly, ignites and propels the dart out of the cylinder.The dart itself is long and thin, and it has four fins machined into its rear section, with each fin having a small angle cut into it that causes water to flow over it and give the projectile a stabilizing spin. The shape of the dart helps it to penetrate the water while retaining a high velocity.
The self-contained design of the Mark 59 makes it so that when it fires, the propellant gases are kept in the cartridge, which eliminates muzzle blast that could produce a dangerous shock wave. It also has the side effect of eliminating muzzle flash and reducing sound, so that the weapon can function as an emergency covert weapon if necessary, although this was rare because of the high cost of the ammunition.