| Accession Number | P04341.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | At sea |
| Date made | 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
An unidentified sailor mans a 40mm 'pom pom' Italian Breda Gun that has been recently installed ...
Description
An unidentified sailor mans a 40mm 'pom pom' Italian Breda Gun that has been recently installed on deck above the wardroom aboard HMAS Lismore in the Arabian Sea. To the left, four unidentified sailors look on. HMAS Lismore moved into the Mediterranean on 24 April 1943 with three more corvettes to form the 21st Minesweeping Flotilla, providing convoy escort and minesweeping duties for Operation Husky in the invasion of Sicily. While escorting a convoy to the port of Derna, the corvettes' captain, Lieutenant Lancelot Claude Graham Lever, armed the corvette with two 20mm Breda anti aircraft guns acquired from an Italian armament dump, improving the anti aircraft defences aboard the inadequately armed corvette. With the 20mm Oerlikon guns already fitted to HMAS Lismore while in Australia, she became the most heavily armed corvette in the RAN.