Menon (weapon)

Type of anti-submarine mortar

Menon

A triple-barrel Menon ASW mortar mounted in front of the superstructure aboard the Italian frigate Cigno, 1959

Type| Anti-submarine mortar
Place of origin| Italy
Service history
In service| 1956–1980s
Used by| Italian Navy
Production history
Produced| 1956–1960s
Variants| Short barrelled
Specifications
Crew| 3

* * *

Shell| 160 kg (350 lb)
Calibre| 305 mm (12 in)
Barrels| 3
Maximum firing range| 1,500 yd (1,372 m)

Menon was an anti-submarine mortar used by the Italian Navy during the Cold War. Introduced in 1956, it was used on the Centauro-class and Bergamini-class frigates and Impetuoso-class destroyers until their retirement in the 1980s.

## Description

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The Menon system fired a 305-millimeter (12 in) projectile weighing 160 kilograms (350 lb) to a maximum range of 1,500 meters (4,900 ft).[1] It fired 21 rounds in 70 seconds that covered an area of about 90 by 180 square yards (75 by 151 m2).[2]

The initial version consisted of a three-barrel mortar in a rotating, enclosed mounting that was usually positioned forward of the superstructure, but aft of the gun mounts.[1] This was replaced by the K 113 weapon with a single 4.6-meter (15 ft 1 in) barrel in the same type of mounting, albeit with a fixed elevation of 45°. By varying the gas vent valves in the three powder chambers, the weapon had a range between 400 and 900 meters (440 and 980 yd). The K 113 fired a seven-round pattern, loaded automatically from a seven-round cylinder.[2]

Short-barreled models were also used, although details are lacking.

## Cites

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1. ^ a b Archer, p. 230
2. ^ a b Friedman, p. 434

## Bibliography

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* Archer, Denis, ed. (1976). Jane's Pocket Book of Naval Armament. New York: Collier Books. OCLC 937976566.
* Friedman, Norman (1989). The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-793-3.