Fuze Keeping Clock

The Italian aircraft are painted with a light sand under-colour, which at the very high level bombing height favoured (13 to 16,000 feet) merges very successfully into the usual hard bright sky.

The remainder of the bombs (about 30) were aimed with obvious intention of attacking the Convoy, but they released early, and the entire outfit fell around "Parramatta".

Although splinters flew over us there were no casualties, and the minesweeping party aft calmly continued to get in the sweeps with the after gun firing over their heads and bombs dropping close around them.

The Italian planes continued over the Convoy at approximately 14,000 ft and gave H.M.S "Auckland" and myself an unrivalled opportunity for steady firing for some minutes.

[10]The FKC was used throughout the war and its effectiveness was increased by the use of radar for gunnery and to provide warning against surprise attack, as demonstrated by this account of HMAS Warrego bringing down a Japanese A6M Zero fighter aircraft (a "HAMP"), in 1944: On 18th September H.M.A.S.

Two of these had closed to 9,000 yards when a "HAMP" appeared at Red 75 at a height of about 1,000 feet apparently making a bombing run on the ship.

As this speed exceeded the limits of the fuze keeping clock,[11] aim off was allowed in the director and the bursts, which were at first astern of the aircraft as the range opened, were then close ahead of the target.

A Mk V Fuze setting tray with a 4 in (102 mm) anti-aircraft (A/A) round. The Fuze setting tray received its fuze timing information, via electrical signals from the FKC, on a receiver dial. The operator then matched the settings on the receiver dial with the indicator dial on the tray, which then adjusted the clockwork mechanism in the A/A warhead to the calculated time of flight to the target.
Cut-away view of a destroyer "K" type D.C.T. with Type 285 radar. The below-decks FKC is shown in the centre of the drawing and is labelled "Gunnery Calculating Position", with the deflection operator seated.
Port view of the sloop HMS Auckland . She is armed with eight 4-inch Mark XVI guns in four twin Mark XIX mountings at A and B positions forward and in X and Y positions aft. They are controlled by the Rangefinder-Director sited behind the bridge which fed targeting information to her FKC located below decks. A Vickers .50 machine gun , quad mount Mk. II, was also fitted.