Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60
Introduction '''Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60''' ( ('''''57 mm SAK 60''''')), also known as '''57 mm/60 (2.25") SAK Model 1950''' and the like (full English product name: '''Bofors 57 mm Automatic A.A. Gun L/60 In Stabilized Twin Turret'''), was a twin-barreled  caliber fully automatic dual purpose naval artillery piece designed by the Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors from the early of the 1940s to the early 1950s to meet a request from the Dutch Navy. Besides the Dutch Navy, the weapon was also adopted by the Swedish and the French Navy, most predominantly by the latter.
Design The Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60 is at its core a scaled up version of the famous Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70, but constructed as a twin-gun system sharing the same receiver/mantle with ammunition feeding from the sides into each gun. The guns were water-cooled and fed by large 80-cartridge magazines that allowed several long bursts to be fired without reloading.File:Musee-de-Port-Louis-Canon-a.jpg|French "57mm/60 modèle 1951" on display at Port-Louis naval museum.File:AA 57mm gun mg 8423 (no background + brightened).jpg|French "57mm/60 modèle 1951" on display at Port-Louis naval museum.
Use in the Dutch Navy Dutch Bofors 57 mm SAK 60 on the cruiser .The Dutch were the initial users of the Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60.As part of rebuilding the Dutch Navy post World War II, the Dutch Navy had requested several naval gun systems to be developed by Bofors for their next generation of naval-vessels, one being a twin-barreled 57 mm dual-purpose gun for the planned s  and . This request led to the creation of the Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60, which entered active service with the Dutch Navy in 1953 mounted on the cruisers ''De Ruyter'' and ''De Zeven Provinciën''.
Use in the Swedish Navy Swedish 57 mm akan m/50 on the destroyer Following the Dutch example, the Swedish navy decided to acquire the new 57 mm system for a new generation of destroyers in 1950.In Swedish service the weapon was fitted to the s  and , both of which entered service in 1956.The weapon was initially designated ''57 mm automatkanon m/50'' (''57 mm akan m/50''), meaning "57 mm autocannon m/50", but around 1970 the weapon was redesignated to ''57 mm torndubbelautomatpjäs m/50'' (''57 mm tdblapjäs m/50''), meaning "57 mm turret double automatic piece m/50" (literal).The gun was in use until the ''Halland''-class destroyers were taken out of service.
Use in the French Navy bow.The Bofors 57 mm L/60 naval gun was also purchased by the French Navy and came to serve on a number of naval-vessels under the designation ''57mm/60 modèle 1951'' (''57mm/60 mle 51'') from 1952 onward, although primarily post 1956.The French navy version of the system featured a French designed naval mount that maintained the system in mechanical equilibrium, even when firing. The French mounting was some 8 tons lighter than the Dutch/Swedish version.In French service the gun notably armed light escorts as main guns and larger ships as secondary guns. The following French ships were armed with the 57mm/60 mle 51 system:* The battleship  (1952 retrofit)* The anti-aircraft cruiser * The anti-aircraft cruiser * s* T 47-class fleet escorts (also known as the ''Surcouf'' class)* T 53-class fleet escorts
See also *Bofors 57 mm Automatic Anti-Aircraft Gun L/60 – single gun anti air development of the Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60*Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/70 – single gun replacement design for the Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60*Bofors 120 mm Automatic Gun L/50
References === Notes ====== External links ===*  57 mm/60 Modèle 1951 on NavWeaps.com*  Bofors automatic 57mm Dual-Purpose guns