Ordnance QF 4 inch gun Mk V | |
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![]() QF 4 inchHA guns aboard the cruiserHMASSydney, 1939–1940 | |
Type | Naval gun Anti-aircraft gun Coastal defence gun |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1914–1945 |
Used by | British Empire |
Wars | World War I World War II |
Production history | |
No. built | 944[1] |
Specifications | |
Mass | Barrel & breech: 4,890 lb (2,220 kg)[2] |
Barrel length | Bore: 15 ft (4.6 m) (45cal) Total: 15 ft 8 in (4.8 m)[2] |
Shell | 31 lb (14.1 kg)fixed QF orSeparate-loading QF |
Calibre | 4-inch (101.6 mm) |
Breech | horizontalsliding-block |
Recoil | hydro-pneumatic orhydro-spring 15 inches (380 mm) |
Elevation | mounting dependent |
Traverse | mounting dependent |
Muzzle velocity | 2,350 ft/s (716 m/s)[2] |
Maximum firing range | Surface: 16,300 yd (15,000 m)[3] AA: 28,750 ft (8,800 m)[2] |
Filling | Lyddite,Amatol |
Filling weight | 5 pounds (2.27 kg) |
TheQF 4 inch Mk V gun[note 1] was a Royal Navy gun of World War I which was adapted onHA (i.e. high-angle) mountings to the heavy anti-aircraft role both at sea and on land, and was also used as a coast defence gun.
This QF gun was introduced to provide a higher rate of fire than theBL 4 inch Mk VII. It first appeared in 1914 as secondary armament onArethusa-class cruisers, was soon adapted to a high-angle anti-aircraft role. It was typically used on cruisers and heavier ships, althoughV and W-class destroyers of 1917 also mounted the gun.
Mk V was superseded by theQF 4 inch Mk XVI as the HA (i.e. anti-aircraft) gun on new warships in the 1930s, but it continued to serve on many ships such as destroyers, light and heavy cruisers inWorld War II.[4]
Early in World War I several guns were supplied by the Navy for evaluation as anti-aircraft guns for the home defence of key installations in Britain. They were mounted on static platforms and proved fairly successful after afixed round was developed to replace the originalseparate round, and more followed. The AA mounting allowed elevation to 80° but loading was not possible above 62°, which slowed the maximum rate of fire.[5] At theArmistice, a total of 24 guns were employed in AA defences in Britain and 2 in France.[6] After World War I, the guns were returned to the Navy.
From 1915 to 1928, several guns were mounted in forts to guard the estuary of the River Humber.[7]
Gun | muzzle velocity | Shell (lb) | Time to 5,000 ft (1,500 m) at 25° (seconds) | Time to 10,000 ft (3,000 m) at 40° (seconds) | Time to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) at 55° (seconds) | Max. height[9] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
QF 13 pdr 9 cwt | 1,990 ft/s (610 m/s) | 12.5 | 10.1 | 15.5 | 22.1 | 19,000 ft (5,800 m) |
QF 12 pdr 12 cwt | 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s) | 12.5 | 9.1 | 14.1 | 19.1 | 20,000 ft (6,100 m) |
QF 3 inch 20 cwt 1914 | 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s) | 12.5 | 8.3 | 12.6 | 16.3 | 23,500 ft (7,200 m) |
QF 3 inch 20 cwt 1916 | 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) | 16 | 9.2 | 13.7 | 18.8 | 22,000 ft (6,700 m)[10] |
QF 4 inch Mk V World War I | 2,350 ft/s (720 m/s) | 31 (3c.r.h.) | 9.6 | 12.3 | 28,750 ft (8,760 m) | |
QF 4 inch Mk V World War II[11] | 2,350 ft/s (720 m/s) | 31 (4.38/6 c.r.h.) | 31,000 ft (9,400 m) |
Ammunition for the original low-angle guns introduced in World War I wasSeparate QF i.e. the shell and cartridge were separate items, but in World War II most guns usedFixed QF ammunition i.e. a single unit. The fixed Mk V ammunition was 44.3 inches (1.13 m) long and weighed 56 pounds (25 kg), while the projectile was 31 pounds (14 kg).[12]