QF 4 inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII
Ordnance QF 4 inch gun Mk IV, XII, XXII | |
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Mk IV gun from HMS Lance at the Imperial War Museum, London | |
Type |
Light Naval gun Submarine gun |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1911-1940s |
Used by |
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Wars |
World War I World War II |
Specifications | |
Weight | 2,750 pounds (1,250 kg) barrel & breech |
Barrel length | 160 inches (4.064 m) bore (40 calibres) |
| |
Shell |
Mk IV : Separate QF 31 pounds (14.06 kg); Mk XII & XXII : Fixed QF 31 pounds (14.06 kg), 35 pounds (15.88 kg) from 1944[1] |
Calibre | 4-inch (101.6 mm) |
Breech | horizontal sliding block |
Muzzle velocity |
Mk IV : 2,370 feet per second (720 m/s)[2] Mk XII & XXII : 1,873 feet per second (571 m/s) |
Maximum firing range | 10,000 yards (9,100 m) |
The QF 4-inch gun Mk IV[note 1] was the main gun on most Royal Navy and British Empire destroyers in World War I. It was introduced in 1911 as a faster-loading light gun successor to the BL 4 inch Mk VIII gun. Mk XII and Mk XXII variants armed many British interwar and World War II submarines.
Mk IV gun
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Mk IV armed many British destroyers and some cruisers in World War I. It was used to arm merchant ships in World War II.
The guns armed the following warships :
- Forward-class scout cruisers as re-gunned in 1911
- Sentinel-class scout cruisers as re-gunned 1911-1912
- Pathfinder-class scout cruisers as re-gunned 1911-1912
- Adventure-class scout cruisers as re-gunned 1911-1912
- Acasta (K)-class destroyers of 1911
- Laforey (L)-class destroyers of 1913
- Yarrow M-class destroyers laid down 1912 - 1915
- Admiralty M-class destroyer of 1913
- Thornycroft M-class destroyers laid down 1913 - 1915
- Hawthorn M-class destroyer of 1914
- Talisman-class destroyers of 1914
- Medea-class destroyers of 1914
- Faulknor-class leaders of 1914
- Marksman-class destroyers of 1914
- Parker class leaders of 1915
- Yarrow Later M-class destroyers of 1915
- R-class destroyers of 1916
- S-class destroyers of 1917
- Fundy-class minesweepers of 1938 (guns from decommissioned Canadian S-class destroyers)
Mk XII and XXII submarine gun
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The Mk XII variant was developed for arming submarines from 1918, Mk XXII was developed to arm submarines during World War II. These submarine guns fired a heavier 35 pounds (16 kg) projectile from late 1944.[1] Shortly after the end of hostilities, the Mk XXII was superseded in new British submarines by the lighter QF 4 inch Mk XXIII.[3]
Mk XII and XXII equipped submarines
- L class
- Odin ("O") class
- Parthian ("P") class
- River (or Thames) class
- Grampus (or Porpoise) class
- Triton ("T") class
- S class
- Some of the Amphion ("A" or Acheron) class
Surviving guns
- The Mk IV gun from HMS Lance which fired the first British shot of World War I on 5 August 1914 is on display at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth.
See also
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun : Slightly more powerful German equivalent WWII submarine gun
Notes
- ↑ Mk IV = Mark 4. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. This was the fourth model of 4-inch QF naval gun. Variants Mk XII = Mark 12, Mk XXII = Mark 22.
References
- 1 2 DiGiulian
- ↑ 2,370 ft/s for Mk IV gun with 31 lb (14 kg) projectile in WWI, using 5 lb 1 oz 12 drams cordite MD size 16 propellant (Treatise on Ammunition, 10th Edition 1915)
- ↑ "Britain - 4"/33 (10.2 cm) QF Mark XXIII". www.navweaps.com. Tony DiGiulian. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
Sources
- Tony DiGiulian, British 4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Marks IV, XII and XXII
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