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QF 4.7-inch Mk V naval gun

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QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk V
On troopship SS Orca, March 1919
TypeNaval gun
Coast defence gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Japan
Service history
In service1900–1945
Used byBritish Empire
WarsWorld War I
World War II
Production history
DesignerElswick Ordnance
Designedca. 1895
VariantsMark V, Mark V*
Specifications
MassBarrel & breech 5,936 pounds (2,693 kg)[1]
Barrel length212.6 inches (5.40 m) (45 cal)[1]

ShellSeparate loading QF 45 pounds (20.41 kg) Common Pointed, Lyddite
Calibre4.724 inches (120 mm)
Breechsingle motion interrupted screw
Recoil8 inch[1]
Elevation-10° to +20°[2]
Rate of fireApprox. 8-10 rounds per minute[3]
Muzzle velocity2,350 feet per second (720 m/s)[4]
Maximum firing range16,500 yards (15,100 m)[1]

The QF 4.7 inch Gun Mark V originated as a 4.7 in (120 mm) 45-calibre naval gun designed by the Elswick Ordnance Company for export customers and known as the Pattern Y.[3]

United Kingdom service

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The Royal Navy did not adopt the gun, but several were adopted by the army as coast defence guns around the United Kingdom from 1900 onwards.[1] In World War I the UK acquired 620 [3] of a version manufactured in Japan, and mounted them as anti-submarine guns on merchant ships and troop ships, under the designation Mark V*. Many of these guns were used again in World War II on defensively armed merchant ships and troop ships.

Notable actions

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On 10 March 1917 the crew of a single gun on the refrigerated cargo liner Otaki fought a notable action against the heavily-armed German commerce raider SMS Möwe. They managed to set the Möwe on fire and inflicted significant damage before the Otaki was sunk. Otaki's Master Archibald Bisset Smith went down with his ship and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for refusing to surrender his ship.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 108.
  2. ^ Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.52.
  3. ^ a b c DiGiulian
  4. ^ 2,350 ft/second, firing a 45 lb projectile, using 8 lb 10 oz Cordite MD size 16 propellant. Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 108

References

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  • I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston (1972). British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914–1918. London: Ian Allan.
  • Tony DiGiulian. "British 4.7"/45 (12 cm) QF Mark V and Mark V*".
  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
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