The QF 4 inch Mk V gun
[Mk V = Mark 5. Britain used ]Roman numerals
Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...
to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Mark V indicates this was the fifth model of QF 4-inch gun. was a Royal Navy gun of World War I which was adapted on
HA (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.
Service
Naval service
![4 inch gun on HMAS Vampire 1938 SLV](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/4_inch_gun_on_HMAS_Vampire_1938_SLV.jpeg)
This QF gun was introduced to provide a higher rate of fire than the
BL 4 inch Mk VII. It first appeared in 1914 as secondary armament on s, was soon adapted to a high-angle anti-aircraft role. It was typically used on cruisers and heavier ships, although s of 1917 also mounted the gun.
Mk V was superseded by the
QF 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 in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Army anti-aircraft gun
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 a
fixed round was developed to replace the original
separate 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. At the Armistice a total of 24 guns were employed in AA defences in Britain and 2 in France. After World War I the guns were returned to the Navy.
Coast Defence gun
From 1915 to 1928 several guns were mounted in forts to guard the estuary of the River Humber.
Anti-aircraft performance
Ammunition
Ammunition for the original low-angle guns introduced in World War I was
Separate QF
Separate or separates may refer to:
*Soil separates, three kinds of soil mineral particles: sand, silt, and clay
*Separate (song), 2016 song by South African songstress Amanda Black
*Separates (clothing), Mix-and-match separates, clothing
* ''Sep ...
i.e. the shell and cartridge were separate items, but in World War II most guns used
Fixed 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).
[Campbell, ''Naval Weapons of WWII'', p.58.]
QF4inchMkVLAFixedCartridge1934Diagram.jpg,
Storing 4-inch ammunition on HMS Widgeon 1943 IWM A 18542.jpg,
See also
*
List of anti-aircraft guns
Anti-aircraft guns are weapons designed to attack aircraft. Such weapons commonly have a high rate of fire and are able to fire shells designed to damage aircraft. They also are capable of firing at high angles, but are also usually able to hit ...
*
List of naval guns
List of Naval Guns by country of origin in decreasing caliber size
List of naval guns by caliber size, all countries
Naval anti-aircraft guns
See also
*List of artillery
*List of the largest cannon by caliber
*Glossary of British ordnance ...
*
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
*
Cannon 102/45
The Cannon 102/45 was a naval gun of the Italian Navy in World War II, which was later modified for shore based anti-aircraft and coastal artillery roles.
History
During World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often ...
Italian copy of the QF Mk V made under license
*
10.5 cm SK L/45 naval gun Approximate German equivalent firing slightly heavier shell
Surviving examples
* A gun from
HMNZS ''Tutira'' in front of the
Devonport Naval Base
Devonport Naval Base is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy, located at Devonport, New Zealand on Auckland's North Shore. It is currently the only base of the navy that operates ships, and has been in use as a navy base since 1841. The b ...
, Auckland, New Zealand
Notes
References
Bibliography
*Tony DiGiulian
British 4"/45 (10.2 cm) QF Mark V and Mark XV*
I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, ''British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914–1918''. London: Ian Allan, 1972.
*Brigadier N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Anti-Aircraft Artillery, 1914–55''. London: Brassey's, 1994.
*
External links
Gun drill for 4-inch Q.F. gun mark V (land Service) 1924at State Library of Victoria
{{DEFAULTSORT:QF 04-inch Mk 05
Naval guns of the United Kingdom
Naval anti-aircraft guns
World War I anti-aircraft guns
Artillery of the United Kingdom
Coastal artillery
100 mm artillery
World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom
World War II naval weapons of the United Kingdom