QF 4.7-inch Mk V naval gun

QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk V
On troopship SS Orca, March 1919
Type	Naval gun Coast defence gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom Japan
Service history
In service	1900–1945
Used by	British Empire
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Designer	Elswick Ordnance
Designed	ca. 1895
Variants	Mark V, Mark V*
Specifications
Mass	Barrel & breech 5,936 pounds (2,693 kg)^[1]
Barrel length	212.6 inches (5.40 m) (45 cal)^[1]

Shell	Separate loading QF 45 pounds (20.41 kg) Common Pointed, Lyddite
Calibre	4.724 inches (120 mm)
Breech	single motion interrupted screw
Recoil	8 inch^[1]
Elevation	-10° to +20°^[2]
Rate of fire	Approx. 8-10 rounds per minute^[3]
Muzzle velocity	2,350 feet per second (720 m/s)^[4]
Maximum firing range	16,500 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

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

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.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 108.
^ Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.52.
^ ^a ^b ^c DiGiulian
^ 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

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.

External links

Media related to QF 4.7 inch Mk V naval gun at Wikimedia Commons

v t e British Empire naval weapons of the First World War
Monitor guns	BL 9.2-inch Mk VI BL 9.2-inch Mk VIII BL 9.2-inch Mk X BL 9.2-inch Mk XII BL 12-inch Mk VIII US 14-inch 45 cal. BL 15-inch Mk I BL 18-inch Mk I
Capital ship main armament	Vickers 10-inch 45 cal. EOC 10-inch 45 cal. BL 12-inch Mk VIII BL 12-inch Mk IX BL 12-inch Mk X BL 12-inch Mk XI & XII EOC 12-inch 45 cal. Mk XIII BL 13.5-inch Mk I – IV BL 13.5-inch Mk V BL 13.5-inch Mk VI EOC 14-inch 45 cal. Mk I BL 15-inch Mk I
Armoured cruiser main armament	BL 7.5-inch Mk I BL 9.2-inch Mk X BL 9.2-inch Mk XI
Secondary armament and light cruiser main armament	QF 12-pounder 18 cwt QF 14-pounder Maxim-Nordenfelt QF 14-pounder Mk I & II QF 4-inch Mk III BL 4-inch Mk VII QF 4-inch Mk V BL 4-inch Mk IX BL 5.5-inch Mk I QF 6-inch Mk I – III BL 6-inch Mk VII BL 6-inch Mk XI BL 6-inch Mk XII BL 6-inch Mk XIII-XVIII BL 7.5-inch Mk II – Mk V
Destroyer and small cruiser armament	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk II QF 4-inch Mk III BL 4-inch Mk VIII QF 4-inch Mk IV BL 4.7-inch Mk I
Merchant ship armament	QF 4.7-inch Mk I – IV QF 4.7-inch Mk V*
Submarine guns	BL 4-inch Mk XI QF 4-inch Mk XII
Anti-aircraft guns	QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk II QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk V
Light weapons	.303 Vickers machine gun QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF 3-pounder Vickers QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss
Torpedoes	18-inch Mk V – VIII 21-inch Mk II 21-inch Mk IV
Mines	Spherical Mk I, II and III Vickers Elia mine Type H mine
Anti-submarine weapons	Type A Depth charge Type B Depth charge Type C Depth charge Type D Depth charge Type E Depth charge Type F Depth charge Type G Depth charge Cruiser Mine 7.5-inch howitzer
Landing guns	QF 12-pounder 8 cwt

This page was last edited on 9 April 2023, at 15:20

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United Kingdom service

Notable actions

See also

Notes

References

External links