QF 4-inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII

Ordnance QF 4 inch gun Mk IV, XII, XXII
Ordnance QF 4 inch gun Mk IV, XII, XXII
	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	United Kingdom
Wars	World War I; World War II
Production history
No. built	1,141
Specifications
Mass	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
Calibre	4-inch (101.6 mm)
Breech	horizontal sliding-block
Elevation	PIX Mount -10° to +20°; CPIII Mount -10° to +30°
Muzzle velocity	Mk IV : 2,370 feet per second (720 m/s); Mk XII & XXII : 1,873 feet per second (571 m/s)
Maximum firing range	11,580 yards (10,590 m) at +30°

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. Of the 1,141 produced, 939 were still available in 1939.^[1] Mk XII and Mk XXII variants armed many British interwar and World War II submarines.

Mk IV gun[]

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[]

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.^[2] Shortly after the end of hostilities, the Mk XXII was superseded in new British submarines by the lighter QF 4 inch Mk XXIII.^[4]

Mk XII and XXII equipped submarines[]

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.

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[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.59.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 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". Tony DiGiulian. 22 October 2008. http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_4-33_mk23.htm. Retrieved 21 March 2014.

Sources[]

Tony DiGiulian, British 4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Marks IV, XII and XXII
Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.

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[4] 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.

[Campbell,_p.59-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.59.

[DiGiulian-2] 2.0 ^2.1 DiGiulian

[3] 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)

[5] "Britain - 4"/33 (10.2 cm) QF Mark XXIII". Tony DiGiulian. 22 October 2008. http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_4-33_mk23.htm. Retrieved 21 March 2014.

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