BL 4-inch Mk IX naval gun






































































Ordnance BL 4-inch Mk IX gun

HMCS Calgary gun shield badge WWII MC-2166.jpg
On Flower-class corvette HMCS Calgary in World War II

Type Naval gun
Service history
In service 1916–1945
Used by
 Royal Navy
Canada Royal Canadian Navy

Free FranceFree French Navy
GreeceHellenic Navy
IndiaRoyal Indian Navy
NetherlandsNetherlands Navy
New ZealandRoyal New Zealand Navy
NorwayNorwegian Navy


South AfricaSouth African Navy
Wars
World War I
World War II
Production history

No. built
2,382[1]
Specifications
Weight 2 tons barrel & breech[2]

Barrel length
180 inches (4.572 m) bore (45 calibres)

Shell 31 pounds (14.1 kg)
Calibre 4 inches (101.6 mm)
Breech Welin interrupted screw
Elevation -10 degrees to +30 degrees[3]
Rate of fire 10-12 rpm[3]
Muzzle velocity 800 metres per second (2,600 ft/s)[2]
Maximum firing range 12,660 metres (13,850 yd)[2]

The BL 4-inch Mk IX naval gun[note 1] was a British medium-velocity naval gun introduced in 1916 as secondary armament on the Renown-class battlecruisers and Glorious-class "large light cruisers", but which served most notably as the main armament on Flower-class corvettes throughout World War II.




Contents






  • 1 History


    • 1.1 World War I


    • 1.2 World War II




  • 2 Surviving examples


  • 3 See also


  • 4 Notes


  • 5 References


  • 6 Bibliography


  • 7 External links





History



World War I





Original aft triple mounts on HMS Repulse c. 1916–1917



The gun was based on the barrel of the QF 4-inch Mk V and the breech mechanism of the BL 4-inch Mk VIII[4] and was first introduced in World War I on capital ships as secondary armament in triple-gun mountings, intended to provide rapid concentrated fire. This turned out to be unworkable in practice. Jane's Fighting Ships of 1919 commented, "4-inch triples are clumsy and not liked. They are not mounted in one sleeve; have separate breech mechanism, a gun crew of 23 to each triple".[5] Guns were thereafter used in single-gun mountings, typically on smaller ships as primary armament.




World War II





Coast defence gun and crew at Fort Crosby near Liverpool, UK, August 1940





Cleaning the breech on transport St Essylt, Suez 1942


In World War II the gun was employed on many small warships such as Flower-class corvettes and minesweepers, primarily for action against surfaced submarines.


This was the last BL 4 inch gun in British service: all subsequent guns have used charges in metal cartridges "QF". It was succeeded on new small warships built in World War II by the QF 4-inch Mk XIX gun which fired a slightly heavier shell at much lower velocity and had a high-angle mounting which added anti-aircraft capability.




Surviving examples



  • On board HMCS Sackville, the last surviving Flower-class corvette, at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada


  • A gun at the entrance to the marina in Hull, UK


  • A gun at Port Isaac, Cornwall, UK



See also


  • List of naval guns


Notes





  1. ^ Mk IX = Mark 9. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Mark IX indicates this was the ninth model of BL 4-inch gun.




References





  1. ^ Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.42-43.


  2. ^ abc http://navalhistory.flixco.info/H/77826x53535/8330/a0.htm


  3. ^ ab Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.38.


  4. ^ DiGiulian


  5. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships 1919, page 62




Bibliography



  • Tony DiGiulian, British 4"/45 (10.2 cm) BL Marks IX and X


  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}



External links














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