QF 14 pounder Maxim-Nordenfelt naval gun
| Ordnance QF 14 pounder | |
|---|---|
| 300px On HMVS Cerberus circa. 1900. Note fixed-round cartridge with shell standing at gunner's feet in background. Photo courtesy of the Friends of the Cerberus | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1894-19?? |
| Used by | Various countries Victorian Naval Forces Royal Navy |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 189? |
| Manufacturer | Maxim-Nordenfelt |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,638 pounds (743 kg)[1] |
| Barrel length | 135 inches (3.429 m)bore (45 calibres)[2] |
| | |
| Shell | separate QF 14 pounds (6.35 kg) or 12.5 pounds (5.67 kg) |
| Calibre | 3-inch (76.2 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,100 feet per second (640 m/s) (14 lb shell)[3]2,525 feet per second (770 m/s) (12½ lb shell)[4] |
| Maximum range | 8,000 yards (7,320 m) (14 lb shell) |
The QF 14 pounder was a 3-inch medium-velocity naval gun used to equip warships for defence against torpedo boats. It was produced for export by Maxim-Nordenfelt (later Vickers, Sons and Maxim) in competition with the Elswick QF 12-pounder 12 cwt and QF 12-pounder 18 cwt guns.
Contents
Service
The gun equipped ships built in Britain for various foreign navies including Chile.
2 guns were mounted on HMVS Cerberus in 1897. In 1900 they were removed, mounted on field carriages and went to China with the Victorian Naval Contingent to confront the Boxer Rebellion. These 2 guns were non-standard and fired QF fixed rounds (i.e. the cartridge was loaded with shell attached) unlike the standard guns which fired separate ammunition (i.e. shell and cartridge loaded as separate items). They were therefor left behind in China in favour of the standard QF 12-pounder.[5]
In Victorian naval service in the 1890s the gun is reported as firing a shell weighing 14 lbs to a range of 8,000 yards with a muzzle velocity of 2100 ft/second, using a 6.5 lb black powder charge.[6]
Victorian coastal artillery
14 pounders were used for coastal defence at Fort Nepean, Fort Pearce and Fort Queenscliff.
The Royal Navy did not adopt the gun, but acquired several in 1903 by default when the British government bought the battleships Constitucion and Libertad under construction for Chile, due to fears that they would eventually be acquired by Russia. They each carried 14 of the guns and went on to serve as HMS Swiftsure and HMS Triumph respectively. In British service the guns fired the same 3-inch 12.5 lb shell as QF 12-pounder guns.
| 20px | This section requires expansion. |
British ammunition
In British service the guns fired the same 3-inch 12.5 lb shell as QF 12-pounder guns.
See also
- 12px Media related to QF 14 pounder naval gun at Wikimedia Commons
Notes
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External links
- ↑ VSM Gun tables as published in Brasseys Naval Annual 1901
- ↑ VSM Gun tables as published in Brasseys Naval Annual 1901
- ↑ 2100 ft/sec in Victorian Navy service, firing 14 lb projectile, using 6½ lb gunpowder propellant : Additions to 1890 Manual for Victorian naval forces circa. 1895
- ↑ 2525 ft/sec in Royal Navy service, firing 12½ lb projectile using 2¾ lb cordite MD propellant. Range Tables for His Majesty's Fleet, 1910. February, 1911. 2600 ft/sec is quoted for 12½ lb projectile using 2 lb 9 oz cordite in VSM Gun tables as published in Brasseys Naval Annual 1901
- ↑ HMVS Cerberus armament
- ↑ From additions to 1890 Manual for Victorian naval forces circa. 1895. HMVS Cerberus website
