QF 4.7 inch Mk V naval gun
| QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk V | |
|---|---|
| 300px 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 | |
| Weight | 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 | 120-millimetre (4.72 in) |
| Breech | single motion interrupted screw |
| Recoil | 8 inch[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,350 feet per second (720 m/s)[2] |
| Maximum range | 16,500 yards (15,100 m)[1] |
The QF 4.7 inch Gun Mark V originated as a 120-mm 45 calibres long naval gun produced for export by the Elswick Ordnance Company in the 1890s and used by various countries.[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].
During World War I, the UK acquired 620 [3] of a version of the guns manufactured in Japan, and mounted them as anti-submarine guns on merchant ships and troop ships, under the designation Mark V*.
On 10 March 1917 the crew of a single gun on the merchant ship SS Otaki fought a notable action against the heavily-armed German commerce raider SMS Möewe. They managed to set the Möewe on fire and inflicted severe damage before the Otaki was sunk. Otaki's commander Archibald Bisset Smith went down with his ship and was eventually awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for refusing to surrender his ship.
Many of these guns were again used in World War II to arm merchant ships and troop ships.
See also
- 12px Media related to QF 4.7 inch Mk V naval gun at Wikimedia Commons
- Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun version in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1918
- QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk I - IV 40-calibres version adopted by the Royal Navy
- List of naval guns
Notes
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- Tony DiGiulian. "British 4.7"/45 (12 cm) QF Mark V and Mark V*".
