View source for QF 6 inch /40 naval gun

{{Infobox Weapon
|name= QF 6 inch 40 calibre naval gun<br>''Type 41 6-inch (152 mm)/40-caliber''
|image=[[Image:QF6inchElswickNavalGun.jpg|300px]]
|caption=Typical naval deck mounting. This shows an early long cartridge case for [[gunpowder]] propellant (upended at bottom left); later UK cases for [[cordite]] propellant were much shorter. A shell stands next to the cartridge.
|origin= [[United Kingdom]]<br>license-produced in [[Japan]]
|type= [[Naval gun]]<br>Coast defence gun
<!-- Type selection -->
|is_ranged=YES
|is_bladed=
|is_explosive=
|is_artillery=YES
|is_vehicle=
|is_UK=YES
<!-- Service history -->
|service=1892-1945
|used_by=[[Royal Navy]]<br>[[Imperial Japanese Navy]]<br>{{CHL}}<br>{{ITA}}<br>{{ARG}}
|wars= [[Russo-Japanese War]]<br>[[World War I]]
<!-- Production history -->
|designer= 
|design_date=
|manufacturer=[[Armstrong Whitworth#Elswick Ordnance Company|Elswick Ordnance Company]]<br>[[Royal Gun Factory|Woolwich Arsenal]]
|production_date=
|number= 
|variants= 
<!-- General specifications -->
|weight= 6.6&nbsp;tons 
|length= 
|part_length={{convert|240|in|m|sigfig=4}} bore
|width=
|height=
|crew=
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications --> 
|cartridge= {{convert|100|lb|kg}} [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|QF]], separate cartridge and shell
|caliber={{convert|6|in|mm|sigfig=4}}
|action= 
|rate= 5-7 rounds per minute
|velocity= {{convert|2154|ft/s|m/s|sigfig=3}}<ref>2154 ft/second in British service firing {{convert|100|lb|abbr=on}} projectile, using {{convert|13|lb|4|oz|kg|abbr=on}} Cordite size 30  propellant, at {{convert|60|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. {{convert|1882|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} using {{convert|27|lb|12|oz|kg|abbr=on}} gunpowder propellant. From Text Book of Gunnery, 1902.</ref><br>{{convert|820|ft/s|m/s|sigfig=3}} for anti-submarine shells
|range= {{convert|10000|yd|m|sigfig=3}} at 20°elevation; {{convert|15000|yd|m|sigfig=3}} at 28°elevation
|max_range= 
|feed= 
|sights= 
<!-- Artillery specifications -->
|breech=
|recoil=
|carriage=
|elevation=-5 / +20 degrees 
|traverse=+150 / -150 degrees
}}

The '''QF 6 inch 40 calibre naval gun''' was used by many [[United Kingdom]]-built warships around the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century.

In UK service it was known as the '''[[List of British ordnance terms#QF|QF]] 6 inch MK I, II, III''' guns.
As the '''Type 41 6-inch (152 mm)/40-caliber naval gun''' it was used for [[pre-dreadnought]] [[battleships]] and [[armoured cruiser]]s of the early [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] built in UK shipyards.

==Design==
These guns were developed to exploit the new [[British ordnance terms#QF|Quick-Firing]] technology, which involved loading the propellant charge in a brass case with primer in its base. The brass case also sealed the breech, allowing a lighter mechanism. This was presumed to allow a faster rate of fire than the older "Breech Loading" system, where the propellant was loaded in cloth bags and then a separate friction or percussion tube fitted into the breech for firing. The QF principle had proved successful with the much smaller [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss]] and [[Nordenfelt]] QF 3 and 6 pounders from 1885 onwards.

The Mk I was an Elswick gun of [[Built-up gun|built up construction]]. Mk II was built by [[Royal Arsenal|Woolwich Arsenal]] and in 1891 became the first Royal Navy gun using the Armstrong [[British ordnance terms#Wire-wound|wire-wound]] construction. The breech mechanisms were developed from the existing {{convert|6|in|mm|sing=on}} BL mechanisms, but as it no longer had to provide obturation (sealing of the breech), the front was made coned rather than straight which allowed it to be swung round to the side before it was fully withdrawn, rather than  having to be fully withdrawn before swinging to the side as with the BL gun.<ref name=Hogg&Thurston1972>Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 140.</ref>. Mk III was built by Elswick and was similar to Mk I. All 3 Marks had the same dimensions and performance.

==UK service== 
===Royal Navy service===
[[File:HMS Powerful Starboard 6 inch guns.jpg|thumb|left|<center>The 6 starboard casemate guns on [[HMS Powerful (1895)|HMS ''Powerful'']]</center>]]
[[File:Loading QF 6 inch gun LOC ggbain 16785.jpg|thumb|left|<center>Loading a deck gun on [[HMS Ariadne (1898)|HMS ''Ariadne'']]. The man at left holds a shell, the men at right hold brass powder cartridges. Note the coned breech screw</center>]]
[[File:HMCS Niobe 6 inch gun firing Niobe-DNDUnkn02.jpg|thumb|left|<center>Gunnery exercise on [[HMCS Niobe]]</center>]]
As the [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|QF]] 6 inch Mk I, Mk II and Mk III, the gun was used as secondary armament of pre-dreadnoughts of the 1890s and cruisers to 1905. On the [[armoured cruiser]]s of the [[Diadem class cruiser|''Diadem'']], [[Powerful class cruiser|''Powerful'']] and [[Edgar class cruiser|''Edgar'']] classes they made up most of the armament, though the latter class carried two {{convert|9.2|in|mm|sing=on}} guns as well. The pre-dreadnought battleships of the [[Royal Sovereign class battleship|''Royal Sovereign'']] (including the turreted [[HMS Hood (1891)|''Hood'']]), [[Centurion class battleship|''Centurion'']], [[Majestic class battleship|''Majestic'']] and [[Canopus class battleship|''Canopus'']] classes carried up to 12 guns. 

The QF 6 inch fell out of favour, and the Royal Navy returned to [[List of British ordnance terms#BL|BL]] guns in 1901 with the adoption of the [[BL 6 inch Gun Mk 7|BL 6 inch Mk VII]].
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===Second Boer War land service===
[[Image:QF6InchBeforeTugelaHeightsBattle.jpg|thumb|left|<center>Gun before use in the Tugela Heights battles of February 1900</center>]]
During the [[Second Boer War]] one gun was brought ashore from [[HMS Terrible (1895)|HMS ''Terrible'']] in [[Colony of Natal|Natal]] in February 1900 at the request of [[Redvers Buller|General Buller]]<ref name="MHJ-4-3">{{cite journal|last=Hall|first=D.D.|date=1978-06-03|title=THE NAVAL GUNS IN NATAL 1899-1902|journal=Military History Journal|publisher=The South African Military History Society|volume=4|issue=3|issn=0026-4016|url=http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol043dh.html|accessdate=2009-11-10}}</ref>, presumably{{Fact|date=December 2008}} in response to the failure at [[Battle of Colenso|Colenso]]. It was mounted on an improvised field carriage by [[Percy Scott|Captain Percy Scott]] and transported by rail to Chieveley, just south of Colenso. There it was manned by Royal Navy gunners to provide useful fire support for the [[British Army]] during the [[relief of Ladysmith]]. It is reported on 17 February to have fired from "Gun Hill" (a small [[kopje]] 2 two miles (3 km) north of Chieveley<ref>Burne 1902, Chapter II</ref>) and knocked out a Boer gun at {{convert|16500|yd}}, followed by a Boer searchlight, as Buller approached Ladysmith from the South East and pushed the Boers back towards the Tugela river.<ref>Bridgland 1998, Page 126-128</ref> On 26 February Lieutenant Burne reports firing from the same position on a Boer gun at {{convert|15000|yd}} at 28° elevation and falling {{convert|200|yd}} short.<ref>Burne 1902 Chapter V</ref> The 7 ton weight (compared to the 2 1/2 tons of the Boer 155 mm "Long Tom") meant that it was effectively immobile on the battlefield and could not be moved forward to shorten the range.  

Two guns were also mounted on [[armoured train]]s, crewed by [[Royal Garrison Artillery]] men.<ref>Major D Hall, [http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol022dh.html The South African Military History Society. Military History Journal - Vol 2 No 2 December 1971. "Guns in South Africa 1899-1902 Part III and IV"]</ref>

=== Coast defence gun===
From 1894 a number of guns were adapted for coast defence use, with the original 3-motion breeches replaced by modern single-motion breeches to increase the rate of fire, which designated them as "B" guns<ref name=Hogg&Thurston1972>Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 140</ref>.

Nineteen guns were still active in the defence of the UK as at April 1918 : [[Jersey]] (2), [[Guernsey]] (2), [[Alderney]] (2), [[Shoeburyness]] (2), Blyth (2), [[River Clyde|Clyde]] Garrison (1), [[Mersey]] (2), Berehaven Garrison ([[Bantry Bay]], Ireland) (6).<ref>Farndale 1988, page 398 - 404</ref>

===World War I anti-aircraft gun===
[[Image:QF6inchAAGunWWI.jpg|thumb|<center>Anti-aircraft mounting, Chatham dockyard</center>]]
At least one gun is known to have been mounted by the Royal Navy on an improvised anti-aircraft mounting on a railway truck, defending the London docks during the First World War.<ref>Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 206.</ref>
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===Conversion to 8 inch (203 mm) howitzer===
{{main|BL 8 inch Howitzer Mk 1 - 5}}
In World War I Britain urgently needed heavy artillery on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], and various obsolete 6-inch naval guns were converted to 8-inch howitzers. Sixty-three QF 6-inch Mk II guns were shortened, bored out  to 8 inches (203 mm) and converted to [[List of British ordnance terms#BL|BL type]] to produce the [[BL 8 inch Howitzer Mk 1 - 5|BL 8-inch howitzer Mk V]].<ref>Mk V howitzer used QF Mk II barrels converted to BL (total of 63). Details from Clarke 2005, page 34, and Tony DiGiulian's website [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_6-40_mk1.htm Britain 6"/40 (15.2 cm) QF Marks I, II and III]</ref> Four entered service in December 1915 and 59 followed in 1916.<ref>National Archives MUN5/373/9227</ref>
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==Japanese naval service==
[[Image:Mikasa 6-inch gun.jpg|left|thumb|<center>Type 41 6-inch (152 mm)/40 naval gun on [[Japanese battleship Mikasa]]</center>]]
The Type 41 naval gun was designed by [[Armstrong Whitworth]], [[Elswick, Tyne and Wear|Elswick]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], [[England]] as a slightly modified version of the Elswick Ordnance Company [[QF]] pattern {{convert|6|in|mm|sing=on}} guns used on contemporary [[Royal Navy]] battleships. It was the standard [[Battleship secondary armament|secondary armament]] on early Japan battleships and the [[main battery]] on several classes of [[armoured cruiser]]s.

The gun was officially designated as “Type 41” from the 41st year of the reign of [[Emperor Meiji]] on 25 December 1908. It was further re-designated in centimeters on 5 October 1917 as part of the standardization process for the Imperial Japanese Navy converting to the [[metric system]]. 

The Type 41 {{convert|6|in|mm|sing=on}} gun fired a {{convert|100|lb|kg|1|adj=on}} shell with either an [[Armor-piercing shot and shell|armour piercing]], [[Shell (projectile)|high explosive]] or general purpose warhead. An anti-submarine shell of {{convert|113|lb|kg|1|adj=on}} was developed and in service from 1943.
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==Surviving examples==
* On board [[Japanese battleship Mikasa]], Yokosuka, Japan
* [[:File:Fort Desoto06.jpg|A coast defence gun]] at [[Fort Desoto]], Florida, USA.

==See also==
{{Commonscat-inline|QF 6 inch /40 naval gun}}
*[[List of naval guns]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*[http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/u?/p4013coll11,230 Text Book of Gunnery, 1902. LONDON : PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE]
*Tony Bridgland, "[http://www.amazon.com/Field-Gun-Jack-Versus-Boers/dp/0850525802 Field Gun Jack Versus the Boers: The Royal Navy in South Africa 1899-1900]". Leo Cooper, 1998. ISBN 0 85052 580 2
* {{cite book |last= Brown|first=D. K.|title=Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905|year=2003|publisher=Book Sales|id=ISBN 978-1-84067-529-2}}
* {{cite book |last= Brown|first=D. K.|title=The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922|year=2003|publisher=Caxton Editions|pages=208|id=ISBN 978-1-84067-531-3}}
*Lieutenant C. R. N. Burne R.N., [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/25117 With the Naval Brigade in Natal (1899-1900). London: Edward Arnold, 1902] 
*Dale Clarke, [http://www.ospreypublishing.com/title_detail.php/title=S7883 British Artillery 1914-1919. Heavy Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2005] ISBN 1 84176 788 3
*General Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery : Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914-18. London:The Royal Artillery Institution, 1988
* {{cite book |last=Gardiner|first=Robert (Ed.) and Lambert, Andrew (Ed.)|title=''Steam, Steel and Shellfire: The steam warship 1815-1905 - Conway's History of the Ship|publisher=Book Sales|pages=192|id=ISBN 978-0-78581-413-9}}
*Major Darrell Hall, [http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol043dh.html "THE NAVAL GUNS IN NATAL 1899-1902" The South African Military History Society Military History Journal - Vol 4 No 3, June 1978]
* {{cite book |last= Hodges |first= Peter |title= The Big Gun:  Battleship Main Armament 1860-1945|publisher=United States Naval Institute Press|year=1981|id=ISBN 0870219170 }}
*I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.
* {{cite book |last=Parkes|first=Oscar|title=British Battleships|publisher=first published Seeley Service & Co, 1957, published United States Naval Institute Press|year=1990|id=ISBN 1-55750-075-4}}
*Admiral Percy Scott, [http://www.archive.org/details/fiftyyearsinroya00scotuoft "Fifty Years in the Royal Navy"] published 1919

==External links==
*[http://www.russojapanesewar.com/rng-pdf/EOC15cm-40-Pattern%20W.pdf Range tables for Pattern W as used by Japan] from Russo-Japanese War Research Society website
*[http://www.russojapanesewar.com/rng-pdf/EOC15cm-40-Pattern%20Z.pdf Range tables for Pattern Z as used by Japan] from Russo-Japanese War Research Society website
*{{cite web
| last = DiGiulian
| first = Tony 
| url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNJAP_6-40_EOC.htm| title = Japanese 15.2 cm/40 (6") Type 41 
| work = NavWeaps.com
}}

{{VictorianEraBritishNavalWeapons}}
{{GreatWarBritishNavalWeapons}}

[[Category:Naval artillery]]
[[Category:Naval guns of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:152 mm artillery]]
[[Category:Second Boer War artillery]]

[[Category:2Fix]]