BL 4 inch naval gun Mk VII
| Ordnance BL 4 inch gun Mk VII | |
|---|---|
| 300px On HMAS Australia, 1918 | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1908 - 1945 |
| Used by | United Kingdom
|
| Production history | |
| Number built | 600 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4,704 pounds (2,130 kg) (barrel & breech)[1] |
| Barrel length | 201.25 inches (5.112 m) bore (50.3 calibres)[1] |
| | |
| Shell | 31 pounds (14.06 kg) Common pointed, Common lyddite[1] |
| Calibre | 4 inches (101.6 mm) |
| Breech | Welin, Single-motion screw[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,852 feet per second (869 m/s)[2] |
| Maximum range | 11,600 yards (10,600 m) at 15°[3] |
The BL 4-inch gun Mk VII was a British high-velocity naval gun introduced in 1908 as an anti-torpedo boat gun in large ships, and in the main armament of smaller ships[1]. It was also used as a defensive weapon on Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS) during the Second World War.[3]
Contents
The guns armed the following warships :
- Bellerophon class battleships laid down 1906
- St. Vincent class battleships laid down 1907
- Boadicea class scout cruisers laid down 1907
- HMS Neptune laid down 1909
- Colossus class battleships laid down 1909
- Indefatigable class battlecruisers laid down 1909
- Orion class battleships laid down 1909
- Lion class battlecruisers laid down 1909
- Bristol class light cruisers laid down 1909
- Blonde class scout cruisers laid down 1909
- Active class scout cruisers laid down 1910
- King George V class battleships laid down 1911
The gun was succeeded in the "heavy" 4-inch class on new warships commissioned from 1914 onwards by the QF 4 inch Mk V. This new generation of warships were more heavily armed, and the BL Mk VII's role as secondary armament on capital ships and primary armament on cruisers was taken over by the BL 6 inch Mk VII and BL 6 inch Mk XII while the 4-inch calibre became the secondary armament on cruisers and primary armament on destroyers.
In World War II many guns were used to arm merchant ships.
World War I field gun service
A battery of 4 guns mounted on field carriages was first deployed with the South African Heavy Artillery in the German South West Africa campaign in 1915 and returned to England in September. They were then deployed in the East African Campaign from February 1916 with 11th Heavy Battery (renumbered 15th Battery from April 1916) manned by the Royal Marine Artillery.[4]
Image gallery
- BL 4 inch Mk VII gun barrel diagram.jpg
Barrel dimensions - BL 4 inch Mk VII Gun Breech Diagram.jpg
Breech mechanism - BL 4 inch Mk VII Gun Percussion & Electric Locks Diagram.jpg
Percussion and electric locks - BL 4 inch Mk VII gun on field carriage.jpg
Field carriage as depicted in 1913 manual
Surviving examples
See also
- 12px Media related to BL 4 inch Mk VII naval gun at Wikimedia Commons
- 4"/50 caliber gun US equivalent
- List of naval guns
Notes
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- HANDBOOK for the 4" Mark VII. and VIII. B.L. Guns 1913 (Corrected to September 1913.) ADMIRALTY Gunnery Branch, G.8652/13
- Campbell, John (1987). Lambert, Andrew D., ed. "British Naval Guns, 1880–1945, No. 17". Warship Volume X: pp. 53–55.
- DiGiulian, Tony. British 4"/50 (10.2 cm) BL Mark VII
- Farndale, General Sir Martin. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery : Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914-18. London:The Royal Artillery Institution, 1988
External links
Template:GreatWarBritishNavalWeapons
Template:GreatWarBritishWeapons- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 HANDBOOK for the 4" Mark VII. and VIII. B.L. Guns 1913
- ↑ 2852 ft/second firing a 31 lb 3 C.R.H. projectile, using 9 lb 5 oz 15 drams cordite MD size 16 propellant. HANDBOOK for the 4" Mark VII. and VIII. B.L. Guns 1913.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Campbell, Warship Volume X, p. 53.
- ↑ Farndale 1988, page 318
