The QF 4 inch Mk V gun[note 1] was a Royal Navy gun of World War I which was adapted on HA (i.e. high-angle) mountings to the heavy anti-aircraft role both at sea and on land, and was also used as a coast defence gun.
| Ordnance QF 4 inch gun Mk V | |
|---|---|
QF 4 inch HA guns aboard the cruiser HMAS Sydney, 1939–1940 | |
| Type | Naval gun Anti-aircraft gun Coastal defence gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1914 - 1945 |
| Used by | British Empire |
| Wars | World War I World War II |
| Production history | |
| No. built | 944[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Barrel & breech: 4,890 lb (2,220 kg)[2] |
| Barrel length | Bore: 15 ft (4.6 m) (45 cal) Total: 15 ft 8 in (4.8 m)[2] |
| Shell | 31 lb (14.1 kg) fixed QF or Separate-loading QF |
| Calibre | 4-inch (101.6 mm) |
| Breech | horizontal sliding-block |
| Recoil | hydro-pneumatic or hydro-spring 15 inches (380 mm) |
| Elevation | mounting dependent |
| Traverse | mounting dependent |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,350 ft/s (716 m/s)[2] |
| Maximum firing range | Surface: 16,300 yd (15,000 m)[3] AA: 28,750 ft (8,800 m)[2] |
| Filling | Lyddite, Amatol |
| Filling weight | 5 pounds (2.27 kg) |


This QF gun was introduced to provide a higher rate of fire than the BL 4 inch Mk VII. It first appeared in 1914 as secondary armament on Arethusa-class cruisers, was soon adapted to a high-angle anti-aircraft role. It was typically used on cruisers and heavier ships, although V and W-class destroyers of 1917 also mounted the gun.
Mk V was superseded by the QF 4 inch Mk XVI as the HA (i.e. anti-aircraft) gun on new warships in the 1930s, but it continued to serve on many ships such as destroyers, light and heavy cruisers in World War II.[4]
Early in World War I several guns were supplied by the Navy for evaluation as anti-aircraft guns for the home defence of key installations in Britain. They were mounted on static platforms and proved fairly successful after a fixed round was developed to replace the original separate round, and more followed. The AA mounting allowed elevation to 80° but loading was not possible above 62°, which slowed the maximum rate of fire.[5] At the Armistice a total of 24 guns were employed in AA defences in Britain and 2 in France.[6] After World War I the guns were returned to the Navy.
From 1915 to 1928 several guns were mounted in forts to guard the estuary of the River Humber.[7]
| Gun | muzzle velocity |
Shell (lb) | Time to 5,000 ft (1,500 m) at 25° (seconds) |
Time to 10,000 ft (3,000 m) at 40° (seconds) |
Time to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) at 55° (seconds) |
Max. height[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF 13 pdr 9 cwt | 1,990 ft/s (610 m/s) |
12.5 | 10.1 | 15.5 | 22.1 | 19,000 ft (5,800 m) |
| QF 12 pdr 12 cwt | 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s) |
12.5 | 9.1 | 14.1 | 19.1 | 20,000 ft (6,100 m) |
| QF 3 inch 20 cwt 1914 | 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s) |
12.5 | 8.3 | 12.6 | 16.3 | 23,500 ft (7,200 m) |
| QF 3 inch 20 cwt 1916 | 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) |
16 | 9.2 | 13.7 | 18.8 | 22,000 ft (6,700 m)[10] |
| QF 4 inch Mk V World War I | 2,350 ft/s (720 m/s) |
31 (3 c.r.h.) | 9.6 | 12.3 | 28,750 ft (8,760 m) | |
| QF 4 inch Mk V World War II [11] | 2,350 ft/s (720 m/s) |
31 (4.38/6 c.r.h.) | 31,000 ft (9,400 m) |
Ammunition for the original low-angle guns introduced in World War I was Separate QF i.e. the shell and cartridge were separate items, but in World War II most guns used Fixed QF ammunition i.e. a single unit. The fixed Mk V ammunition was 44.3 inches (1.13 m) long and weighed 56 pounds (25 kg), while the projectile was 31 pounds (14 kg).[12]
British Empire naval weapons of the First World War | |
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| Monitor guns |
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| Capital ship main armament |
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| Armoured cruiser main armament |
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| Secondary armament and light cruiser main armament |
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| Destroyer and small cruiser armament |
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| Merchant ship armament |
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| Submarine guns |
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| Anti-aircraft guns | |
| Light weapons |
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| Torpedoes |
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| Mines |
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| Anti-submarine weapons |
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| Landing guns |
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British Empire artillery of the First World War | |
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| Armoured vehicle guns |
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| Infantry guns | |
| Field artillery |
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| Medium & heavy artillery |
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| Siege artillery |
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| Mountain artillery |
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| Mortars |
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| Smoke and chemical weapons |
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| Anti-aircraft guns | |
| Coastal artillery |
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| Railway guns |
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British Commonwealth naval weapons of the Second World War | |
|---|---|
| Monitor guns |
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| Capital ship main armament |
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| Heavy cruiser main armament |
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| Secondary armament and light cruiser main armament |
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| Minesweeper, Sloop, Corvette, Frigate and Destroyer armament |
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| Submarine guns |
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| Anti-aircraft weapons | |
| Light weapons | |
| Torpedoes |
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| Anti-submarine weapons |
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| Small craft armament |
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| Foreign-sourced weapons |
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