5"/40 caliber gun

5"/40 caliber Marks 2, 3, and 4 Naval Gun
Brooklyn, gundeck, with 5-inch/40 caliber gun
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1895–
Used by	United States Navy
Wars	Spanish–American War
Production history
Designer	Bureau of Ordnance
Designed	1895
Manufacturer	U.S. Naval Gun Factory
Number built	Mark 2: 68 (Nos. 3–70) Mark 3: 119 (Nos. 87–199, 287–292) Mark 4: 16 (Nos. 71–86)
Variants	Mark 2 Mods 0–8, Mark 3 Mods 0–3, Mark 4 Mods 0–4
Specifications
Weight	Mark 2: 7,000 lb (3,200 kg) (without breech) Mark 2: 7,080 lb (3,210 kg) (with breech) Marks 3 and 4: 7,096 lb (3,219 kg) (without breech) Marks 3 and 4: 7,260 lb (3,290 kg) (with breech)
Length	Mark 2:206 in (5,200 mm) Marks 3 and 4:205.83 in (5,228 mm)
Barrel length	200 in (5,100 mm) bore (40 calibers)
Shell	50 lb (23 kg)
Caliber	5 in (127 mm)
Traverse	137° arc (Brooklyn casemates) −150° to +150° (open mounts)
Rate of fire	12 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	2,300 ft/s (700 m/s)
Effective firing range	8,500 yd (7,800 m) at 15° elevation
Maximum firing range	16,000 yd (15,000 m) at 30° elevation

The 5"/40 caliber gun (spoken "five-inch-forty-caliber") were used in the secondary batteries of the United States Navy's early battleships, armored cruisers, protected cruisers, unprotected cruisers, and auxiliary cruisers.^[1]

Design

The Mark 2, Nos. 3 – 70, was a 40 caliber naval gun that fired semi-fixed ammunition. The Mark 2 consisted of tube, jacket, and 2 hoops, being hooped to 68.5 inches (1,740 mm) from the muzzle. The Mod 1 had different exterior dimensions for the hoops and chase and was primarily intended to be used with the Mark 2 Mods 1 and 4 mounts. Mod 2 had a cylindrical jacket that was 15.5 inches (390 mm) in diameter for 2.75 inches (70 mm) to the rear of the mounting threads. It was intended for the Mark 2 Mods 1 and 4 and Mark 3 Mods 1 and 6 mounts. Mod 3 was the same as the Mod 2 but without the cylindrical section. It was designed to use the Mark 2 Mods 1, 2, 4, and 5 and the Mark 3 Mods 1, 4, 6, and 9 mounts. The Mod 4 only differed from the Mark 3 in that it had a muzzle bell. Mod 5, gun No. 39, was an experimental gun that hd 25 inches (640 mm) cut off of the muzzle, making it a 35-caliber gun. It also had a locking hoop that extended the whole length of the chase hoop to help balance the gun. The Mod 6 was a Mod 4 gun that had been modified for use in the 5-inch Mark 8 Mods 4, 13, and 14 mounts. The breech was turned down a 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) to 16.25 inches (413 mm) for 13.435 inches (341.2 mm) from the face of the breech with the front part of the thread for the sleeve cut away. The Mod 7 gun was a Mod 2, 3, or 4 that had a conical nickel-steel liner and a Mod 8 was a Mod 6 gun also with a conical nickel-steel liner. The first gun that was delivered in October 1890 was gun No. 5. The Mark 2 was intended for use on battleships and cruisers, such as Olympia, Cincinnati-class protected cruisers, Montgomery-class unprotected cruisers, and auxiliary cruisers such as Yosemite.^[1][2]

The Mark 3, gun Nos. 87–199, 287–292, were first delivered in January 1897. The Mark 3 was also a semi-fixed ammunition gun that was designed for use on cruisers and battleships. The Mark three was constructed of a tube, jacket and two hoops, all of gun steel with a side-swing carrier type breech. Mod 1 used a different jacket with a locking hoop forward of the slide cylinder. Mod 2 was a Mod 0 or Mod 1 gun relined using a conical nickel-steel liner. Gun No. 104 was converted into and experimental Mod 3 gun from a Mod 0, being cut down to 25-caliber or 75.39 inches (1,915 mm), for use as an anti-aircraft gun. The muzzle end was cut off and a conical nickel-steel liner installed, this gave it the same characteristics as a 5"/25 caliber Mark 10 anti-aircraft gun. The gun later ruptured during testing. The muzzle of gun No. 174, mounted on the battleship Kearsarge, also had its muzzle blow off.^[1][2]

The Mark 4, guns No. 71–86, delivered in April 1896, were derived from the Mark 2 but 0.17 inches (4.3 mm) longer and consequent differences in slide surface and other externals. Mod 1 added a nickel-steel tube and hoops that the Mod 0 didn't have and the Mod 3 was the Mod 1 relined with a nickel-steel liner. With the Mod 4 an attempt was made to thread the gun to fit the Mark 2 Mod 4 mount but wasn't used. This gun was designed to arm small cruisers and many were used to arm auxiliaries during WW I.^[1][2]

Naval Service

Marks 2–4 were used on many auxiliaries during World War I.^[2]

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 5"/40 caliber gun.

Bluejackets Manual, 1917, 4th revision: US Navy 14-inch Mark 1 gun