12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval gun
12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval gun | ||
---|---|---|
Breech Welin interrupted screw | | |
Elevation | depended on mount | |
Rate of fire | 5–10 rpm | |
Muzzle velocity | 910–915 m/s (2,986–3,002 ft/s) | |
Maximum firing range | 18,400 metres (20,100 yd) |
The 12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval gun was a medium-
Description
The 50-caliber 12.7 cm (5.0 in) Type 3 gun was of built-up construction, originally with three and later two layers with the usual breech ring and breech bush.[4] It used a Welin interrupted screw breech and powder bags, unusual for guns of that caliber. The shell was fuzed manually on the loading tray before being rammed by hand and could only be loaded at elevations between 5° and 10°. All mounts used pusher-type shell hoists, but the powder bags were passed by hand.[5]
Mountings
These guns were first used in the twin gun Model A turret on the revolutionary Fubuki-class destroyers. These were the first weatherproof, splinterproof and gas-proof enclosed gun turrets ever mounted on a destroyer.[6] Guns in twin mounts were in individual cradles and could elevate separately. All twin gun mounts weighed approximately 32 tonnes (31 long tons; 35 short tons). All mounts could traverse at 6° per second and could elevate at a rate between 6° and 12° per second although speeds up to 27° per second have been reported.[4]
The twin gun Model A mount was fitted with a 9–12-millimetre-thick (0.35–0.47 in) gun shield. Its guns could depress −5° and elevate to +40°. These mounts were deployed on the first ten Fubuki-class destroyers. The twin gun Model B mount had its elevation increased to 75° and was fitted in the rest of the Fubuki-class as well as the Akatsuki-class destroyers.[4] In order to save weight its gun shield was reduced to 3.2 mm (0.13 in) in thickness, but this proved too thin to withstand heavy seas and was later reinforced. The first four of the Hatsuharu class used the Model B mod 2 mount although how it differed from the earlier Model B mount is unknown. The last two of the Hatsuharu class, the Shiratsuyu, Asashio, and Kagerō-class destroyers used the Model C which reduced its maximum elevation to 55°, but could depress to −7° and was supposedly lighter than earlier models[5] The Model D used by the Yūgumo-class and the Shimakaze destroyers retained the depression limit of the Model C, but elevation returned to the 75° of the Model B.[1]
The Type A single mount could depress −7° and elevate to +75°,[5] but the Type B reduced the maximum elevation to 55°.[4] Both mounts weighed approximately 18.5 tonnes (18.2 long tons; 20.4 short tons).[1] The Type A was fitted on the Hatsuharu class and the Type B on the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers.[4]
Ammunition
The gun normally fired a 23 kg (51 lb)
Shell name | Weight | Filling Weight | Muzzle velocity |
---|---|---|---|
Common Type 0 high-explosive | 23 kg (51 lb) | 1.88 kg (4.1 lb) | 910–915 m/s (2,986–3,002 ft/s) |
Common Type 1 high-explosive | 23 kg (51 lb) | 1.88 kg (4.1 lb) | 910–915 m/s (2,986–3,002 ft/s) |
Illumination | 23 kg (51 lb) | Not applicable | 750 m/s (2,500 ft/s) |
Anti-submarine | 20.9 kg (46 lb) | 4 kg (8.8 lb) | 250 m/s (820 ft/s) |
New Type high-explosive Projectile | 27.9 kg (62 lb) | 2.2 kg (4.9 lb) | 910–915 m/s (2,986–3,002 ft/s) |
See also
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- 5"/38-caliber gun: US Navy equivalent dual-purpose gun
- QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun: British equivalent dual-purpose gun
- 12.7 cm SK C/34 naval gun: German equivalent limited to low-angle fire
- 12.8 cm FlaK 40: Dedicated anti-aircraft, land-based German gun of equal caliber
Notes
- ^ a b c d Tony DiGiulian (19 March 2009). "Japan 12.7 cm/50 (5") 3rd Year Type". Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
- ^ On the Verniy (ex "Hibiki), those guns then being replaced by the 130 mm/50 B13 Pattern 1936 Soviet guns.
- ^ On the Dan Yang (ex "Yukikaze), those guns then being replaced by the 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun and 10 cm/65 Type 98 naval gun Japanese dual-purpose guns.
- ^ a b c d e Campbell, p. 192
- ^ a b c Lengerer, p. 105
- ^ Whitley, pp. 192–93
References
- Campbell, John (2002). Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- Evans, David C.; ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
- Lengerer, Hans (2007). The Japanese Destroyers of the Hatsuharu Class. Warship 2007. London: Conway. pp. 91–110.
- Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Cassell Publishing. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
External links
- "Japan 12.7 cm/50 (5") 3rd Year Type". 19 March 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2009.