QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss

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Ordnance QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss
Typical Royal Navy deck mounting, 1915
Type	Naval gun, Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1886 - 1950s
Used by	France United Kingdom United States
Wars	WWI
Production history
Designer	Hotchkiss
Designed	1885
Number built	2950 (UK)
Specifications
Barrel length	74.06 inch bore (40 cal)

Shell	Fixed QF. Shell 3.3 lb (1.5 kg), Steel Shell, Common Lyddite
Calibre	1.85 inch (47 mm)
Breech	vertical sliding wedge
Muzzle velocity	1873 ft/s
Maximum range	4000 yards

The Ordnance QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss was a light naval gun introduced in 1886 to defend against new small fast vessels such as torpedo boats, and later submarines. It was also used ashore as a coast defence gun and later occasionally as an anti-aircraft gun.

1 French History
2 British History
3 US History
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] French History

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[edit] British History

HMS Majestic showing 7 guns mounted in crow's nests

In 1886 this gun was the first of the modern QF artillery to be adopted by the Royal Navy. It was adopted at the time together with the very similar Nordenfelt version, but the Nordenfelt gun eventually fell out of favour.

By World War I the Hotchkiss gun was obsolete, and was gradually replaced in its class by the more powerful Ordnance QF 3 pounder Vickers gun. But many were brought back into service on merchant vessels used for auxiliary duties in World War II, or as subcalibre guns for gunnery practice until the 1950s.