| 3 Inch / 23 Cal Gun | |
|---|---|
A 3"/23-caliber gun being fired aboard the United States Navy submarine chaser USS SC-291 sometime beyween 1918 and 1920. |
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| Type | Anti-aircraft Naval Gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | US Navy |
| Wars | World War I |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 531 pounds (241 kg) |
| Barrel length | 69 inches (1.8 m) bore (23 calibres) |
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| Caliber | 3-inch (76 mm) |
| Elevation | 75 degrees |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,650 feet per second (500 m/s) |
| Maximum range | 10,100 yards (9,200 m) |
The 3"/23 caliber gun (spoken "three-inch-twenty-three-caliber") was the standard anti-aircraft gun for United States destroyers through World War I and the 1920s. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 3 inches (76 mm) in diameter, and the barrel was 23 calibers long (barrel length is 3" x 23 = 69" or 1.75 meters.)[1]
Contents |
The built-up gun with vertical sliding breech block weighed about 531 pounds (241 kg) and used fixed ammunition (case and projectile handled as a single assembled unit) with a 13-pound (6 kg) projectile at a velocity of 1650 feet per second (500 m/s).[2] Range was 10100 yards (9235 meters) at 45 degrees elevation.[2] Ceiling was 18000 feet (5500 meters) at the maximum elevation of 75 degrees.[2]
Surviving United States destroyers built with 3"/23 caliber were rearmed with dual-purpose 3"/50 caliber guns during World War II. The 3"/23 caliber gun was also mounted on submarine chasers, armed yachts, and various auxiliaries.[2] Some major warships carried 3"/23 caliber guns temporarily while awaiting installation of quad 1.1"/75 caliber guns.[2]
The 3"/23 caliber gun was mounted on: