| Ordnance BL 4 inch gun Mk IX | |
|---|---|
Crewman and gun on Flower class corvette HMCS Kenogami circa. 1944 - 1945 |
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| Type | Naval gun |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1916 - 1945 |
| Used by | Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy Free French Navy |
| Wars | World War I World War II |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2 tons barrel & breech[1] |
| Barrel length | 180 inches (4.572 m) bore (45 calibres) |
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| Shell | 31 pounds (14 kg) |
| Calibre | 4 inches (101.6 mm) |
| Breech | Welin interrupted screw |
| Muzzle velocity | 800 metres per second (2,600 ft/s)[1] |
| Maximum range | 12,660 metres (13,850 yd)[1] |
The BL 4-inch gun Mk IX[2] was a British medium-velocity naval gun introduced in 1916 as secondary armament on the Renown class battlecruisers and Glorious class "large light cruisers", but which served most notably as the main armament on Flower class corvettes throughout World War II.
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The gun was based on the barrel of the QF 4 inch Mk V and the breech mechanism of the BL 4 inch Mk VIII [3] and was first introduced in World War I on capital ships as secondary armament in triple-gun mountings, intended to provide rapid concentrated fire. This turned out to be unworkable in practice : Jane's Fighting Ships of 1919 commented : "4-inch triples are clumsy and not liked. They are not mounted in one sleeve ; have separate breech mechanism : gun crew of 23 to each triple"[4]. Guns were thereafter used in single-gun mountings, typically on smaller ships as primary armament.
In World War II the gun was employed on many small warships such as Flower class corvettes and minesweepers, primarily for action against surfaced submarines.
This was the last BL 4 inch gun in British service: all subsequent guns have used charges in metal cartridges "QF". It was succeeded on new small warships built in World War II by the QF 4-inch Mk XIX gun which fired a slightly heavier shell at much lower velocity.
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