| Ordnance QF 4-inch gun Mk I, II, III | |
|---|---|
Australian troops with gun on a transport ship, circa. November 1914 |
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| Type | Naval gun Coast defence gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1896 - 1920[1] |
| Used by | British Empire |
| Wars | Boxer Rebellion, World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1895 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2,912 pounds (1,321 kg) barrel & breech |
| Barrel length | 160 inches (4.064 m) bore (40 cal); 165.35 inches (4.200 m) total |
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| Shell | Separate-loading QF 25 pounds (11.34 kg) Common pointed or Lyddite |
| Calibre | 4-inch (101.6 mm) |
| Breech | Single-motion screw |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,300 feet per second (700 m/s)[2] |
| Maximum range | 9,000 yards (8,200 m)[3] |
The QF 4-inch gun Mks I, II, III[4] were early British QF (quick-firing) naval guns originating in 1895. They all had barrels of 40 calibres length.
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The gun was intended to be a more powerful alternative to the 3-inch QF 12 pounder gun.
It was mounted on the following ships :
Its 25-pound shell proved insufficiently powerful to make it much of an improvement on the 12-pounder. From 1907 onwards it was succeeded in its class on new warships by the BL 4 inch gun Mk VIII, which fired a 31-pound shell.
From 1906 a number of Mk III guns were transferred from the Royal Navy for use as coast defence guns around the United Kingdom, and remained until 1939.[5]
In 1918 three guns were in service at Dover Garrison and eight at Forth Garrison.[6]
On 20 September 1914 the British cruiser HMS Pegasus was sunk by SMS Königsberg in Zanzibar harbour. Her 8 QF 4-inch Mk III guns were recovered and used ashore in the East African campaign. Some were used as coast defence guns at Zanzibar and Mombasa. Two guns, and from 11 February 1916, three guns, were used by 10th Heavy Battery manned by the Royal Marines, mounted on improvised field carriages and towed by Packard lorries, supported by six REO lorries carrying ammunition.[7]
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