Used by many smaller warships during World War II, this was a low-velocity gun intended mainly for use against surfaced submarines.
Constructed of monobloc barrel and shrunk-on breech ring. Used a horizontal sliding breech block. A total of 2,023 guns were manufactured, including 1,006 in Canada and 219 in Australia.
Designation | 4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Mark XIX |
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Ship Class Used On | "River" class, "Castle" class, some "Flower" class, Bathurst class, trawlers and DEMS Used by early "Battle" class destroyers as a starshell gun |
Date Of Design | About 1938 |
Date In Service | 1939 |
Gun Weight | 2,886 lbs. (1,309 kg) |
Gun Length oa | 166.6 in (4.232 m) |
Bore Length | 161.8 in (4.111 m) |
Rifling Length | 139.9 in (3.553 m) |
Grooves | (32) 0.037 in deep x 0.270 (0.94 x 6.86 mm) |
Lands | 0.1227 in (3.117 mm) |
Twist | Uniform RH 1 in 30 |
Chamber Volume | 265.9 in3 (4.357 dm3) |
Rate Of Fire | about 15 rounds per minute |
Type | Fixed |
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Weight of Complete Round | 50.06 lbs. (22.71 kg) |
Projectile Types and Weights | HE: 35 lbs. (15.88 kg) Shrapnel: N/A Illum: N/A |
Bursting Charge | N/A |
Projectile Length | N/A Complete Round: 35.88 in (91.1 cm) |
Propellant Charge 1 | 1.875 lbs. (0.85 kg) SC048 2.234 lbs. (1.01 kg) NF042 |
Muzzle Velocity | 1,300 fps (396 mps) |
Working Pressure | 8.25 tons/in2 (1,300 kg/cm2) |
Approximate Barrel Life | 2,000 rounds with NF 8000 |
Ammunition stowage per gun 2 | Battle class: 160 star shell Others: N/A |
Data from:
- "Naval Weapons of World War Two" and "British Naval Guns 1880-1945 No 17" article in "Warship Volume X" both by John Campbell
- "Warships of World War II" by H.T. Lenton and J.J. Colledge
- 19 October 2008
- Benchmark
- 16 January 2010
- Added picture of HMCS New Glasgow
- 27 August 2015
- Added photographs of HMAS Geelong and HMAS Cowra