Description

A Bofors design equipping both Swedish and Netherlands destroyers. The Bofors Models 1924 and 1924B were little different, but the Model 1924C was of loose barrel construction. Bofors exported some of these guns to the Netherlands where they were designated as Mark 4 guns.

The Hollandsche Industrie-en Handelsmaatschappij (HIH) Mark 5 guns were built in the Netherlands as it was desired to have local production. These cannons were interchangeable with the Mark 4 guns built by Bofors and their fire control, crew and aiming devices were operationally identical. Munitions were produced by Bofors and Artillerie-Inrichtingen and all guns used the same ammunition. Actual bore size of all models was 12 cm (4.724").

After the Swedish destroyers were scrapped in the 1960s and 1970s, their guns were then used to arm thirteen fortifications located in northern Sweden. The guns were then given new ammunition for use against ground targets. These fortifications have all now been demilitarized and some have been turned into museums.

Gun Characteristics

Designation Sweden: 12 cm/50 (4.7") Bofors M1924, M1924B and M1924C
Netherlands: 12 cm/50 (4.7") Bofors Mark 4 and HIH Mark 5
Ship Class Used On Sweden
   Ehrensköld, Klas Horn, Göteborg and Visby Classes: Bofors M1924 series

Netherlands
   Van Ghent Class (Admiralen first group): Mark 4
   Van Galen and Witte de With (Admiralen second group): Mark 4
   Banckert and Van Nes (Admiralen second group): Mark 5

Date Of Design 1924
Date In Service 1928
Gun Weight Model 1924C: 2.95 tons (3.00 mt)
Gun Length 251.6 in (6.390 m)
Bore Length 236.2 in (6.000 m)
Rifling Length 193.5 in (4.915 m)
Grooves (36) 0.059D x 0.274W (1.5 x 6.97 mm)
Lands 0.138 in (3.5 mm)
Twist Uniform RH 1 in 30
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire 10 rounds per minute

Ammunition

Type Fixed
Weight of Complete Round HE L/4,2: 94.1 lbs. (42.67 kg)
Starshell L/4,2: 74.0 lbs. (33.57 kg)
Projectile Types and Weights HE L/4,2: 52.9 lbs. (24 kg)
Starshell L/4,2: 50.7 lbs. (23.0 kg)
Bursting Charge HE L/4,2: about 8.4 lbs. (3.83 kg) TNT
Projectile Length N/A
Propellant Charge HE L/4,2: 19.4 lbs. (8.8 kg)
Starshell L/4,2: 5.95 lbs. (2.7 kg)
Cartridge: 18.3 lbs. (8.3 kg) [empty]
Muzzle Velocity HE L/4,2: 2,952 fps (900 mps)
Starshell L/4,2: 1,640 fps (500 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A

Range

Range with 52.9 lbs. (24 kg) HE
Elevation Distance
30 degrees 21,300 yards (19,500 m)

Mount/Turret Data

Designation Single Pedestal Mounts
   Sweden: Ehrenskold (3), Klas Horn (3), Göteborg (3) and Visby (3)

   Netherlands: Admiralen (4)

Weight Single Mountings
   Mark 4: 9.84 tons (10 mt)
   Others: 8.56 tons (8.7 mt)
Elevation Single mountings
   Bofors guns: -5 / +30 degrees
   HIH guns: -5 / +35 degrees
Elevation Rate Single mounts: Manually operated, only
Train about +120 / -120 degrees
Train Rate N/A
Gun recoil Mark 4: 22.8 in (58 cm)
Mark 5: 19.7 in (50 cm)

Additional Pictures

Sources

"Dutch Naval Weapons of the early 20th Century" by Stefan Boon (unpublished manuscript)
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Destroyers of World War Two" by M.J. Whitley
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Collection of Netherlands Institute for Military History (NIMH) Photographs (Dutch Language)

Page History

21 May 2006 - Benchmark
18 May 2010 - Added information on coastal fortifications, number of guns on ships
16 June 2012 - Deleted picture of Kortenaer, added picture of Evertsen
26 February 2018 - Converted to HTML 5 format and added photograph of Van Kingsbergen
04 April 2019 - Minor changes for clarity
23 May 2023 - Split off Netherlands 45 caliber guns, added photographs of guns on Kortenaer and Banckert