QF 4.7-inch Mk VIII naval gun

QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk VIII
QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk VIII
	One gun on HMS Rodney before 1940
Type	Naval anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1927–1945
Used by	British Empire
Wars	World War II
Production history
No. built	84
Specifications
Mass	6,636 pounds (3,010 kg)
Barrel length	189 inches (4.8 m) L/40
Shell weight	Complete 76 pounds (34.5 kg); Projectile 50 pounds (22.7 kg)
Calibre	4.724 inches (120 mm)
Elevation	–5° to +90
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	8–12 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	2,457 feet per second (749 m/s)
Maximum firing range	16,160 yards (14,780 m) at 45°; 32,000 feet (9,800 m) at 90°

The QF 4.7 inch Gun Mark VIII^[1] was a British naval anti-aircraft gun designed in the 1920s for the Royal Navy. This was the largest caliber fixed ammunition gun ever in service in the RN, though the round was considerably shorter and lighter than the round for the QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun. It was carried in powered HA XII mountings on the two Nelson-class battleships, two of the three Courageous-class aircraft carriers, the minelayer HMS Adventure, and the Australian seaplane tender HMAS Albatross.^[2]

Notes and references

^ Mark VIII = Mark 8. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Mark VIII indicates this was the eighth model of QF 4.7 inch gun.
^ Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.51.

Media related to QF 4.7 inch Mk VIII naval gun at Wikimedia Commons

v t e British Commonwealth naval weapons of the Second World War
Monitor guns	BL 15-inch
Capital ship main armament	BL 14-inch BL 15-inch BL 16-inch
Heavy cruiser main armament	BL 7.5-inch Mk VI BL 8-inch Mk VIII
Secondary armament and light cruiser main armament	QF 4-inch Mk V QF 4.5-inch QF 5.25-inch BL 5.5-inch BL 6-inch Mk XII BL 6-inch Mk XXII BL 6-inch Mk XXIII
Minesweeper, Sloop, Corvette, Frigate and Destroyer armament	QF 6-pounder 10 cwt QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk V QF 4-inch Mk IV BL 4-inch Mk IX QF 4-inch Mk XVI QF 4-inch Mk XIX QF 4.5-inch BL 4.7-inch Mk II QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII QF 4.7-inch Mk XI
Submarine guns	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk V QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk XII & XXII
Anti-aircraft weapons	Unrotated projectile Holman Projector 20 mm Oerlikon QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk VIII 40 mm Bofors QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk V QF 4-inch Mk XVI QF 4.5-inch QF 4.7-inch Mk VIII
Light weapons	.303 Lewis machine gun .50 Vickers Mk III machine gun QF 3-pounder Vickers
Torpedoes	21-inch Mk VII 21-inch Mk VIII 21-inch Mk X 21-inch Mk XI 24.5-inch Mk I
Anti-submarine weapons	Thornycroft depth charge thrower Hedgehog Squid
Small craft armament	Molins 6-pounder Vickers K machine gun 18-inch torpedo
Foreign-sourced weapons	20 mm Oerlikon 40 mm Bofors 3-inch 23 caliber gun (US) 3-inch 50 caliber gun (US) 4-inch 50 caliber Mark 9 gun (US) 5-inch 51 caliber Mark 8 gun (US) Y-gun depth charge projector (US) Mark 8 torpedo (US)