QF 4-inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII

Ordnance QF 4 inch gun Mk IV, XII, XXII
Mk IV gun from HMS Lance at Imperial War Museum Naval Gallery in South Kensington, London 1926
TypeLight Naval gun
Submarine gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1911-1940s
Used byUnited Kingdom
WarsWorld War I
World War II
Production history
No. built1,141
Specifications
Mass2,750 pounds (1,250 kg) barrel & breech
Barrel length160 inches (4.064 m) bore (40 calibres)

ShellMk IV : Separate QF 31 pounds (14.06 kg);
Mk XII & XXII : Fixed QF 31 pounds (14.06 kg), 35 pounds (15.88 kg) from 1944
Calibre4-inch (101.6 mm)
Breechhorizontal sliding-block
ElevationPIX Mount -10° to +20°
CPIII Mount -10° to +30°
Muzzle velocityMk IV : 2,370 feet per second (720 m/s)
Mk XII & XXII : 1,873 feet per second (571 m/s)
Maximum firing range11,580 yards (10,590 m) at +30°

The QF 4-inch gun Mk IV was the main gun on most Royal Navy and British Empire destroyers in World War I. It was introduced in 1911 as a faster-loading light gun successor to the BL 4 inch Mk VIII gun. Of the 1,141 produced, 939 were still available in 1939. Mk XII and Mk XXII variants armed many British interwar and World War II submarines.