QF 6 inch Mark N5
| QF 6 inch Mark N5 | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | QF 6 inch Mark N5 |
| Manufacturer country: |
 United Kingdom
|
| Development year: | 1944 (discontinued and resumed in 1948) |
| Weapon Category: | Ship gun |
| Technical specifications | |
| Overall length: | 8.0 m |
| Pipe length: | 7.62 m |
| Caliber : |
152.4 mm |
| Caliber length : | 50 |
| Weight ready for use: | 6.960 kg |
| Cadence : | 15 to 20 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | -5 to +78.6 degrees |
| Furnishing | |
| Charging principle: | Breech loader |
| Ammunition supply: | automatically |
| Drive: | hydraulic, later electric |
| Range: | 23,000 m at 45 ° |
| Bullet speed: | 768 m / s |
| Bullet weight: | AP: 58.85 kg HE: 60 kg |
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The QF 6 inch Mark N5 was a British main battery gun whose development began in the height of the Second World War and was used on light cruisers of the post-war period and the Korean War . It is a solid breech gun with a caliber of 6 inches (152 mm) and a gauge length of 50. It replaced the guns of type BL 6 inch MK XXIII .
development
The development of the Mark V naval gun began during the Second World War. The weapon was originally in 25 Marrow - turrets of three guns per tower on light cruisers of the projected Neptune class are used. When the orders for these ships were canceled at the end of the war, the design of the gun was adapted as a multi-purpose weapon against air and sea targets. A fully automatically firing turret known as the Mark 26 was planned as a platform for use in pairs. Likewise, for the first time in over 60 years, the propellant charge for 6-inch guns was again pre-loaded in brass cartridges, and no longer loaded by sacks. In this configuration the weapon was named Mark N5 and would have been used on the revised Minotaur-class ships .
While the first two prototypes were being manufactured, the revised Minotaur class was canceled. As a result, it was decided to use the guns with the Mark 26 turret on the Tiger class , the hulls of which had already been manufactured during the war and whose structure was now to be completely redesigned.
The first tests took place at the Shoeburyness practice area on the coast near Essex . A prototype of the entire system, including the turret, was then mounted on the former heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland in the forward, elevated "B" position.
In April 1957, the Cumberland was then relocated to the Mediterranean for shooting attempts. During this she fired 645 rounds in 6 inch caliber. The interaction of the new "GDS1" fire control system with the "992" radar was also tested.
use
The weapon began its active service in the Royal Navy with the commissioning of the HMS Tiger in 1959. The weapon system quickly gained a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to maintain. It also turned out that it was disproportionately expensive to keep the weapon operational. The hydraulic drive used to drive the towers was a particular cause for concern. As the system continued to be used, it was replaced by an electric drive.
In December 1979, in the English Channel from the HMS Blake , shortly before its decommissioning, the last shot of the Royal Navy of one of a Mark "N5" naval artillery fired this magnitude.
Web links
- British Pathé newsreel showing HMS Tiger working-up in 1959, including firing the main armament .
- 6 "/ 50 (15.2 cm) QF Mark N5 on navweaps.com (English)
literature
- Campbell, John: Naval Weapons of World War Two . Naval Institute Press, 1985, ISBN 0-87021-459-4 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c John Campbell: Naval Weapons of World War Two . Naval Institute Press, 1985, ISBN 0-87021-459-4 .
- ↑ WARSHIPS OF THE PAST: Tiger class cruisers of the Royal Navy. Retrieved March 24, 2020 .
- ^ Patrick Boniface: HMS Cumberland, p. 100 . Periscope Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-904381-37-5 ( google.com ).
- ↑ NavWeaps, UK / Britain 6 "/ 50 (15.2 cm) QF Mark N5. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .
