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 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | "River" class, "Castle" class, some "Flower" class, Bathurst class, trawlers and DEMS
Used by "1942 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
- ^Flashless propellant was provided to ships other than DEMS.
- ^Outfit for escort ships included 10 rounds HE with RDX/TNT filling per gun and 12 to 18 Shark rounds per ship.
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 40 degrees | 9,700 yards (8,870 m) |
| Designation | CP Mark XXIII, XXIII* and XXIII** |
|---|---|
| Weight | N/A |
| Elevation | -10 / +60 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | Manually operated, only |
| Train | 360 degrees |
| Train Rate | Manually operated, only |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
"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
27 June 2024 - Converted to HTML 5 format