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.
| 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
|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 30 degrees | 21,300 yards (19,500 m) |
| 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) |
"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
---
Collection of Netherlands Institute for Military History (NIMH) Photographs (Dutch Language)
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