Britain 4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Marks IV, XII and XXII

Britain
4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Marks IV, XII and XXII
Updated 15 December 2013

First introduced on the rearmed scout cruiser Foresight in 1913, the Mark IV armed many destroyers and flotilla leaders of World War I. The Mark IV developed a reputation during World War I for repeatedly jamming. The Marks XII, XII* and XXII were an interchangeable series of guns based upon the Mark IV, but specially adapted for "wet mountings" on submarines. The first Mark XII was issued to submarine L33 in October 1919.

The Army experimented with one Mark IV gun for anti-aircraft use in 1913. In 1938 it was proposed to convert 900 Mark IV guns to HA use but this was never carried out.

The Mark IV was constructed of inner A tube, A tube, jacket and breech ring and was partly wire wound. This gun had a horizontal sliding breech block with semi-automatic operation. The Mark IV* had a strengthened breech ring, but this distinction was discontinued after a short time. Mark XII had a tapered inner A tube, A tube, wire for about half the length, jacket over more than half the length and a breech ring. The Mark XII* and Mark XXII had monobloc barrels and had a manually-operated horizontal sliding breech block. The Mark XII* had no muzzle bell and the breech ring was shaped while the Mark XXII had a muzzle bell and a rectangular breech ring.

Of the 1,141 Mark IV guns produced, 979 were still in service in 1939. 60 Mark XII, 52 Mark XII* and 46 Mark XXII were also made. 58 of the Mark XII guns were still in service in 1939.

A note on sources: Norman Friedman in "Naval Weapons of World War One" lists the submarine Mark XII as a derivative of the Mark V (45 calibers) but all other sources list the Mark XII as a derivative of the Mark IV (40 calibers).

HMAS Tasmania
Photograph from Allan C. Green collection of glass negatives
State Library of Victoria Image H91.108/321

. Click here for additional pictures .

Gun Characteristics .

Designation	4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Mark IV 4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Mark XII 4"/40 (10.2 cm) QF Mark XXII
Ship Class Used On	Mark IV: "Scout" light cruisers (1913), Marksman, Grenville, "K", "L", "M" and "S" destroyer classes, rearmed Talisman and Medea classes and "J", "K", "L", "O" and "P" class submarines The Mark IV was also used on many minor warships and merchant aircraft carriers during World War II Mark XII, XII* and XXII: L33, "O", "P", "R", Thames, Porpoise, "T", "S" and early "A" class submarines
Date Of Design	Mark IV: About 1904 Mark XII: About 1918 Mark XXII: About 1944
Date In Service	Mark IV: 1908 Mark XII: 1919 Mark XXII: 1944
Gun Weight	Mark IV: 1.225 tons (1,245 kg) Marks XII, XII* and XXII: 1.297 tons (1,318 kg)
Gun Length oa	166.6 in (4.232 m)
Bore Length	160 in (4.064 m)
Rifling Length	N/A
Grooves	32
Lands	N/A
Twist	N/A
Chamber Volume	287 in³ (4.70 dm³)
Rate Of Fire	about 13 rounds per minute

Ammunition .

Type	Mark IV for destroyers: Separate Mark IV for submarines: Fixed Marks XII and XXII: Fixed
Weight of Complete Round	HE - 47.5 lbs. (21.5 kg) (original rounds) HE - 52.3 lbs. (23.7 kg) (later rounds)
Projectile Types and Weights	All: HE - 31 lbs. (14.1 kg) Marks XII and XIII: HE - 35 lbs. (15.9 kg)
Bursting Charge	N/A
Projectile Length	N/A Lighter complete round - 35.87 in (91.1 cm) Heavier complete round - 36.75 in (93.4 cm)
Propellant Charge	World War I 5.11 lbs. (2.3 kg) MD16 World War II Mark IV: 5.13 lbs. (2.3 kg) SC103 or 6.0 lbs. (2.7 kg) NF059 Marks XII, XII* and XXII: 4.6 lbs. (2.1 kg) NF059
Muzzle Velocity	Mark IV World War I: 2,370 fps (722 mps) World War II: 2,177 fps (664 mps) Marks XII and XXII 1,873 fps (571 mps)
Working Pressure	N/A
Approximate Barrel Life	Marks IV: N/A Marks XII, XII* and XXII: 8,000 rounds
Notes: 1) Submarine outfits included SAP, HE, 10 rounds of HE with RDX/TNT fillings and 10 star shells. 2) The sources below differ as to the muzzle velocity and range of these weapons. I have chosen to use those given in "Naval Weapons of World War Two" which are for 3crh shells. 3) Outfits included SAP, HE, shrapnel and star shells. 4) The heavier projectile was issued to submarines starting in late 1944.

Range Mark IV .

Elevation	With 31 lbs. (14.06 kg) HE Shell
World War I Range @ 20 degrees	9,600 yards (8,780 m)
World War II Range @ 30 degrees	11,580 yards (10,590 m)

Range Marks XII and XXII

Elevation	With 35 lbs. (15.9 kg) HE Shell
Range @ 20 degrees	10,450 yards (9,560 m)

Mount / Turret Data .

Designation	Single Pedestal Mountings Foresight (9) and Destroyers (4): PIX Modified "R" Class: CPIII Submarines (1): SI
Weight	PIX: 3 tons (3.1 mt) CPIII: 4 tons (4.1 mt) SI: 5 tons (5.1 mt)
Elevation	PIX: -10 / +20 degrees CPIII: -10 / +30 degrees SI: -3 / +20 degrees
Elevation Rate	Manually operated, only
Train	PIX and CPIII: 360 degrees SI: About +120 / -120 degrees
Train Rate	Manually operated, only
Gun recoil	Mark IV: N/A Marks XII, XII* and XXII: 36 in (91 cm)
Notes: 1) Some PIX mountings were converted to HA use and used in the "K" class Garland, Paragon, Porpoise, Unity and Victor (one each). 2) CPIIIc was a modification to move the gun back in the cradle while the cradle was moved forward in an effort to improve the balance. 3) A proposal to use these as starshell guns was made during World War II and one experimental Mark XXI HA/LA mounting was built to test the concept. Apparently the results were unsatisfactory as no more were built or planned.

Data from
"Battlecruisers - Warship Special No. 1", "Naval Weapons of World War Two" and "British Naval Guns 1880-1945 No 18" article in "Warship Volume X" all by John Campbell
"Conway's All the World's FIghting Ships 1906-1921" by Randal Gray (ed)
"T Class Submarines" article by John Lambert in "Warship Volume III"
"Cruisers of the Royal and Commonwealth Navies" by Douglas Morris
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Special help from Dave Alton and Richard Worth

Page History

13 October 2008 - Benchmark
12 February 2012 - Updated to latest template
16 June 2012 - Added picture of HMAS Tasmania
04 September 2012 - Added "A Note on Sources"
15 December 2013 - Added Additional Pictures Page