14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun

14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun
14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun from the battleship Mutsu
Type	Naval gun coast defense gun
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1914–1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Navy
Wars	World War I, World War II
Specifications
Weight	5,600–5,700 kilograms (12,346–12,566 lb)
Barrel length	7.0 meters (23 ft 0 in) (bore length)
Shell	separate-loading, bagged charge
Shell weight	38 kilograms (84 lb)
Caliber	14-centimeter (5.5 in)
Breech	Welin breech block
Rate of fire	about 6 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	850–855 meters per second (2,790–2,810 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	19,750 meters (21,600 yd)

The 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun was a Japanese low-angle weapon introduced during World War I.

History

It served as the secondary armament in a number of Japanese dreadnoughts and as the main armament in light cruisers and some auxiliary ships. It was also the most common Japanese coast defense gun during World War II. "Third year type" refers to the Welin breech block on this gun. Breech block design began in 1914, the third year of the Taishō period. This breech block design was also used on Japanese 40 cm (16 inch), 20 cm (8 inch), 15.5 cm (6 inch), 12.7 cm (5 inch), and 12 cm (4.7 inch) naval guns.^[1]

This gun was not mounted aboard submarines. Submarine cruisers used the shorter-barreled 14 cm/40 11th Year Type naval gun.^[2]

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

• BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun : British equivalent
• Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1910 Naval gun : French equivalent

Notes

1. Campbell, pp. 173, 190
2. Campbell, pp. 190–91

References

• Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.

External links

• 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type on navweaps.com