12 cm/12 short naval gun
The 12 cm/12 short naval gun was a naval gun used by the Imperial Japanese Navy to defend merchant ships and land bases during World War II.
| 12 cm/12 short naval gun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Naval gun Coastal artillery Anti-aircraft gun Anti-submarine gun |
| Place of origin | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Empire of Japan |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941-45 |
| Used by |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Kure Naval Arsenal |
| Designed | 1941 |
| Manufacturer | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal[1] |
| No. built | 550[2] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Total: 1,890 kg (4,170 lb) Barrel: 218 kg (481 lb) |
| Length | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) |
| Barrel length | 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) L/12[2] |
| Shell | Fixed QF ammunition 120 x 284R[3] |
| Shell weight | 13 kg (28 lb 10 oz) |
| Caliber | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Action | Manual |
| Breech | Interrupted screw |
| Recoil | Hydro-spring |
| Carriage | Center pivot H/A L/A[4] |
| Elevation | -15° to +75° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 8 rounds per minute[2] |
| Muzzle velocity | 290 m/s (950 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 2,800 m (9,200 ft) at +75° AA |
| Maximum firing range | 5.3 km (3.3 mi) Horizontal[4] |
History
Since Japan is an island nation with relatively few resources it relied upon a large merchant fleet to import the resources needed for its industry and economy. As Japanese shipping losses mounted during World War II the Japanese began to organize their shipping into escorted convoys and they began arming their merchant ships to defend against attacks from Allied surface combatants, submarines and carrier-based aircraft. The 12cm/12 short naval gun was a multi-purpose gun introduced during 1941 which combined the roles of naval gun, anti-aircraft gun, coastal defense gun, and anti-submarine gun.[4]
Design
The 12 cm/12 short naval gun was an autofretted monoblock gun with an interrupted screw breech that fired fixed QF ammunition. The trunnioned gun barrel had a hydro-spring recoil mechanism above and below the barrel and was mounted on a center pivot H/A L/A gun mount.[4] The gun was normally mounted on merchant ships below 5,000 GRT and also saw use on land as a coastal defense gun on hills overlooking Japanese harbors and installations or as an anti-aircraft gun. It was described as being a light and easy to handle hand trained weapon that could be loaded at any angle by inexperienced gun crews.[2] However, its rate of elevation/traverse 13° a second was considered too slow for effective anti-aircraft use.[1]
Ammunition
- Anti-aircraft
- Anti-submarine
- High explosive - Length: 13 in (33 cm), Weight: 13 kg (28 lb 10 oz), Explosive weight: 2.5 kg (5 lb 8 oz), Explosive: TNA.[5]
- Illumination
- Incendiary
- Shrapnel
Similar weapons
- 20 cm/12 short naval gun - A similar Japanese anti-submarine gun used during the latter half of World War II.
- BL 7.5-inch naval howitzer - A British anti-submarine gun used during the latter half of World War I.
- 8 inch Mark 7 & Mark 8 - Two American anti-submarine guns designed late in World War I that never entered service.
References
- "(PDF) The Japanese short-barrelled 12cm and 20cm dual purpose naval guns. Their technical details, war-time distribution and surviving examples". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
- Campbell, John (1985). Naval weapons of World War Two. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 199. ISBN 0870214594. OCLC 13085151.
- "106". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
- Japanese Artillery Weapons. United States Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas. 1945-07-01. p. 42. OCLC 51837610.
- Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit, No.4, United States Navy (January 19, 1945). Japanese Projectiles & Fuzes. pp. 128a. OCLC 220671983.