• Source: BL 4-inch Mk VII naval gun

The BL 4-inch gun Mk VII was a British high-velocity naval gun introduced in 1908 as an anti-torpedo boat gun in large ships, and in the main armament of smaller ships. Of the 600 produced, 482 were still available in 1939 for use as coastal artillery and as a defensive weapon on Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS) during the Second World War.




Naval history


The guns armed the following warships :

Bellerophon-class battleships, laid down 1906
St. Vincent-class battleships, laid down 1907
Boadicea-class scout cruisers, laid down 1907
HMS Neptune, laid down 1909
Colossus-class battleships, laid down 1909
Indefatigable-class battlecruisers, laid down 1909
Orion-class battleships, laid down 1909
Lion-class battlecruisers, laid down 1909
Bristol-class light cruisers, laid down 1909
Blonde-class scout cruisers, laid down 1909
Active-class scout cruisers, laid down 1910
King George V-class battleships, laid down 1911

The gun was succeeded in the "heavy" 4-inch class on new warships commissioned from 1914 onwards by the QF 4-inch Mk V. This new generation of warships were more heavily armed, and the BL Mk VII's role as secondary armament on capital ships and primary armament on cruisers was taken over by the BL 6-inch Mk VII and BL 6-inch Mk XII while the 4-inch calibre became the secondary armament on cruisers and primary armament on destroyers.
In World War II many guns were used to arm merchant ships.




World War I field gun service



A battery of 4 guns mounted on field carriages was first deployed with the South African Heavy Artillery in the German South West Africa campaign in 1915 and returned to England in September. They were then deployed in the East African Campaign from February 1916 with 11th Heavy Battery (renumbered 15th Battery from April 1916) manned by the Royal Marine Artillery.




Surviving examples



2 Mk VII guns from HMS New Zealand outside the Auckland War Memorial Museum




See also


List of naval guns




= Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

=
4"/50 caliber gun US equivalent




Notes






References






Sources


HANDBOOK for the 4" Mark VII. and VIII. B.L. Guns 1913 (Corrected to September 1913.) ADMIRALTY Gunnery Branch, G.8652/13
Campbell, John (1987). Lambert, Andrew D. (ed.). "British Naval Guns, 1880–1945, No. 17". Warship. 10: 53–55.
DiGiulian, Tony. British 4"/50 (10.2 cm) BL Mark VII
Farndale, General Sir Martin. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery : Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914–18. London:The Royal Artillery Institution, 1988
Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Daftar meriam laut menurut kaliber
• HMS Nelson (28)
• BL 15-inch Mk I naval gun
• BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun
• BL 4-inch Mk VII naval gun
• BL 14-inch Mk VII naval gun
• BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun
• BL 12-inch Mk X naval gun
• BL 16-inch Mk I naval gun
• BL 6-inch Mk XII naval gun
• QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun
• BL 8-inch Mk VIII naval gun