The QF 4 inch Mk XVI gunMk XVI = Mark 16. Britain used Roman numerals to denote marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Mark XVI indicates this was the sixteenth model of QF 4 inch gun. was the standard British Empire naval anti-aircraft and dual-purpose gun of World War II.
Service
The Mk XVI superseded the earlier QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun on many Royal Navy ships during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The ammunition fired by the Mk V gun and the Mk XVI guns were different. The ammunition for the Mk V gun was long and weighed , while the ammunition fired by the Mk XVI gun was long and weighed . The weight of the high-explosive projectile grew from for the Mk V to for the Mk XVI.
There were three variants of the gun produced with differing construction methods. The original Mk XVI had an A tube, jacket to from the muzzle and a removable breech ring. The Mk XVI* replaced the A tube with an autofretted loose barrel with a sealing collar at the front of the jacket. The Mk XXI was a lighter version with an autofretted monobloc barrel and a removable breech ring. The total number of Mk XVI and XVI* guns produced was 2,555, while there were 238 Mk XXI guns produced. Of those totals, 604 Mk XVI* and 135 of the Mk XXI guns were produced in Canada and 45 of the Mk XVI* were produced in Australia. These guns were usually mounted on HA/LA Mark XIX twin mountings, although several Australian frigates and corvettes had single-gun Mk XX mountings.Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.56.
The last Royal Navy ship to operate with a Mark XIX twin mounting was , which had originally been designed for the Ghana Navy and so required a simple and inexpensive main armament. Acquired by the British Government in 1972, she served until 1977 when she was purchased by the Royal Malaysian Navy and renamed KD Hang Tuah.
List of equipped vessels As secondary armament (list not complete)
Aircraft carriers:
Escort carriers:
HMS Pretoria Castle HMS Activity
Battleships:
, & (post-refit)
Battlecruisers:
Heavy cruisers:
(post-refit) (post-refit)
Light cruisers: s (converted to anti-aircraft cruisers)
Others:
As main armament (list not complete) s s (the first series L: HMS Gurkha, Lance, Legion, Lively) (modified) s s (after WAIR modification – 15 ships) (after WAIR modification) s Some s (single-gun Mk XX mounting) s s (modified) (modified) s s (part of Canadian-built) 8 auxiliary AA defence ships Some landing ships
Allied ships fitted out in Britain (Polish) (Dutch) (Dutch) 4 French Elan-class avisos and s
Post-war construction ships Type 15 frigates (converted) Type 16 frigates (converted) SAS Jan van Riebeeck and Simon van der Stel converted frigates (South Africa) NNS Nigeria frigate (Nigerian) Vosper Mk 3 corvettes (NNS Dorina and Otobo) (Nigerian)
The South African Navy s (HMSAS Good Hope and HMSAS Transvaal) each had two of these guns mounted on a twin Mark XIX mount on their foredeck between 1955 and 1976.
Ammunition
See also QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun : Royal Navy anti-aircraft predecessor List of naval anti-aircraft guns List of naval guns
Surviving examples Front Lawn of HMCS York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada On , Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. A pair in turret from HMCS Huron (G24) at the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, Canada Naval Museum of Alberta, Canada HMCS Unicorn, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Trenton Park, Trenton, Nova Scotia, Canada On , London, which retains four twin guns. Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower, Gosport, Hampshire, UK On , Gdynia (re-bored to 100 mm). A pair at South African National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg A pair in a turret from INS Haifa (K-38), at Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum, Haifa, Israel. Two single guns on , Brisbane, Australia One twin gun at the Marinemuseet, Horten, Norway. One twin gun in the Aldhurst military vehicles collection, Surrey England. Further research has proven the left gun was installed on the heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire from 1943 until she was scrapped in 1954.
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
B.R. 257. Handbook for the 4 inch Q.F. Mark XVI* Gun on the H.A. Twin Mark XIX And Single Mark XX Mountings. G3821/41 Naval Ordnance Department, Admiralty, July 1941. Tony DiGiulian, British 4"/45 (10.2 cm) QF HA Marks XVI, XVII, XVIII and XXI Youtube video clip of demonstration of loading and firing on HMS Belfast Youtube video clip of demonstration of loading and firing on HMS Belfast : closeup Note : for safety reasons, cartridges are seen being loaded without the normal attached shell.