5-inch/50-caliber gun

Chattanooga, 5"/50 caliber deck gun, probably port side forward.
Type
  • Naval gun
  • Coastal gun
  • Place of originUnited States
    Service history
    In service1904
    Used by United States Navy
    Wars
    Production history
    DesignerBureau of Ordnance
    Designed1900
    ManufacturerU.S. Naval Gun Factory
    No. built
    • Mark 5: 87 (Nos. 200–286)
    • Mark 6: 64 (Nos. 293–356)
    VariantsMark 5 Mods 0–3, Mark 6 Mods 0–2
    Specifications
    Mass
    • Mark 5: 10,294 lb (4,669 kg) (with breech)
    • Mark 6: 10,550 lb (4,790 kg) (with breech)
    LengthMarks 5 and 6: 255.65 in (6,494 mm)
    Barrel lengthMarks 5 and 6: 250 in (6,400 mm) bore (50 calibers)

    Shell
    • Mark 5: 60 lb (27 kg) armor-piercing
    • Mark 6: 50 lb (23 kg) armor-piercing
    Caliber5 in (127 mm)
    Elevation
    • Mark 9: −10° to +15°
    • Mark 12: −10° to +25°
    Traverse−150° to +150°
    Rate of fire6–8 rounds per minute
    Muzzle velocity
    • 50lb:3,000 ft/s (910 m/s)
    • 60lb:2,700 ft/s (820 m/s)
    Maximum firing range19,000 yd (17,000 m) at 25.3° elevation

    The 5"/50 caliber gun (spoken "five-inch-fifty-caliber") was the first long barrel 5-inch (127 mm) gun of the United States Navy and was used in the secondary batteries of the early Delaware-class dreadnought battleships, various protected cruisers, and scout cruisers. They were also refitted in the secondary batteries of the armored cruiser New York and the New Orleans-class protected cruisers. They were later used on cargo ships, store ships and unclassified auxiliaries during World War II as well as in emergency coastal defense batteries.[1]