| 3 Inch / 70 Mark 26 | |
|---|---|
_refueling_in_1962.jpg) 3"/70 turret on USS Carpenter in 1962 | |
| Type | Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1958–1999 |
| Used by | United States Navy Turkish Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1945 |
| Produced | 1957 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,650 lb (1,202 kg) |
| Barrel length | 210 inches (5.3 m) bore (70 calibres) |
| Shell | AA |
| Caliber | 3-inch (76.20 mm) |
| Recoil | 15.62 inches (40 cm) |
| Elevation | -15 to 90 degrees |
| Rate of fire | 90-100 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 3,400 feet per second (1,000 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 19,500 yards (17,830 m)[1] |
The 3"/70 Mark 26 Gun was a US post war naval anti-aircraft gun. Developed as a joint project with the United Kingdom, which called it the QF 3-inch Mark N1 gun, it had a water-cooled barrel combined with an automatic loader to deliver high rates of fire.
The gun design was based on experience defending United States warships from Japanese kamikaze attacks in World War II and based on the 3-inch/50 caliber gun. The name indicates in US Navy terminology that this piece of naval artillery fires a projectile 3 in (76 mm) in diameter and has a barrel length of 70 calibers [barrel length = 3" × 70 = 210 in (18 ft; 5.3 m)]. "Mark 26" refers to the gun mounting rather than the gun itself.
Due to the long development period, the gun did not enter service until 1956 and the mounts proved problematic; the gun was removed from most US warships after a short service life.
The British mountings, known as Mark 6 in the Royal Navy, were to a different design and though also complex and subject to feed problems were more effective.
- ^ DiGiulian