5-inch/40-caliber gun

5″/40 caliber Marks 2, 3, and 4 Naval Gun
Brooklyn, gundeck, with 5-inch/40 caliber gun
TypeNaval gun
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1895–1923
Used byUnited States Navy
WarsSpanish–American War
Production history
DesignerBureau of Ordnance
Designed1895
ManufacturerU.S. Naval Gun Factory
No. built
  • Mark 2: 68 (Nos. 3–70)
  • Mark 3: 119 (Nos. 87–199, 287–292)
  • Mark 4: 16 (Nos. 71–86)
VariantsMark 2 Mods 0–8, Mark 3 Mods 0–3, Mark 4 Mods 0–4
Specifications
Mass
  • Mark 2: 7,000 lb (3,200 kg) (without breech)
  • Mark 2: 7,080 lb (3,210 kg) (with breech)
  • Marks 3 and 4: 7,096 lb (3,219 kg) (without breech)
  • Marks 3 and 4: 7,260 lb (3,290 kg) (with breech)
Length
  • Mark 2:206 in (5,200 mm)
  • Marks 3 and 4:205.83 in (5,228 mm)
Barrel length200 in (5,100 mm) bore (40 calibers)

Shell50 lb (23 kg)
Caliber5 in (127 mm)
Traverse
  • 137° arc (Brooklyn casemates)
  • −150° to +150° (open mounts)
Rate of fire12 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity2,300 ft/s (700 m/s)
Effective firing range8,500 yd (7,800 m) at 15° elevation
Maximum firing range16,000 yd (15,000 m) at 30° elevation

The 5″/40 caliber gun (spoken "five-inch-forty-caliber") were used in the secondary batteries of the United States Navy's early battleships, armored cruisers, protected cruisers, unprotected cruisers, and auxiliary cruisers.[1]