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5"/38 Calibre (Mk 30, Mod 69) |
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| SPECIFICATIONS Year of Construction: 1934 Bore: 5"/38 Caliber Wt. of projectile: 54 pounds Gun Weight: 3,990 lbs without breech Barrel Weight: 3,990 pounds Gun Length: 223.8 inches Bore length: 190 inches, 45 grooves, 1/30 twist rate. Max. Range: 18,200 yards Muzzle Velocity: 2,600 feet per second Ceiling: 37,200 feet at 85 degrees Rate of Fire: About 15 rounds/minute, but up to 22 rounds/min Ammunition Types: Semi-fixed. AP - 54 lbs, HC - 55 lbs, AAC - 55.18 lbs, WP - 53 lbs. Approximate Barrel Life: 4,600 rounds. Sight: Mk 37 Controller or manual if power fails. Crew: 11
The turret in these photos is not the Mod 69 because the back of the turret is not "chopped off" to allow the hedgehogs clearance. When I am able to find a Mod 69, I'll put up pictures. If you have a photo, please email it and I'll put it up. Top: Side view of 5" turret. Center: Front oblique view of 5" turret on a Fletcher-class destroyer. Bottom: The copper (non-sparking) hoist used to move 5" ammunition from below-decks to the turret. The hoist was constructed of non-sparking material so it would not ignite spilled propellant grains. |
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| The
5"/38 came "standard" on the Rudderow and John C. Butler
classes. Only
eleven DEs of other classes were upgraded to the 5"/38 gun. The 5"/38 was introduced into service in 1934 and is still in use on active ships today. It is a dual purpose gun, capable of engaging both surface and air targets. The projectile has either a point detonating (PD) or variable time (VT) radar fuze that is especially useful in the anti-aircraft role. The Mark A prototype for this gun was created from a cut-down 5"/51 (12.7 cm) Mark 9, the only version of that famous weapon that used semi-fixed ammunition. Of autofretted monoblock construction and used a semi-automatic vertical sliding wedge breech mechanism. The gun barrel was secured to the housing by interrupted threads, thus allowing easy barrel replacement. About 8,000 of these weapons were produced between 1934 and 1945. |
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