5-inch/50-caliber gun

< 5-inch

Chattanooga, 5"/50 caliber deck gun, probably port side forward.
Type
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.