Misplaced Pages

Cannon 102/45

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Naval gun
Cannon 102/45
The Cannon 102/45 was a licensed copy of the QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun shown here.
TypeNaval gun
Anti-aircraft gun
Coastal artillery
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1917-1945
Used byItaly
WarsWorld War I
World War II
Production history
Designed1913
ManufacturerAnsaldo
Produced1917
VariantsSchneider-Armstrong
Model 1917
Schneider-Armstrong
Model 1919
Schneider-Canet
Model 1917
Specifications
Mass2,327 kilograms (5,130 lb)
Length4.7 meters (15 ft 5 in)
Barrel length4.57 meters (15 ft 0 in)

Shell weight13.7–16 kilograms (30–35 lb)
Caliber102 millimeters (4.0 in)
45 Caliber
BreechHorizontal or vertical sliding breech block
ElevationSee Table
Traverse-360°
Rate of fire7 rpm
Muzzle velocitySchneider-Armstrong: 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Schneider-Canet:
888 m/s (2,910 ft/s)
Maximum firing rangeHorizontal: 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) at +35°
AA: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)

The Cannon 102/45 was a naval gun of the Italian Navy in World War II, which was later modified for shore based anti-aircraft and coastal artillery roles.

History

During World War I the United Kingdom delivered a QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun, serial No.974 to Italy to act as a template for licensed production by the Ansaldo Company. The Mark V was constructed of a tapered inner A tube, A tube, taper wound wire, full-length jacket and breech ring. It had either a horizontal or vertical sliding breech block, with semi-automatic action and used fixed quick-fire ammunition. There were three models produced: Schneider-Armstrong Model 1917, Schneider-Armstrong Model 1919, and Schneider-Canet Model 1917; each with differing mounts and elevations. Overall the 102/45 was considered a successful design and it was widely used on destroyers of the Italian Navy before and during World War II. The exception being the Schneider-Armstrong Model 1919 which was an unsatisfactory twin mount with both guns sharing a common cradle. The Model 1919 was later replaced by single mounts during the war. The 102/45 was in the process of being replaced by the Cannon 120/45 and 120/50 when World War II began. Starting in 1937 guns that were removed from ships were mounted on new dual-purpose shore mounts and used as anti-aircraft guns and coastal artillery until retired in 1945.

Interesting facts

  • The reported muzzle velocities for the Schneider-Armstrong 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) and Schneider-Canet 888 m/s (2,910 ft/s) are slightly different.
  • The muzzle velocities of the 102/45 are higher than the Mk V 719 m/s (2,360 ft/s) implying greater working pressure. What effect this had on barrel life and accuracy is unknown.
  • The rates of fire for the 102/45 (7 rpm) and Mk V (8-10 rpm) are different.

Types

Mounts Model Weight Elevation Naval Classes
Single Open Mount Schneider-Armstrong

Model 1917

4,600 kg -5°/+35° Generali-class, Palestro-class, La Masa class, Giuseppe Sirtori
Schneider-Canet Model 1917 -5°/+30° Mirabello-class, Alessandro Poerio class
Twin Mount Schneider-Armstrong Model 1919 10,000 kg -5°/+35° Curtatone-class
Single Mount

Dual-purpose

Model 1936 -5°/+85° Anti-aircraft and Coastal artillery

Notes

  1. Friedman, Norman (2011-01-01). Naval weapons of World War One. Seaforth. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 786178793.
  2. DiGiulian, Tony. "Italy 102 mm/45 (4") S-A Models 1917 and 1919 and S-C Model 1917 - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  3. Friedman, Norman (2011-01-01). Naval weapons of World War One. Seaforth. p. 339. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 786178793.
  4. M., Campbell, N. J. (2002-01-01). Naval weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. pp. 241–242. ISBN 0870214594. OCLC 51995246.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Fraccaroli, Aldo (1974). Italian Warships of World War II. London: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 189.

Bibliography

  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
  • Fraccaroli, Aldo (1974). Italian Warships of World War II. London, England: Ian Allan Publishing. OCLC 834485650.
  • Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
Italian artillery of World War I
Anti-aircraft guns
Field, Medium and Heavy guns
Mortars
Infantry and Mountain guns
Naval and coastal defense guns
Railroad artillery
Superheavy and Siege artillery
Italian artillery of World War II
Tank guns
Anti-tank guns
Infantry and Mountain guns
Field, Medium and Heavy guns
Superheavy and Siege artillery
Railroad artillery
Anti-aircraft guns
Categories:
Cannon 102/45 Add topic