QF 14-pounder Maxim-Nordenfelt naval gun

The QF 14-pounder was a 3-inch medium-velocity naval gun used to equip warships for defence against torpedo boats. It was produced for export by Maxim-Nordenfelt (later Vickers, Sons and Maxim) in competition with the Elswick QF 12-pounder 12 cwt and QF 12-pounder 18 cwt guns.

Ordnance QF 14-pounder
On HMVS Cerberus circa. 1900. Note fixed-round cartridge with shell standing at gunner's feet in background.
Photo courtesy of the Friends of the Cerberus
TypeNaval gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1894-19??
Used byVarious countries
Victorian Naval Forces
WarsWorld War I
Production history
Designed189?
ManufacturerMaxim-Nordenfelt
Specifications
Mass1,638 pounds (743 kg)[1]
Barrel length135 inches (3.429 m)bore (45 calibres)[1]

Shellseparate QF 14 pounds (6.35 kg) or 12.5 pounds (5.67 kg)
Calibre3-inch (76.2 mm)
Muzzle velocity2,100 feet per second (640 m/s) (14 lb shell)[2]
Maximum firing range8,000 yards (7,320 m) (14 lb shell)

Service

The gun equipped ships built in Britain for various foreign navies including Chile.

Victorian Navy service

2 guns were mounted on HMVS Cerberus in 1897. In 1900 they were removed, mounted on field carriages and went to China with the Victorian Naval Contingent to confront the Boxer Rebellion. These 2 guns were non-standard and fired QF fixed rounds (i.e. the cartridge was loaded with shell attached) unlike the standard guns which fired separate ammunition (i.e. shell and cartridge loaded as separate items). They were therefore left behind in China in favour of the standard QF 12-pounder.[3]

In Victorian naval service in the 1890s the gun is reported as firing a shell weighing 14 lbs to a range of 8,000 yards with a muzzle velocity of 2100 ft/second, using a 6.5 lb black powder charge.[4]

Victorian coastal artillery

14-pounders were used for coastal defence at Fort Nepean, Fort Pearce and Fort Queenscliff.

British ammunition

In British service the guns fired the same 3-inch 12.5 lb shell as QF 12-pounder guns.

Cordite Cartridges circa. 1905 Mk II Common pointed shell Mk II & Mk III Common Lyddite shell Mk IV Common Lyddite shell with internal night tracer, 1914

See also

References

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