Gourt Home::Gourt :: 5-54 Mark 45
| General Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Designation: | Mark 45 - 5-inch/54-caliber lightweight gun |
| Date of design: | 1968 |
| Date in service: | |
| Mounting weight: | 21.7 tons |
| Gun length oa: | 29.5 ft (9 m) |
| Barrel length: | 22.5 feet (6.86 m) |
| Rifling length: | 19.1 feet (5.82 m) |
| Barrel life: | 8,000 rounds |
| Caliber: | 5 in (127 mm) |
| Maximum train: | 170 degrees either side of centerline |
| Train rate: | 30 degree/s |
| Max/min elevation: | 65 / -15 degrees |
| Elevation rate: | 20 degree/s |
| Rate Of fire: | 16-20 rounds per minute automatic |
| Muzzle velocity: | |
| Shell weight: | Variable depending on type; up to 70 lb (32 kg) |
| Magazine capacity: | |
| Range: | 13 nautical miles (24 km) |
| Manufacturer: | BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Armament Systems Division |
The 5 Inch/54-caliber (Mk 45) lightweight gun is a modern naval artillery gun mount consisting of a 5 inch (127 mm) L54 Mark 19 gun on the Mark 45 mount. It is designed to be used against surface warships, for anti-aircraft use and shore bombardment to support amphibious operations.
The gun mount features an automatic loader with a capacity of 20 rounds. These can be fired under full automatic control taking a little over a minute to exhaust those rounds at maximum fire rate. For sustained use, the gun mount would be occupied (below deck) by a three man crew (gun captain, panel operator, and ammunition loader) to keep the gun supplied with ammunition. An advanced version, the Mk 45 mod 4 lighweight gun, uses a longer barrel (62 caliburs versus 54) for more complete propellant combustion, higher velocity and greater utility as a land attack weapon.
History
Development started in the 1960s as a replacement for the 5 inch Mark 42 gun system with a new, lighter, and easier to maintain gun mounting. In USN use, the Mark 45 is used with either the Mk 86 Gun Fire Control System or the Mk 160 Gun Computing System. Since before World War II, 5" has been the standard gun calibur for US naval ships. While its rate of fire is lower than the British 4.5 inch (114 mm) gun, the heavier 5" projectile has better utility in attacking warships, and carries a larger bursting charge, which grants it greater per-shell effectiveness against aircraft.
Variants
- Mod 0 - used mechanical fuze setter. Two piece rifled construction, with replaceable liner
- Mod 1 - electronic fuze setter replaces the mechanical one. Made with a unitary construction barrel, which has a life span approximately twice that of the Mark 42 gun.
Use
In sustained firing operations (Mode III), the gun is manned by a three man crew all located below decks. These are a gun captain, a panel operator, and ammunition loader. In fully automatic non-sustained firing operations (Mode IV), the gun can be fired without any personnel inside the mount. However, sustained fire is limited to the capacity of the automatic loader (20 rounds).
United States Navy
- Arleigh Burke class destroyer - (DDG-51 to DDG-80) guided missile destroyer
- California class cruisers
- Kidd class destroyers
- Spruance class destroyers
- Tarawa class amphibious assault ships (later removed)
- Ticonderoga guided missile cruisers
- Virginia class cruisers
Australia and New Zealand
Greece
Spain
Thailand
Turkey
References
Naval weapons of the United States | Cold War naval weapons | Naval artillery
"5-54 Mark 45"