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Mark 45 - 5-inch/54-caliber lightweight gun 5"/54 Mark 45 mod 2 firing Type Naval gun Place of origin United States Service history In service Mark 45 Mod 0 - 1971 Mark 45 Mod 1 - 1980 Mark 45 Mod 2 - 1988 Used by Australia, Cambodia, Denmark, Greece, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Thailand, United States Production history Designed 1968 Manufacturer BAE Systems Land and Armaments Specifications Weight 21.7 short tons (19.7 t) shell: up to 70 lb (32 kg) Length 29.5 ft (9 m) Barrel length 22.5 ft (6.86 m) 19.1 ft (5.82 m) (rifling) 8,000 rounds (barrel life) Caliber 5 inches (127 mm) Elevation 65 / -15 degrees rate: 20 degree/s Traverse 170 degrees either side of centerline rate: 30 degree/s Rate of fire 16-20 rounds per minute automatic1 Muzzle velocity 2,650 ft/s (808 m/s) full service charge 1,500 ft/s (460 m/s) reduced charge for defilade fire or illumination rounds Effective range 13 nautical miles (24 km) Feed system 600 rounds (Ticonderoga class) 680 rounds (Arleigh Burke class) 475–500 rounds (Other classes)

USS Cowpens (CG-63)Template:WP Ships USS instances fires its Mark 45 mod 2

The 5-Inch/54-caliber (Mk 45) lightweight gun is a modern U.S. 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.

Contents 1 History 2 Variants 3 Use 3.1 United States Navy - current 3.2 United States Navy - retired 3.3 Australia and New Zealand 3.4 Denmark 3.5 Greece 3.6 Japan 3.7 Spain 3.8 South Korea 3.9 Thailand 3.10 Turkey 4 See also 5 References

History

Development started in the 1960s as a replacement for the 5-inch/54 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 caliber for U.S. Naval ships. Its rate of fire is lower than the British 4.5-inch (114 mm) gun, but it fires a heavier 5" shell, and carries a larger burst charge which increases its 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.
• Mod 2 - export version of Mod 1, but now used in the US Navy
• Mod 3 - same gun with a new control system; never put into production
• Mod 4 - longer barrel (62 calibers in length versus 54) for more complete propellant combustion, higher velocity and greater utility as a land attack weapon.

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 - current

• Arleigh Burke-class destroyer guided missile destroyer :
  • DDG 51-80 - mod 2¹
  • DDG 81-112 - mod 4¹
• Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers - mod 2¹
• Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships (later removed)

United States Navy - retired

• California-class cruisers
• Kidd-class destroyers
• Spruance-class destroyers
• Virginia-class cruisers

Australia and New Zealand

• ANZAC-class frigates

Denmark

• Absalon-class command and support ships

Greece

• Hydra-class frigates (MEKO 200 HN)

Japan

• Atago-class guided missile destroyers

Spain

• Álvaro de Bazán-class frigates

South Korea

• King Sejong the Great-class guided missile destroyer

Thailand

• Naresuan-class frigates

Turkey

• Barbaros-class frigates (MEKO 200 TN II-A)
• Yavuz-class frigates (MEKO 200 TN)

See also

• Media related to 5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun at Wikimedia Commons
• Extended Range Guided Munition
• 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mark 8 naval gun - The equivalent gun on British ships, being upgraded to 155 mm
• Advanced Gun System - new 155 mm long-range gun for the Zumwalt destroyers

References

• Navy fact file
• navweaps.com: 5"/54 (12.7 cm) Mark 45 Mods 0 - 2
• Gunner officer information sheet

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 2 December 2008, at 09:22.

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