Monday 9 October 2017

American Projectiles and Explosives - 5-inch Projectiles (Part 3)







American Projectiles and Explosives



5-inch Projectiles





5-inch Illuminating Mk 44 Mod 1

No picture available

Guns used in: 5"/38
Overall length w/ nose fuze: 19.97 inches
Overall length w/o nose fuze: 16.465 inches
Diameter of base: 4.973 inches
Distance base to band: 2.43 inches
Width of band: 2.25 inches
Diameter at bourrelet: 4.985 inches

Filling: Black Powder expelling charge; magnesium flare
Weight of filling: 2.5 ounces - expelling charge
Weight of loaded projectile: 54.5 pounds
Charge/Weight ratio: N/A

Cartridge case: Mk 5
Primer: Mk 13 and all Mods
Tracer: N/A

Fuzes: Mk 18 Mods 2, 3, and 4
-Mk 50 Mods 0-4
-Mk 63 Mod 0


This projectile is currently assembled with the Illuminating Contents Mk 4 Mod 5





5-inch Illuminating and 5-inch W.P. Mk 45 Mod 0

No picture available

Guns used in: 5"/25
Overall length w/ nose fuze: 19.97 inches
Overall length w/o nose fuze: 16.465 inches
Diameter of base: 4.968 inches
Distance base to band: 1.98 inches
Width of band: 2 inches
Diameter at bourrelet: 4.985 inches

Filling: Black Powder expelling charge; magnesium flare
Weight of filling: 2.5 ounces - expelling charge
Weight of loaded projectile: 54.5 pounds
Charge/Weight ratio: N/A

Cartridge case: Mk 4, Mk 4 Mod 2
Primer: Mk 13 and all Mods
Tracer: N/A

Fuzes: Mk 18 Mods 2, 3, and 4
-Mk 50 Mods 0-4
-Mk 63 Mod 0


This projectile is currently assembled with the Illuminating Contents Mk 4 Mod 5.

The W.P. projectile uses the body of the Mk 45 and the incendiary contents of the W.P. shell.





5-inch Illuminating  Mk 48 Mod 0


Guns used in: 5"/54
Overall length: 26 inches
Overall length w/o nose fuze: 22.28 inches
Diameter of base: 4.973 inches
Diameter at bourrelet: 4.985 inches

Filling: Black Powder expelling charge; magnesium flare
Weight of filling: 2.5 ounces - expelling charge
Weight of loaded projectile: 70 pounds
Charge/Weight ratio: N/A

Cartridge case: Mk 6
Primer: Mk 13 and all Mods
Tracer: N/A

Fuzes: Mk 25 Mod 1


The Illuminating Contents Mk 4 Mod 5 are used, modified for a lengthened spacer sleeve.

The projectile is identical in all respects to the Mk 48, except that it has a double rotating band.






5-inch Window Projectile


Guns used in: 5"/38
Overall length w/ nose fuze: 20 inches
Overall length w/o nose fuze: 15.8 inches
Diameter of base: 4.968 inches
Distance base to band: 2.43 inches
Width of band: 2.25 inches
Diameter at bourrelet: 4.985 inches

Filling: Black Powder expelling charge; magnesium flare
Weight of filling: 2.5 ounces - expelling charge

Weight of loaded projectile:
-Load Mk 1 Mod 1: 53.9 pounds (approx.)
-Load Mk 2 Mod 0: 54.6 pounds (approx.)
-Load Mk 4 Mod 0: 53 pounds (approx.)

Charge/Weight ratio: N/A

Cartridge case: Mk 5
Primer: Mk 13 and all Mods
Tracer: N/A

Fuzes: Mk 18 Mods 2, 3, and 4
-Mk 50 and all Mods
-Mk 63 Mod 0

Projectile Body:
-5-inch Ill. Mk 30 Mods 5, 7, and 9
-5-inch Ill. Mk 44 Mod 1


Window Load Mk 1 Mod 1: Consists of about 13,800 aluminum foil strips, each 8 inches long, 3/16 inches wide, and 0.00035 inches thick, backed on either side by 12 pounds of tissue paper, solid glued.  The strips are stacked within a four-section cylindrical wood form, which is encased in a split steel sleeve, the whole inserted into the projectile cavity.




Window Load Mk 2 Mod 0:  Consists of 19 rolls of aluminum foil stacked within a split steel sleeve.  Each roll contains continuous foil 600 feet long, 1/2 inch wide, and 0.0009 inches thick.  One end of the foil is attached to a cardboard disc by a rayon leader 15 feet long, insuring streaming out of the foil roll.  The foil rolls, with their cardboard discs, are each encased in a split retainer ring, forming a load unit.  The units are separated by aluminum discs when loaded in the split steel sleeve.




Window Load Mk 4 Mod 0:  Consists of two stacks of 13,800 aluminum foil strips, each stack separated by an aluminum disc.  Each strip is 5.1 inches long by 3/16 inches wide.  The strips are stacked within two four-section cylindrical magnesium forms, which are encased in a split steel sleeve.


Operation:  The explosion of the black powder ejection charge, initiated by the fuze, exerts a pressure against the baffle plate and forces the split steel sleeve, window load, and base plug out of the base end of the projectile.






5-inch White Phosphorus Smoke Projectile


Guns used in: 5"/38
Overall length w/ nose fuze: 20 inches
Overall length w/o nose fuze: 15.8 inches
Diameter of base: 4.968 inches
Distance base to band: 2.43 inches
Width of band: 2.25 inches
Diameter at bourrelet: 4.985 inches

Filling: Black Powder expelling charge; magnesium flare
Weight of filling: 2.5 ounces - expelling charge
Weight of loaded projectile: 53 pounds
Charge/Weight ratio: N/A

Cartridge case: Mk 5
Primer: Mk 13 and all Mods
Tracer: N/A

Fuzes: Mk 63 Mod 0 (M.T.F)
-Mk 18 Mods 2, 3, and 4 (M.T.F.)
-Mk 50 and Mods (M.T.F.)
-Mk 29 Mod 3 (P.D.F.)
-Mk 66 Mod 0 (P.D.F.)
-Mk 61 Mod 0 (M.T.F.) -for use with 1,200 f/s initial velocity reduced charge-


Projectile Body: 5-inch Illuminating Mk 30 Mods 1-8

The projectile body, base plate, and expelling charge are the same as those for the 5-inch Illuminating Projectile Mk 30.

The canister holding the W.P. filled tubes is of 0.03-inch thick sheet steel and measures 12.03 inches long by 3.9 inches in diameter.  It is painted olive drab overall.  Through the center of the canister is inserted a burster tube containing the ballistite burster charge, with a black powder delay fitted to the upper end of the tube.  The canister is divided into four sections internally, with each section containing 42 W.P. filled steel tubes 0.5 inches in diameter and 2.86 inches long, 168 tubes in all.  The canister is filled through the base with molten W.P. and closed with two 1/2-inch pipe plugs.


Type of Filling
Expelling charge --- 2 ounces black powder
Bursting charge --- 14 grams Ballistite
Smoke filling --- 7.06 pounds white phosphorus


The black powder expelling charge, ignited by the fuze, initiates the delay element at the upper end of the burster tube and forces off the base plate, ejecting the canister rearward.  The delay initiates the burster, which ruptures the canister and scatters the W.P. filled steel tubes.  The smoke cloud thus formed is about 30-40 yards in diameter.  The projectile combines screening, anti-personnel, and slight incendiary effect.







Next Time: 6-inch Projectiles (Part 1)

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