The original Mark II design was prone to faults and the later Mark II* was a modified version which improved reliability. Stoppages and jams were still frequent in these models, as the rounds slipped out of their holders and the fabric belts often stretched and tore. Actual bore length was 39.37 calibers. Some fifty of these guns were sold to the Italian Navy. They were then manufactured under license by Terni (Italy) until the early 1930s. The Terni version used a 50 round ammunition box. Russia ordered a number of these guns from Vickers during World War I and by 1916 forty of them were on hand in the Russian Navy (20 each in the Baltic and Black Sea fleets). In 1916 the Russian Navy ordered sixty additional guns from the Obukhov factory with at least twelve of them being delivered by 1917. All of these weapons used 25 round belts. There was also an earlier Mark I version, but I lack details as to what were the differences between it and the Mark II. The data that follows is for the British version except where otherwise noted. |
![]() 2-pdr on unidentified Canadian River Class
destroyer ca. 1940
|
![]() 40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni Model 1915 on unidentified
Italian Torpedo Boat
|
![]() 40 mm/39 of 342 AA battery at Vizzola Ticino
(near Milan's Malpensa Airport)
|
.
See Vickers
Pom Pom and photograph numbers 2836
and 2837
|
Designation | British: Vickers 2-pdr QF Mark II
Italian: 40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni 1915/1917 Russian: 40 mm/39 Vickers Automatic Model 1914 |
Ship Class Used On | Many |
Date Of Design | about 1914 |
Date In Service | British: 1915
Italian: about 1917 Russia: 1915 |
Gun Weight | British and Italian: 550 lbs. (249
kg) including cooling water
Russian: 504.9 lbs. (229 kg) (probably does not include water) |
Gun Length oa | 96.0 in (2.438 m) |
Bore Length | 62.0 in (1.575 m) |
Rifling Length | 54.84 in (1.293 m) |
Grooves | (12) 0.0141 in deep x 0.322 (0.358 x 8.18 mm) |
Lands | 0.894 in (2.271 mm) |
Twist | Uniform RH 1 in 30 |
Chamber Volume | 9.98 in3 (0.165 dm3) |
Rate Of Fire | 200 rounds per minute cyclical
about 50 - 75 rounds per minute practical |
Type | Fixed |
Weight of Complete Round | HE - 2.95 lbs. (1.34 kg) |
Projectile Types and Weights
(see Note) |
HE - 2.0 lbs. (0.9 kg) |
Bursting Charge | 0.21 lbs. (0.1 kg) |
Projectile Length | N/A
Complete round: 11.995 in (30.47 cm) |
Propellant Charge | 0.243 lbs. (0.11 kg) HSCT/K 134-055 |
Muzzle Velocity | British - 1,920 fps (585 mps)
Italian - 2,000 fps (610 mps) Russian - 1,972 fps (601 mps) |
Working Pressure | 15.5 tons / in2 (2,440 kg / cm2) |
Approximate Barrel Life | 5,000 rounds |
Ammunition stowage per gun | British
Danae and Emerald: 800 rounds County class: 1,000 rounds Monitors of World War I: 1,000 rounds Others: N/A Italian
Russia
|
Note: Complete breakdown
of shell weight:
Empty body: 1.45 lbs.
(0.66 kg)
|
Elevation | With 2.0 lbs. (0.9 kg) Shell |
Range @ 45 degrees | 3,800 yards (3,475 m) |
Maximum Effective Range | 1,200 yards (1,100 m) |
AA Ceiling | N/A |
Notes: The Italian shell was self-destructing at 4,900 yards (4,475 m), which implies that it had a range of at least that far. |
Designation
(see Note) |
British
Mark II Gun: Mark II HA Mark II*C Gun: Mark II*C HA Mark XV Italian
Russian
|
Weight | British
Mark II: 1,568 lbs. (711 kg) Mark II*C: 1,623 lbs. (736 kg) M1930: 1,878 lbs. (852 kg) Russian
|
Elevation | -5 / +80 degrees |
Elevation Rate | Manually operated, only |
Train | 360 degrees |
Train Rate | Manually operated, only |
Gun recoil | N/A |
Note: Mark XV was a powered mounting similar to the Mark XVI mounting for the the 2-pdr. Mark VIII. Twenty-eight were produced during World War II and the surviving twenty-three were scrapped in early 1944. |
02 March 2007 - Benchmark
29 May 2010 - Added notes on Mark I and
Mark II*, fixed typographical error
29 August 2011 - Added picture of River
class destroyer