Shipboard weapon

Date:   11/24/2020 9:16:49 PM ( 4 y ago)

MK 45 Naval Gun System

** This was the on board Gun fire system for Destroyers where I served as a
Fire Control Technician.

Description:
Type Naval gun
Place of origin United States Navy

Fully-automatic naval gun mount employed against a surface (Anti-Surface Warfare - ASuW), air (Anti-Air Warfare - AAW), and land attack (Naval Surface Fire Support - NSFS) targets.
Background

The MK 45 gun was developed as a lighter weight, more easily maintained replacement for the MK 42 5"/54 caliber gun mount. It is designed to engage surface and air targets and to provide naval surface fire support for expeditionary operations. The MK 45 Mod 4 gun mount upgrade includes a longer barrel (62 calibers) that improves the gun's effectiveness as a land-attack weapon (naval surface fire support).

The gun mount includes a 20 round automatic loader drum. The gun's maximum firing rate is 16-20 rounds from the loader drum per minute. The rounds in the loader drum can be fired with one crewmember located at the EP-2 console below deck. Additional rounds can be accomplished by the full crew (Mount Captain, EP-2 Operator, and four ammunition handlers), all of which are stationed below deck.

General Characteristics
Primary Function
Fully-automatic, naval gun mount.
Date Deployed 1971 (Mark 45 Mod 0)
Range 13 nautical miles (14.9 statute miles) with conventional ammunition

Type Fire 16-20 rounds per minute automatic, conventional ammunition

Magazine Capacity
600 rounds of conventional
Caliber 5 inch 54 caliber
(MK 54 Mod 1/2) barrel length of 270 inches (54 x 5"); 5 inch 62 caliber (MK 45 Mod 4 ) barrel length is 310 inches
(62 x 5")

Guidance System MK 45 Gun Mount is remotely fired from the
MK 160 Gun Computer System or MK 86 Gun Fire Control during normal operations Which is where I worked!

Platforms found on:
- Cruisers
2 gun mounts per ship

- Destroyers
1 gun mount per ship

 

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