| 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun | |
|---|---|
 A 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun at the Yasukuni Shrine. | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin |  Empire of Japan |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1897–1945 |
| Used by | Imperial Japanese Navy Republic of China Navy Royal Romanian Navy Royal Thai Navy |
| Wars | World War I World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1893 |
| Variants | 8 cm/40 (3") 11th Year Type 8 cm/40 (3") Type 88 8 cm/25 (3") Type 41 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,401 kg (5,293 lb) |
| Barrel length | 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) L/40[1] |
| Shell | Fixed Quick Fire 76.2 x 405R ammunition[2] |
| Shell weight | 5.7–6 kg (12 lb 9 oz – 13 lb 4 oz) |
| Caliber | 76.2 mm (3 in) |
| Breech | Sliding block breech |
| Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic |
| Carriage | High/Low Angle |
| Elevation | -5° to +75° |
| Traverse | 360°[1] |
| Rate of fire | 13–20 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 670–685 m/s (2,200–2,250 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 5.4 km (18,000 ft) (ceiling) at +75° |
| Maximum firing range | 10,800 m (11,800 yd) at +45°[1] |
| Feed system | Manual |
| 8 cm/25 Type 41 naval gun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Naval gun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Type 41 3-inch (76 mm) naval gun otherwise known as the 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun was a Japanese dual-purpose gun introduced before World War I. Although designated as 8 cm (3.15 in), its shells were 76.2 mm (3 in) in diameter.
The Japanese Type 41 3-inch (76 mm) naval gun otherwise known as the 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun was a direct copy of the English QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun. The original 12-pounders were built-up guns with a single-motion interrupted screw breech that fired Fixed Quick Fire ammunition and had bottom mounted hydro-pneumatic recoil systems.[4]
Many were mounted on low-angle pedestal mounts in casemates as the standard anti-torpedo boat gun on Japanese warships built between 1890 and 1920. Later guns changed to an autofretted monoblock barrel, taller pedestal mount for increased angles of elevation -5° to +75°, top mounted recoil system, and 45° sliding block breech. The guns fired a 5.7–6 kg (12 lb 9 oz – 13 lb 4 oz) high-explosive projectile.[4]
After 1915 the guns were mounted on high/low angle mounts to serve as dual-purpose guns on most ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy and was still in service as late as the Pacific War as an anti-aircraft, coastal defense, and submarine deck gun.[5]
The first guns were bought from the English firms as "Elswick Pattern N" and "Vickers Mark Z" guns. The gun was officially designated as the Type 41 3-inch (76 mm) naval gun from the 41st year of the reign of Emperor Meiji on 25 December 1908. Thereafter production was in Japan under license. On 5 October 1917 during the third year of the Taishō period, the gun was redesignated as the 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's conversion to the metric system. Although classified as an 8 cm gun the bore was unchanged.[4]
The 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type was also widely used as a coastal defense gun and anti-aircraft gun to defend Japanese island bases during World War II. Guns with both English and Japanese markings were found on Kiska, Kolombangara, Saipan, Tarawa, and Tinian. Japanese Artillery Weapons CINPAC-CINPOA Bulletin 152-45 calls the guns "8 cm Coast Defense Gun 13th Year Type (1924)" but it isn't clear how they came up with that designation.[7]
Republic of China Navy - Ning Hai-class cruisers
Royal Thai Navy - Thonburi-class coastal defence ships
Royal Romanian Navy - Two guns were acquired by Romania at some point before the start of World War II. They formed a section of coastal anti-aircraft artillery at the mouth of the Sfântu Gheorghe branch of the Danube Delta. The section was named Lăstunul.[8]
