Useful life expectancy was 4600 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel. On pedestal and other mounts lacking integral hoists, 12 to 15 rounds per minute was the rate of fire. Base ring mounts with integral hoists had a nominal rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute per barrel however, with a well-trained crew, 22 rounds per minute per barrel was possible for short periods. The comparatively high rate of fire for a gun of its caliber earned it an enviable reputation, particularly as an anti-aircraft weapon, in which role it was commonly employed by United States Navy vessels. This would result in large walls of shell fragments being put up to take out one or several planes or in anticipation of an unseen plane, this being justifiable as one plane was capable of significant destruction. However, the planes were normally killed by shell fragments and not direct hits barrage fire was used, with many guns firing in the air at the same time. Even this advanced system required nearly 1000 rounds of ammunition expenditure per aircraft kill. Īmong naval historians, the 5"/38 gun is considered the best intermediate-caliber, dual purpose naval gun of World War II, especially as it was usually under the control of the advanced Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System which provided accurate and timely firing against surface and air targets. The base ring mount, which improved the effective rate of fire, entered service on USS Porter, commissioned in 1936. The 5"/38 entered service on USS Farragut, commissioned in 1934, the first new destroyer design since the last Clemson was built in 1922. Both weapons had power ramming, which enabled rapid fire at high angles against aircraft. However, except for the barrel length and the use of semi-fixed ammunition, the 5"/38 gun was derived from the 5"/25 gun. The increased barrel length provided greatly improved performance in both anti-aircraft and anti-surface roles compared to the 5"/25 gun. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 5 inches (127 mm) in diameter, and the barrel was 38 calibers long. The 38 caliber barrel was a mid-length compromise between the previous United States standard 5"/51 low-angle gun and 5"/25 anti-aircraft gun. The Mark 12 5"/38 caliber gun was a United States dual-purpose naval gun, but also installed in single-purpose mounts on a handful of ships. World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Falklands War, and wars that involved navies who bought surplus World War II, US Navy warships United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, Royal Navy, Danish Navy, Italian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, South Vietnamese Navy, and every navy that bought surplus World War II, US Navy warships Two Mk 30 single enclosed base ring mounts on USS David W.
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