14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun

The 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun was a Japanese low-angle weapon introduced during World War I.

History
It served as the secondary armament in a number of Japanese dreadnoughts and as the main armament in light cruisers and some auxiliary ships. It was also the most common Japanese coast-defense gun during World War II. "Third year type" refers to the Welin breech block on this gun. Breech-block design began in 1914, the third year of the Taishō period. This breech-block design was also used on Japanese 40 cm (16 inch), 20 cm (8 inch), 15.5 cm (6 inch), 12.7 cm (5 inch), and 12 cm (4.7 inch) naval guns.

This gun was not mounted aboard submarines. Submarine cruisers used the shorter-barreled 14 cm/40 11th Year Type naval gun.

Naval Use

 * single casemate mounts
 * 20x1 Ise-class battleship (removed during conversion to hybrid carrier)
 * 20x1 Nagato-class battleship


 * single pedestal mounts
 * 7x1 Sendai-class cruiser
 * 7x1 Nagara-class cruiser
 * 7x1 Kuma-class cruiser
 * 4x1 Tenryū-class cruiser
 * 2x1 light cruiser JAPANESE CRUISER Yūbari (also had twin mounts)
 * 4x1 aircraft carrier JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Hōshō


 * twin mounts
 * 3x2 seaplane carrier JAPANESE SEAPLANE CARRIER Nisshin
 * 2x2 Jingei-class submarine tender
 * 2x2 Katori-class cruiser
 * 2x2 minelayer JAPANESE MINELAYER Okinoshima
 * 2x2 light cruiser JAPANESE CRUISER Yūbari (also had single mounts)


 * (uncertain mount)
 * Akagi Maru-class armed merchantmen
 * Kongō Maru-class armed merchantmen
 * Ning Hai-class cruiser

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

 * BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun : British equivalent
 * Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1910 Naval gun : French equivalent