List of British naval forces military equipment of World War II facts for kids

This is a list of the military equipment of the Royal Navy and other British naval forces of World War II. This list shows the equipment for British naval and naval aviation forces like naval artillery on board British ships and boats as well as the weapons used by British naval forces such as torpedoes and naval mines.

Naval artillery

Battleship and monitor main armament

The BL 14-inch Mark VII (preserved example at Fort Nelson, Hampshire) were only used on the five King George V-class battleships

• BL 14-inch Mk VII
• BL 15-inch Mk I
• BL 16-inch Mk I

Heavy cruiser main armament

• BL 7.5-inch Mk VI
• BL 8-inch Mk VIII

Light cruiser main armament and battleship and heavy cruiser secondary armament

Inside a QF 5.25-inch gun turret on the battleship HMS King George V.

• QF 4-inch Mk V
• QF 5.25-inch Mk I dual purpose gun, used on King George V-class battleships and Dido-class cruisers
• BL 6-inch Mk XII
• BL 6-inch Mk XXII
• BL 6-inch Mk XXIII

Small ship main armament

Diagram of QF 4 inch mk XVI gun on mk XIX mounting.

British made

• QF 6-pounder 10 cwt
• QF 12-pounder 12 cwt
• QF 4 inch Mk IV
• BL 4-inch Mk IX
• QF 4-inch Mk XVI
• QF 4-inch Mk XIX
• QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V
• BL 4.7-inch Mk I and Mk II
• QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII naval gun
• QF 4.7-inch Mk XI naval gun

US naval artillery obtained by Lend-Lease and destroyers for bases agreement

• 3-inch/50 calibre gun
• 4-inch/50 calibre gun

QF 4 inch Mk XII gun on a T-class submarine

Submarine armament

• QF 4-inch naval gun Mk XII and Mk XXII

Armed boats armament

QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss gun in Sydney in 1942

• QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss
• QF 6-pdr Class M Mark I with Auto Loader Mk III

.50 inch Vickers machine guns in quadruple mount aboard HMAS Perth.

Anti-aircraft guns

Machine guns

• Lewis gun
• Vickers .50 machine gun

Autocannons

Single barrel QF 2 pounder Mk VIII from HMCS Kamloops

• QF 2-pounder Mk I and Mk VIII
• Oerlikon 20 mm cannon - licensed production of Swiss design
• Bofors 40 mm gun license production of Swedish design

Anti-aircraft artillery

British made

• QF 3-inch 20 cwt
• QF 4.7-inch Mk VIII naval gun

US made obtained through Destroyers-for-bases deal

• 3-inch/23 calibre

Other

Unrotated Projectile launchers on top of the 16-inch gun turrets of HMS Nelson

• Holman Projector
• Unrotated Projectile

Torpedoes

British 21 inch Mk VIII Torpedo being loaded onto the Polish submarine ORP Sokół (1940)

• 18-inch torpedoes Mk VIII-XVII
• 21-inch torpedo Mk II-XI
• 24.5-inch torpedo - fitted to Nelson-class battleships only

Naval mines

Deactivated(no switch horn triggers) mark XVII contact naval mine which was the standard British contact naval mine of World War II.

• Mark XVII contact naval mine

Anti-submarine weapons

A Mk VII depth charge being loaded onto a Mk IV depth charge thrower onboard the Flower-class corvette HMS Dianthus.

Depth charges

Hedgehog anti-submarine spigot mortar launcher with practice projectiles

• Mark VII depth charge
• Mark VII Heavy
• Mark VII Airborne DC
• Mark VIII Airborne DC
• Mark X, X*
• Mark XI Airborne DC

Anti-submarine projectile launchers

• Hedgehog - multiple spigot mortar
• Squid - three barrelled 12-inch anti-submarine mortar

Naval radar

Main Armament Fire Control Radar Set equipped with a Type 274 aerial onboard the light cruiser HMS Swiftsure

See List of World War II British naval radar

Boilers

• Admiralty 3-drum boiler

Small arms

The Lanchester submachine gun was used by the Royal Navy and, to a lesser extent, the Royal Air Force.

• Lanchester submachine gun - 9mm Parabellum