Difference between revisions of "5 inch/38 Mk.12 (127 mm)"

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(Many things, usage in battles, pros and cons.)
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== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.''
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The 5 inch/Mk.38 127mm Naval Cannon is an exceptional cannon, and one of the best during its time in WW2. Playing with US destroyers, this will be your main cannon up until you reach cruisers. Playing as Cruisers, these cannons will be your secondary armament, fending off planes or other naval vessels that are weaker than you. Your main shell to use against other naval targets is Common Mk.32, or SP Common Mk.46, as they are SAPCBC (Semi-Armor Piercing), and offer the the best between both penetration and damage. HE-VT can be taken as well, and will be effective against air targets, or other naval vessels as the shell is proximity-fuzed. With the reload rate varying from 4.0 seconds to 2.0, the gun can easily make work of knocking out opponents within minutes.
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'''Against Destroyers:''' SAPCBC can disable/sink other destroyers within a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the range and lead of your target. While lacking in explosive mass than some other similar cannons your reload rate makes up for it. At closer range, it is best to target turret components such as ammo elevators, or ammunition stowage to disable/reduce the enemy's firepower against you, and eventually aiming for the hull of the ship, such as the engine deck and transmission area while taking advantage of taking your fire rate.
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'''Against Cruisers:''' The 5 inch Mk.38 starts to fall here once you start facing Light and Heavy Cruisers. The SAPCBC shells lack in explosive power, with damage output being subpar. Playing as a destroyer, your best option to to aim for the turrets of Light and other possible Heavy Cruisers in hoping of disabling their turrets, although vessels such as the USS Somers or USS Moffett can defeat other cruisers, it's best to stay in a support role. While HE may not be effective, there may be a chance on starting fires on enemy decks as well, throwing them off guard. Take use of your exceptional reload rate, and if possible have and provide support for other friendly vessels that have the firepower to take down cruisers. An possible exception is the USS Atlanta that houses eight 5 Inch/Mk.38 in dual turret mounts, as the Atlanta can fire up to 14 guns broadside, shelling enemy vessels before they can properly counter you. Despite the fall in damage and firepower against cruisers, the 5 Inch/Mk.38 is one of the best 127mm cannon out there that can go against cruisers.
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'''Against Air Targets:''' HE-VT can make great work against other enemy aviation aircraft. With US Destroyers, it's best to find cover first if you can before you engage enemy air targets as you will be distracted and focused on the enemy aircraft. Leading may be difficult, but HE-VT will compensate for that if it flies into the path of the enemy air target. Have your AI Crew controlling your autocannons to assist you if aren't able to kill an aircraft that gets too close. With Cruisers, it's best to have AI take care of AA fire, as they can be deadly with their crew skills ranked up. Be aware the fuze won't activate within 500 meters or so.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''
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'''Pros:'''
  
'''Pros:'''
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* Best cannon found on US destroyers
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* Very good fire rate
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* Access to HE-VT
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* Good Firepower
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* Good post pen damage.
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* Decent against Cruisers
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* Good Secondary on cruisers.
  
 
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*
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
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* Bad Accuracy at distance
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* Subpar Velocity at range
  
 
*
 
*

Revision as of 12:58, 18 May 2022

Description

The 5"/38 Mk.12 is a dual-purpose 127 mm cannon, developed and used prolifically on American vessels.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

Vehicles equipped with this weapon
Destroyers  USS Aylwin · USS Fletcher · USS Bennion · USS Cowell
  USS Porter · USS Moffett · USS Phelps · USS Somers · USS Sumner
  JDS Harukaze (DD-101) · JDS Yūgure (DD-184)
Light cruisers  USS Atlanta · USS Cleveland · USS Helena
Heavy cruisers  USS Baltimore · USS Pittsburgh

General info

The 5"/38 is notable for having the highest fire rate of any WWII-era 127 mm gun out of any nation in the game. This stellar rate of fire results in a very high damage output, placing ships equipped with the 5"/38 very high with regards to gun firepower. The destructive capabilities of the shells are also quite high, with competitive penetration and explosive filler. The only limitations on the use of the 5"/38 are the relatively poor ballistics and accuracy at range, which are partially compensated for by the high fire rate of the cannon.

Available ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
AAC Mk.34 HE 36 36 36 36 36 36
Common Mk.32 Common 125 109 90 79 71 62
SP Common Mk.46 SP Common 152 132 110 96 86 75
AAVT Mk.31 HE-VT 36 36 36 36 36 36
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
AAC Mk.34 HE 792 25 0 0.1 3,220 79° 80° 81°
Common Mk.32 Common 792 24.49 0 5 1,150 47° 60° 65°
SP Common Mk.46 SP Common 792 25 0 5 906.5 48° 63° 71°
AAVT Mk.31 HE-VT 792 25 0 0.1 3,220 79° 80° 81°

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Usage in battles

The 5 inch/Mk.38 127mm Naval Cannon is an exceptional cannon, and one of the best during its time in WW2. Playing with US destroyers, this will be your main cannon up until you reach cruisers. Playing as Cruisers, these cannons will be your secondary armament, fending off planes or other naval vessels that are weaker than you. Your main shell to use against other naval targets is Common Mk.32, or SP Common Mk.46, as they are SAPCBC (Semi-Armor Piercing), and offer the the best between both penetration and damage. HE-VT can be taken as well, and will be effective against air targets, or other naval vessels as the shell is proximity-fuzed. With the reload rate varying from 4.0 seconds to 2.0, the gun can easily make work of knocking out opponents within minutes.

Against Destroyers: SAPCBC can disable/sink other destroyers within a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the range and lead of your target. While lacking in explosive mass than some other similar cannons your reload rate makes up for it. At closer range, it is best to target turret components such as ammo elevators, or ammunition stowage to disable/reduce the enemy's firepower against you, and eventually aiming for the hull of the ship, such as the engine deck and transmission area while taking advantage of taking your fire rate.

Against Cruisers: The 5 inch Mk.38 starts to fall here once you start facing Light and Heavy Cruisers. The SAPCBC shells lack in explosive power, with damage output being subpar. Playing as a destroyer, your best option to to aim for the turrets of Light and other possible Heavy Cruisers in hoping of disabling their turrets, although vessels such as the USS Somers or USS Moffett can defeat other cruisers, it's best to stay in a support role. While HE may not be effective, there may be a chance on starting fires on enemy decks as well, throwing them off guard. Take use of your exceptional reload rate, and if possible have and provide support for other friendly vessels that have the firepower to take down cruisers. An possible exception is the USS Atlanta that houses eight 5 Inch/Mk.38 in dual turret mounts, as the Atlanta can fire up to 14 guns broadside, shelling enemy vessels before they can properly counter you. Despite the fall in damage and firepower against cruisers, the 5 Inch/Mk.38 is one of the best 127mm cannon out there that can go against cruisers.

Against Air Targets: HE-VT can make great work against other enemy aviation aircraft. With US Destroyers, it's best to find cover first if you can before you engage enemy air targets as you will be distracted and focused on the enemy aircraft. Leading may be difficult, but HE-VT will compensate for that if it flies into the path of the enemy air target. Have your AI Crew controlling your autocannons to assist you if aren't able to kill an aircraft that gets too close. With Cruisers, it's best to have AI take care of AA fire, as they can be deadly with their crew skills ranked up. Be aware the fuze won't activate within 500 meters or so.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Best cannon found on US destroyers
  • Very good fire rate
  • Access to HE-VT
  • Good Firepower
  • Good post pen damage.
  • Decent against Cruisers
  • Good Secondary on cruisers.

Cons:

  • Bad Accuracy at distance
  • Subpar Velocity at range

History

Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
  • references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links


USA naval cannons
20 mm  20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II · 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mark V · 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mark 24
25 mm  25 mm/87 Mk.38
28 mm  1.1 inch/75 Mk.1
37 mm  AN-M4
40 mm  Bofors L/60 Mark 1 · Bofors L/60 Mark 2 · Bofors L/60 Mark 3
76 mm  3 inch/23 Mk.4 · 3-inch/50 Mk.10 · 3-inch/70 Mk.37 · 3-inch Mark 10 · 3 inch Mk.33 · 3-inch Mk.34
102 mm  4 inch/50 Mk.9
127 mm  5 inch/25 Mk.11 · 5 inch/25 Mk.13 AA · 5 inch/38 Mk.12 · 5-inch/50 Mk.5 · 5 inch/51 Mk.7 · 127 mm/54 Mark 18
152 mm  6 inch/47 Mk.16 · 6 inch/47 DP Mk.16 · 6 inch/53 Mk.12 · M81
203 mm  8 inch/55 Mark 9 · 8 inch/55 Mark 12 · 8 inch/55 Mark 14 · 8 inch/55 Mark 16
305 mm  12-inch/45 Mk.5 · 12 inch/50 Mk.7 · 12 inch/50 Mk.8
356 mm  14 inch/45 Mk.8 · 14 inch/45 Mk.12 · 14 inch/50 Mk.11

Japan naval cannons
20 mm  JM61 · Type 98
25 mm  25 mm/60 Type 96
37 mm  Type 4 · Type 11 pattern 1922
40 mm  40 mm/62 Vickers
57 mm  Type 97
75 mm  Type 88 AA
76 mm  3-inch/40 Type 41 · 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type · 8 cm/60 Type 98
100 mm  100/65 mm Type 98 mod A
120 mm  120 mm/45 3rd Year Type · 120 mm/45 10th year type
127 mm  5 inch/40 Type 89 · 127 mm/50 3rd Year Type
140 mm  140 mm/50 3rd Year Type
152 mm  6-inch/45 Type 41 · 15 cm/50 Type 41
155 mm  155 mm/60 3rd Year Type
200 mm  20 cm 3rd year type No.1
203 mm  20 cm/45 Type 41 · 20 cm/50 3rd year type No.2
356 mm  36 cm/45 Type 41
410 mm  410 mm/45 Type 3
  Foreign:
20 mm  20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (USA/Britain)
40 mm  Bofors L/60 Mark 1 (USA) · Bofors L/60 Mark 2 (USA) · Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (USA)
47 mm  3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (Britain)
76 mm  3-inch Mark 10 (USA) · 3 inch Mk.33 (USA) · 3-inch Mk.34 (USA)
120 mm  4,7-inch/40 Armstrong (Britain)
127 mm  5 inch/38 Mk.12 (USA)
305 mm  12-inch/45 Vickers (Britain) · 12-inch/50 Vickers (Britain)