The Third Year Type 127 mm armed Fubuki and many later Japanese destroyer classes through several single and twin mountings. Depending on the mounting, maximum elevation was about 55 or 75 degrees, while quoted firing rates ranged from roughly five to ten rounds per minute. Mount selection reflected weight limits, expected operations, and differing assessments of air-attack risk. The high-angle versions could throw shells to roughly 40,000 feet, but the targeting system could not turn that reach alone into accurate anti-aircraft fire. Better investment in the supporting system could have made these widely distributed guns more useful across the fleet.
Notable Point · 1:24:24-1:27:18
Why elevation alone did not make Japan's 127 mm gun effective
Japan's Third Year Type 127 mm mounts could reach aircraft altitudes, but high elevation needed suitable fire control to become effective anti-aircraft capability.