BL 12 inch naval gun Mk VIII
| Ordnance BL 12 inch gun Mk VIII | |
|---|---|
| 300px Crewmen of HMS Goliath photographed before guns | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1895 - 1910s |
| Used by | Royal Navy |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Woolwich Arsenal |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Variants | Mk VIII, VIIIe, VIIIv[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 46 tons barrel & breech[2] |
| Barrel length | 425.2 inches (10,800 mm) (35.43 calibres)[2] |
| | |
| Shell | 850 pounds (390 kg)[2] |
| Calibre | 12-inch (304.8 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,367 feet per second (721 m/s)[3] |
| Effective range | 10,000 yards (9,100 m)[2] |
The BL 12 inch naval gun Mk VIII was one of the first large British naval guns designed for the higher pressures generated by the new cordite propellant, and Britain's first large wire-wound gun. It represented a major advance compared to previous British guns.
The gun was installed on the Majestic class battleships from 1895 and Canopus class from 1899.
During World War I guns removed from the obsolete Majestic class were mounted in Lord Clive class monitors for shore bombardment.
Land service
From 1921 to 1926 two guns from the decommissioned HMS Illustrious were in service in the Tyne Turrets for coast defence, north and south of the mouth of the River Tyne in the northeast of England.
See also
- 12px Media related to BL 12 inch Mk VIII naval gun at Wikimedia Commons
- List of naval guns
Notes
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- Text Book of Gunnery, 1902. LONDON : PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE
- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.
- Tony DiGiulian, British 12"/35 (30.5 cm) Mark VIII
External links
Template:VictorianEraBritishNavalWeapons
Template:GreatWarBritishNavalWeapons- ↑ Mk VIII was the original Naval design; Mk VIIIe and VIIIv were reserve guns manufactured in 1906 by Elswick Ordnance and Vickers respectively. Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 190. These incorporated changes to correct a steel choke problem (DiGiulian)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Text Book of Gunnery 1902, Table XII Page 336
- ↑ 850 lb shell, with 174 lb cordite propellant. Text Book of Gunnery 1902, Table XII page 336
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