BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval gun
From Self-sufficiency
Ordnance BL 6 inch gun Mk XXIII | |
---|---|
Handling cordite charges inside a Mk XXIII turret aboard Jamaica. | |
Type | Naval gun |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1931 - 1985 |
Used by | 22x20px Royal Navy 22x20px Royal Australian Navy 22x20px Royal New Zealand Navy 22x20px Royal Canadian Navy 22x20px Indian Navy 22x20px Peruvian Navy 22x20px Republic of China Navy 22x20px People's Liberation Army Navy |
Wars | Second World War Korean War |
Production history | |
Number built | 469[1] |
Specifications | |
Weight | 7 tonnes[1] |
Barrel length | 300 inches (7.6 meters)[1] |
| |
Calibre | 6-inch (152.4 mm)[1] |
Muzzle velocity | 2760 feet per second (840 m/s)[1] |
Maximum range | 23 kilometres (14 mi)[1] |
The 50 calibre BL 6 inch gun Mark XXIII was the main battery gun used on the Royal Navy's conventional (non-anti-aircraft) cruisers built from 1930 through the second world war. It replaced the BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun used on earlier Washington Naval Treaty cruisers. These built-up guns consisted of a tube and 4.5 meter jacket with a hand-operated Welin breech block. Cloth bags contained 14 kg (30 pound) charges of cordite or flashless (NQFP) powder for a 51-kg (112-pound) projectile. Useful life expectancy was 1100 effective full charges (EFC) of NQFP per barrel.[1] The typical maximum rate of fire was eight rounds per gun, per minute.[2]
Contents
Ships mounting BL 6 inch Mk XXIII guns
Ship | Gun Installation[1] |
---|---|
HMNZS Achilles | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Ajax | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Arethusa | three 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Aurora | three 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Belfast | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Bermuda | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Birmingham | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMS Ceylon | three 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Edinburgh | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Fiji | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Galatea | three 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Gambia | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Glasgow | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMS Gloucester | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMAS Hobart | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Jamaica | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Kenya | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMNZS Leander | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Liverpool | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMS Manchester | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMS Mauritius | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Neptune | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Newcastle | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMS Newfoundland | three 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Nigeria | four 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMCS Ontario | three 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Orion | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Penelope | three 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMAS Perth | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Sheffield | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMS Southampton | four 150-ton Mk XXII triple turrets |
HMS Superb | three 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMS Swiftsure | three 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
HMAS Sydney | four 95-ton Mk XXI twin turrets |
HMS Uganda | three 175-ton Mk XXIII triple turrets |
Shell trajectory
Range[1] | Elevation | Time of flight | Descent | Impact velocity |
---|---|---|---|---|
5000 yd (4.6 km) | 2° 23′ | 7 sec | 3° 0′ | 1939 ft/s (591 m/s) |
10000 yd (9.1 km) | 6° 15′ | 16 sec | 9° 57′ | 1371 ft/s (418 m/s) |
15000 yd (14 km) | 13° 6′ | 29 sec | 23° 38′ | 1098 ft/s (335 m/s) |
20000 yd (18 km) | 24° 7′ | 47 sec | 39° 52′ | 1087 ft/s (331 m/s) |
24500 yd (22.4 km) | 41° 4′ | 71 sec | 56° 27′ | 1159 ft/s (353 m/s) |
See also
40x40px | Wikimedia Commons has media related to BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval gun. |
Notes
Cite error: Invalid <references>
tag;
parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />
, or <references group="..." />
References
- Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- Lenton, H.T. & Colledge, J.J (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War Two. Doubleday and Company.