Difference between revisions of "QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun"

Latest revision as of 20:13, 2 July 2010

Ordnance QF 12 pounder 18 cwt
300px On roof of BL 7.5 inch gun turret for HMS Shannon under construction at the Vickers works, Barrow
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1906 - 192?
Used by	Royal Navy
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Elswick Ordnance
Designed	189?
Specifications
Weight	Gun & breech: 2,016 lb (914 kg)
Barrel length	Bore: 150 inch (3.81 m) (50 calibres)
Shell	Separate QF 12.5 lb (5.66 kg)
Calibre	3 in (76 mm)
Rate of fire	20 rd/min[1]
Muzzle velocity	2,600 ft/s (790 m/s)[2]
Effective range	9,300 yards @ +20° (8,500 m @ +20°)

The QF 12 pounder 18 cwt gun was a 3 inch high-velocity naval gun used to equip larger British warships such as battleships for defence against torpedo boats. 18 cwt referred to the weight of gun and breech (18 x 112 lb = 2,016 lb or 914 kg), to differentiate the gun from others that also fired the "12 pound" (actually 12.5 lb or 5.7 kg) shell.

Service

Royal Navy service

Guns were mounted in :^[3]

• HMS Dreadnought commissioned 1906
• The last 3 King Edward VII class battleships HMS Britannia, HMS Africa, HMS Hibernia commissioned 1906–1907
• Lord Nelson class battleships commissioned 1908
• Minotaur class armoured cruisers commissioned 1908–1909

World War I land service

In World War I 4 guns were landed for service in the East Africa campaign, on 10 February 1916, and were used until September. They constituted the 9th Field Battery manned by Royal Marines. They were originally towed by oxen and later by Napier lorries.^[4]

Ammunition

The gun fired the same 12.5 lb 3-inch (76 mm) shells as the other British "QF 12 pounder" guns, but used its own larger separate cartridge case to accommodate a larger quantity of cordite propellant.

See also

• List of naval guns

Notes

1. ↑ 20 rounds per minute is quoted in Elswick gun tables of 1901, and may be considered optimistic
2. ↑ 2600 ft/s : Range Tables for His Majesty's Fleet, 1910 February, 1911 with 2 lb 12 oz (1.25 kg) cordite MD propellant. The gun first appears in Elswick gun Tables as quoted in Brasseys Naval Annual 1901 with a maximum muzzle velocity 2800 ft/s with "battering" charge of 3 lb cordite (Mk I), but this is not the charge adopted for British service.
3. ↑ The Sight Manual 1916
4. ↑ Farndale 1988, Pages 316, 391. Farndale, quoting from the Official History, states they were from HMS Pegasus, but it did not carry these guns.

References

• General Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Forgotton Fronts and the Home Base, 1914-18. London: The Royal Artilley Institution, 1988.
• Tony DiGiulian, British 12-pdr (3"/50 (7.62 cm)) 18cwt QF Mark I

External links

Template:GreatWarBritishNavalWeapons Template:GreatWarBritishWeapons

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