BL 10 inch gun Mk I – IV
| Ordnance BL 10 inch gun Mk I - IV | |
|---|---|
| File:1880s 10 inch breech loading gun side HKMCD 300px.JPG Mk I coast defence gun, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence | |
| Type | Naval gun Coast defence gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1885 - 19?? |
| Used by | Royal Navy |
| Production history | |
| Variants | Mk I, II, III, IV |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Mk I : 32 tons barrel & breech Mks II - IV : 29 tons[1] |
| Barrel length | Mk I : 317.5 inches (8,064 mm) (31.75 calibres) Mks II - IV : 320 inches (8,128 mm) (32 calibres)[1] |
| | |
| Shell | 500 pounds (226.8 kg)[1] |
| Calibre | 10-inch (254.0 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,040 feet per second (622 m/s)[2] |
| Maximum range | 10,000 yards (9,100 m)[1] |
The BL 10 inch guns Mks I, II, III, IV were British 32-calibres naval and coast defence guns in service from 1885.
Contents
History
The British 10 inch calibre originated with the Committee on Ordnance in 1879 when it ordered a new 10.4 inch gun together with the new 9.2 inch [3] as part of its transition from muzzle-loading to breech-loading guns. The proposed 10.4 inch gun eventually went into service in 1885 as a 10-inch gun firing a 500-pound projectile.
After Mk IV of 1889 the Royal Navy discontinued the 10-inch calibre in favour of 9.2-inch and 12-inch.
Mks II, III and IV guns were interchangeable and equipped the following warships :
- Victoria class battleships laid down 1885
- Centurion class battleships laid down 1890
- Devastation class battleships as re-gunned in 1890
25-ton gun for Victoria
A 25-ton version with a bore of 300 inches (30 calibres) and firing a 450-pound projectile was supplied in 1884 to the Australian colony of Victoria, mounted on the gunboat HMVS Victoria.[4] This gun was subsequently replaced on HMVS Victoria by an 8-inch gun, and in 1887 was mounted at Fort Franklin as a coast defence gun.[5]
Coast defence gun
Mk I was an Elswick Ordnance design used only for coastal defence. Mks II, III and IV were interchangeable Woolwich Arsenal designs used on warships but also for coastal defense around the British Empire.[6]
See also
| 40x40px | Wikimedia Commons has media related to BL 10 inch Mk I - IV naval gun. |
Surviving examples
- Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
- Portsea, Victoria, Australia
- York Redoubt, Purcells Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
Notes
Cite error: Invalid <references> tag;
parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />, or <references group="..." />References
- 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 10"/32 (25.4 cm) Marks I, II, III and IV
External links
- Mk III disppearing mounting diagram at Palmerston Forts Society
- Elswick Mk I coastal defence barbette mounting diagram at Palmerston Forts Society
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Text Book of Gunnery 1902, Table XII Page 336
- ↑ 500 lb projectile, with 252 lb brown prism powder (gunpowder) or 76 lb cordite propellant size 30. Text Book of Gunnery 1902
- ↑ Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 176
- ↑ Manual for Victorian naval forces 1887. HMVS Cerberus website
- ↑ David Spethman, "The Garrison Guns of Australia 1788-1962" page 89, published by Ron H Mortensen, Inala, Qld, 2008. ISBN 978 0 9775990 8 0
- ↑ DiGiulian
