EOC 12 inch/45 naval gun
| EOC 12 inch 45-calibre naval gun 12"/45 41st Year Type | |
|---|---|
| 300px 41st Year Type on Mikasa | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Service history | |
| Used by |  United Kingdom Brazil Japan
|
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Elswick Ordnance Company |
| Specifications | |
| Barrel length | Bore 540 inches (13.716 m) (45 cal) |
| | |
| Shell | 850 pounds (385.6 kg) |
| Calibre | 12-inch (304.8 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,700 feet per second (823 m/s) - 2,800 feet per second (853 m/s) |
| Maximum range | 18,850 yards (17,240 m) |
The EOC 12 inch 45 calibre gun were various similar 12-inch naval guns designed and manufactured by Elswick Ordnance Company to equip ships they built and/or armed for several countries before World War I.
Contents
History
Brazil service
Elswick supplied its 12-inch 45-calibre guns for the Minas Gerais class battleships completed by itself and Vickers in 1910 for Brazil.
UK service
When World War I began, Elswick were completing the battleship Sultan Osman I for Turkey, originally begun as Rio de Janeiro for Brazil. It was armed with 14 of a slightly later version of Elswick's 12-inch 45-calibre guns. The battleship was completed as HMS Agincourt and served in the Royal Navy in World War I, with its guns designated BL 12 inch Mk XIII. The gun's performance was similar to the standard Royal Navy equivalent gun, the BL 12 inch Mk X designed by Vickers.
Japan service
Elswick supplied its 12-inch 45-calibre guns to the Imperial Japanese Navy, and they were also manufactured under licence in Japan. In Japanese service from 1908 they became 12"/45 41st Year Type and later after the navy metricised in 1917, 30 cm/45 41st Year Type. They equipped the following ship classes :
- Katori class battleships commissioned 1906
- Ibuki class armoured cruisers/battlecruisers commissioned in 1907 & 1911
- Tsukuba class heavy cruisers commissioned 1908
- Battleship Mikasa as re-gunned in 1908
- Satsuma class battleships commissioned 1910 & 1912
- Kawachi class battleships commissioned 1912
Surving examples
- On Japanese battleship Mikasa, Yokosuka, Japan
See also
- 12px Media related to EOC 12 inch /45 naval gun at Wikimedia Commons
- 305mm/45 Modèle 1906 gun French equivalent
- BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun Vickers equivalent
- 12"/45 caliber Mark 5 gun US equivalent
- List of naval guns
Notes
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- Tony DiGiulian, Brazil 12"/45 (30.5 cm) Elswick Pattern L
- Tony DiGiulian, Britain 12"/45 (30.5 cm) Mark XIII
- Japanese 12"/45 (30.5 cm) Armstrong 12"/45 (30.5 cm) 41st Year Type 30 cm/45 (12") 41st Year Type
