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BL 12-inch Mk X naval gun

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BL 12-inch gun Mk X
TypeNaval gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1906 – 1923
WarsWorld War I
Production history
DesignerVickers
ManufacturerVickers
Unit cost£9800 (1907)[1]
Specifications
Mass57 tons barrel & breech[2]
Barrel length45 feet (13.72 m) bore (45 cal)

Shell850 pounds (385.6 kg) Lyddite, Armour-piercing, Shrapnel[3]
Calibre12 inches (304.8 mm)
BreechWelin interrupted screw
Muzzle velocity2,700 ft/s (823 m/s)[4]
Maximum firing range22,860 m (25,000 yd)[5]

The BL 12 inch Gun Mark X[note 1] was a British 45-calibre naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on battleships and battlecruisers from 1906. It first appeared on HMS Dreadnought.

History

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HMS Agamemnon has her guns replaced during a refit at Malta in May–June 1915
Ramming shell on HMAS Australia, December 1918

The Mk X continued the trend of lengthening gun barrels as far as new construction methods would permit, in order to allow more cordite propellant to be used to attain higher projectile velocities. The Mk X increased the bore length from the Mk IX's 480 to 540 in (12 to 14 metres), increasing muzzle velocity from 2,600 to 2,700 ft/s (790 to 820 m/s).

Subsequent British attempts to further increase the power of 12-inch guns led to failure with the 50-calibre Mk XI and Mk XII guns; the Mk X was the last successful 12-inch British gun.

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Mk X guns were mounted in the following ships which served throughout World War I:

World War I use ashore

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From 1917 several Mk X guns were deployed ashore on the section of the Belgian coast still held by the Allies, near Nieuwpoort. They were part of the "Royal Naval Siege Guns" under the command of Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon, and were used for attacking German heavy gun batteries.

Ammunition

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65 lb Cordite Cartridge ¼ charge : i.e. 4 such cartridges were normally loaded to fire the gun
Mk VIIA Common Pointed shell with Cap (CPC) filled with gunpowder, 1912
World War I Shells. Left to Right :
  • Mk XA Capped Armour-Piercing shell filled with Trotyl (TNT)
  • Shrapnel
  • Mk 6A Capped Common pointed shell filled with Shellite 70/30

See also

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Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

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Notes

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  1. ^ Mark X = Mark 10. Succeeding versions were Mark XI (11) and XII (12). Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II

References

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  1. ^ "H.M.S. "Dreadnought"—Cost of Armaments. (Hansard, 25 March 1907)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 25 March 1907.
  2. ^ "BR 12in 45cal BL Mk X". navalhistory.flixco.info. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  3. ^ 850 lb shells : Treatise on Ammunition, 1915
  4. ^ 2700 ft/second : As quoted in "Range Tables for His Majesty's Fleet, 1910. February, 1911"; with 260 lb cordite MD size 45 propellant : Treatise on Ammunition, 1915
  5. ^ 22,860 metres quoted at : http://navalhistory.flixco.info/H/76624x53535/8330/a0.htm This is understood to be the maximum possible range at 45° elevation, which was possible for siege mountings on land but not for naval mounts

Bibliography

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