BL 12 inch Mk XI - XII naval gun
Encyclopedia
The BL 12 inch Gun Mark XI and Mark XII were British
50-calibres naval gun
s that were mounted as primary armament on dreadnought battleships from 1910.
Mk XI had a longer (50 calibres, 600 inches) barrel than the previous Mk X gun
(45 calibres), and was an attempt to increase the muzzle velocity, and hence armour-piercing capability and range, of a 12 inch gun. The muzzle velocity increased from 2700 feet per second (823 m/s) to 2825 feet per second (861.1 m/s) but problems such as bore erosion, which led to short barrel life, and poor accuracy due to inconsistent cordite propellant burning, meant the gun was not entirely satisfactory. The subsequent Mk XII gun suffered from the same problems.
Instead of attempting to improve the 12-inch gun, the British developed the 13.5-inch Mk V gun of 45-calibres, as it could achieve greater range at lower muzzle velocities due to its larger shell.
Mk XI guns were mounted in the following ships :
Mk XII guns were mounted in the following ships :
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
50-calibres naval gun
Naval artillery
Naval artillery, or naval riflery, is artillery mounted on a warship for use in naval warfare. Naval artillery has historically been used to engage either other ships, or targets on land; in the latter role it is currently termed naval gunfire fire support...
s that were mounted as primary armament on dreadnought battleships from 1910.
History
BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun
The BL 12 inch Gun Mark X was a British 45-calibres naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on battleships and battlecruisers from 1906...
(45 calibres), and was an attempt to increase the muzzle velocity, and hence armour-piercing capability and range, of a 12 inch gun. The muzzle velocity increased from 2700 feet per second (823 m/s) to 2825 feet per second (861.1 m/s) but problems such as bore erosion, which led to short barrel life, and poor accuracy due to inconsistent cordite propellant burning, meant the gun was not entirely satisfactory. The subsequent Mk XII gun suffered from the same problems.
Instead of attempting to improve the 12-inch gun, the British developed the 13.5-inch Mk V gun of 45-calibres, as it could achieve greater range at lower muzzle velocities due to its larger shell.
Mk XI guns were mounted in the following ships :
- St. Vincent class battleshipsSt. Vincent class battleshipThe St. Vincent class battleships consisted of three ships of the Royal Navy laid down in 1908, and completed between May 1909 and April 1910. They were St. Vincent, Collingwood, and Vanguard. Vanguard was destroyed in an ammunition explosion, probably due to bagged cordite.Visually, they were very...
laid down 1907, commissioned 1910 - HMS NeptuneHMS Neptune (1909)HMS Neptune was a Royal Navy dreadnought battleship, intended to be the lead ship of three Neptune-class battleships, but the subsequent two ships had slightly thicker belt armour and were reclassified as the Colossus class.-Design:...
laid down 1909, commissioned 1911
Mk XII guns were mounted in the following ships :
- Colossus class battleshipsColossus class battleship (1910)The Colossus class of two battleships - Colossus and Hercules of the British Royal Navy were among the first battleships following the original of 1906. Originally intended to be part of the Neptune class, the two ships had thicker armour and other differences from , and so Neptune is...
laid down 1909, commissioned 1911
See also
- Obukhovskii 12"/52 Pattern 1907 gun Russian equivalent
- 30.5 cm SK L/50 gun30.5 cm SK L/50 gunThe 30.5 cm SK L/50 gunIn Imperial German Navy gun nomenclature, "SK" denotes that the gun is quick firing, while the L/50 denotes the length of the gun. In this case, the L/50 gun is 50 calibers, meaning that the gun is 50 times as long as it is in diameter. was a heavy gun mounted on 16 of...
German equivalent - List of naval guns