BL 12 inch naval gun Mk I - VII
Encyclopedia
The BL 12 inch naval gun Mk I was Britain's first attempt to match the large breech-loading naval guns being installed in rival European navies, particularly France. Mks I - VII all had a barrel of approximately 303 inches bore (25.25 calibres) and similar performance.
from 1882, HMS Collingwood
and the coastal service ironclad HMS Conqueror
. Mk II guns failed in service and were quickly replaced by Mks III. IV and V, with many changes and improvements. The later Marks were also mounted on HMS Hero
, sistership of Conqueror, and on
HMS Edinburgh
, sistership of Colossus.
, No Man's Land Fort and Horse Sand Fort
from 1884 onward and were in active service during World War I
.
Naval service
Mk II was installed on battleships HMS ColossusHMS Colossus (1882)
The second HMS Colossus was a Colossus class second-class British battleship, launched in 1882 and commissioned in 1886. She had a displacement of 9,520 tons, and an armament of 4 × 12-inch breechloaders, 5 × 6-inch guns and had a respectable speed of 15.5 knots. She served in the Mediterranean...
from 1882, HMS Collingwood
HMS Collingwood (1882)
HMS Collingwood was an ironclad battleship of the Royal Navy. She was the first example of the Admiral-class and was named after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, Horatio Nelson's second-in-command in the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar....
and the coastal service ironclad HMS Conqueror
HMS Conqueror (1881)
HMS Conqueror was an ironclad battleship of the Victorian Royal Navy, whose main armament was an armoured ram.She was the first ship of the Conqueror class to be laid down, her only sister-ship being , which was completed some two years later...
. Mk II guns failed in service and were quickly replaced by Mks III. IV and V, with many changes and improvements. The later Marks were also mounted on HMS Hero
HMS Hero (1885)
HMS Hero was the second and final Conqueror-class battleship. She was an ironclad who served in the Victorian Royal Navy.Hero was — like her sister-ship — designed to be an improved version of with a ram as her main armament...
, sistership of Conqueror, and on
HMS Edinburgh
HMS Edinburgh (1882)
HMS Edinburgh was an ironclad battleship of the Colossus class which served in the Royal Navy of the Victorian era. She was the sister ship of HMS Colossus, being started before her but being completed after....
, sistership of Colossus.
Coast Defence gun
Mks I, VI and VII were coast defence versions with trunnions for mounting on recoil slides. They were installed in forts in England at Spitbank FortSpitbank Fort
Spitbank Fort or Spitsand Fort or Spit Sand Fort or simply Spit Fort is a sea fort built as a result of the 1859 Royal Commission. The fort is located in the Solent, near Portsmouth, England....
, No Man's Land Fort and Horse Sand Fort
Horse Sand Fort
Horse Sand Fort is one of the larger Royal Commission sea forts in the Solent off Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It is 240 feet across, built between 1865 and 1880, with two floors and a basement, armour plated all round....
from 1884 onward and were in active service during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
External links
- Rob Brassington, Dreadnought Project : detailed Mk IV gun description and diagrams
- Tony DiGiulian, British 12"/25 (30.5 cm) Marks I and II
- Tony DiGiulian, British 12"/25 (30.5 cm) Marks III, IV, V and Vw