BL 14 inch Mk VII naval gun
Encyclopedia
The BL 14 inch Mk VII naval gun was designed for the ships of the Royal Navy
in the late 1930s. This gun armed the King George V class battleships
.
, an extension of the Washington Naval Treaty
which set limits on the size armament and number of battleships constructed by the major powers. After disappointing experiences with the combination of high velocity but relatively light shell in the BL 16 inch /45 naval gun
of the Nelson class battleships
, the British reverted to the combination of lower velocities and (relatively) heavier shells in this weapon.
s were constructed using a non wire wound radial expansion design which was an advance on previous British practice with a longer barrel life and better accuracy. Unfortunately, the choice of mountings was for quadruple turrets, and in practice these developed a reputation as being unreliable with the turrets jamming during battle. However, it has been argued that these jams were typically caused by errors in drill, either due to lack of gun crew training, as was the case when the newly commissioned Prince of Wales engaged the Bismarck
in the Battle of the Denmark Strait
(1941), or due to crew fatigue resulting from the prolonged nature of the engagement, as was the case when King George V
engaged Bismarck in 1941, and Duke of York
engaged Scharnhorst in the Battle of North Cape
(1943).
.
Two guns
, nicknamed Winnie and Pooh, were also mounted in World War II as coastal artillery
near Dover
to engage German batteries across the Channel in occupied France.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in the late 1930s. This gun armed the King George V class battleships
King George V class battleship (1939)
The King George V-class battleships were the most modern British battleships used during World War II. Five ships of this class were built and commissioned: King George V , Prince of Wales , Duke of York , Howe , and Anson .The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 limiting all of the number,...
.
Background
The choice of calibre was limited by the Second London Naval TreatySecond London Naval Treaty
The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on 9 December 1935. It resulted in the Second London Naval Treaty which was signed on 25 March 1936.- Description :...
, an extension of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
which set limits on the size armament and number of battleships constructed by the major powers. After disappointing experiences with the combination of high velocity but relatively light shell in the BL 16 inch /45 naval gun
BL 16 inch /45 naval gun
The BL 16 inch Mark I was a British naval gun introduced in the 1920s and used on the Nelson class battleships. The barrel was 45 calibres long, /45 in shorthand, meaning it was 45 x 16 inches = 720 inches long....
of the Nelson class battleships
Nelson class battleship
The Nelson class was a class of two battleships of the British Royal Navy, built shortly after, and under the terms of, the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922...
, the British reverted to the combination of lower velocities and (relatively) heavier shells in this weapon.
Design
These built-up gunBuilt-up gun
The term built-up gun describes a construction technique for artillery barrels. An inner tube of metal which stretches most within its elastic limit enlarges under the pressure of confined powder gases to transmit stress to outer cylinders under tension...
s were constructed using a non wire wound radial expansion design which was an advance on previous British practice with a longer barrel life and better accuracy. Unfortunately, the choice of mountings was for quadruple turrets, and in practice these developed a reputation as being unreliable with the turrets jamming during battle. However, it has been argued that these jams were typically caused by errors in drill, either due to lack of gun crew training, as was the case when the newly commissioned Prince of Wales engaged the Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
in the Battle of the Denmark Strait
Battle of the Denmark Strait
The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a Second World War naval battle between ships of the Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine, fought on 24 May 1941...
(1941), or due to crew fatigue resulting from the prolonged nature of the engagement, as was the case when King George V
HMS King George V (41)
HMS King George V was the lead ship of the five British King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during the Second World War as part of the British Home and Pacific Fleets...
engaged Bismarck in 1941, and Duke of York
HMS Duke of York (17)
HMS Duke of York was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. Laid down in May 1937, the ship was constructed by John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 4 November 1941, subsequently seeing service during the Second World War.In...
engaged Scharnhorst in the Battle of North Cape
Battle of North Cape
The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle which occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic Campaign. The German battlecruiser , on an operation to attack Arctic Convoys of war materiel from the Western Allies to the USSR, was brought to battle and sunk by superior...
(1943).
Coastal guns
Main article Cross-Channel guns in the Second World WarCross-Channel guns in the Second World War
During the Second World War, cross-Channel guns were long-range coastal artillery pieces placed on the English Channel coasts of Kent, England and the Pas-de-Calais, France, at the point at which England was closest to continental Europe, with which to bombard enemy shipping in the Channel and...
.
Two guns
Cross-Channel guns in the Second World War
During the Second World War, cross-Channel guns were long-range coastal artillery pieces placed on the English Channel coasts of Kent, England and the Pas-de-Calais, France, at the point at which England was closest to continental Europe, with which to bombard enemy shipping in the Channel and...
, nicknamed Winnie and Pooh, were also mounted in World War II as coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
near Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
to engage German batteries across the Channel in occupied France.
Armour penetration
- Penetration: belt 668 mm/0 m; 396 mm/9,144 m; 335 mm/13,716 m; 285 mm/22,860 m; decks 29 mm/9.144 m; 50 mm/13.716 m; 73 mm/18,288 m; 102 mm/22,860 m; 121 mm/25,603 m(4.74 in/28,000 yards)