MK-3-12
Encyclopedia
The Obukhovskii 12"/52 Pattern 1907 gun was a Russian and Soviet 305 mm (12 inch) naval gun
. It was the most powerful gun to be mounted aboard battleship
s of the Imperial Russian Navy
.
They followed the 12"/40 (30.5 cm) Pattern 1895 guns as used on the Andrey Pervozvanny class battleships
, with the first prototype being completed in 1907. Allowable barrel life for pieces mounted aboard Black Sea Fleet
units was 400 rounds per gun. The guns were considered excellent pieces, and were deployed aboard the Gangut
and Imperatritsa Mariya
class dreadnought
s in triple turret mountings constructed by the Metallicheskii Works
. These triple-gun turrets were designated "MK-3-12".
class and Imperatritsa Mariya
class battleships, these pieces were also emplaced as coastal artillery
in the Peter the Great Naval Fortress
along the Tallinn
-Porkkala
-Udd defensive line, as well as being mounted as railway gun
s. Some guns were captured by the Germans in World War II
and used in the Mirius battery in Guernsey
(occupied Channel Islands).
harbor in October, 1916. They were used in the Soviet-Finnish war in 1939-1940. In June–December 1941 they took part in the defense of the Soviet naval base on Finland's Hanko peninsula (Rus. Gangut
/ Гангут). They were disabled by Soviet seamen when the base was evacuated, and were later restored by Finnish specialists using guns from the withdrawn Russian battleship Imperator Aleksander III. After the war these were handed over to the Soviet Union, and they were maintained in operational condition until 1991, and withdrawn in 1999. When withdrawn from service, they were the last battleship-caliber Obukhov pieces still operational in the world.
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...
. It was the most powerful gun to be mounted aboard battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s of the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
.
They followed the 12"/40 (30.5 cm) Pattern 1895 guns as used on the Andrey Pervozvanny class battleships
History
The guns were developed by the Obukhovskii WorksObukhov State Plant
Obukhov State Plant is a major Russian metallurgy and heavy machine-building plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was founded in 1863 to produce naval artillery based on German designs by Krupp. It has since been a major producer of artillery and other military equipment. From 1922 to 1992 it...
, with the first prototype being completed in 1907. Allowable barrel life for pieces mounted aboard Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
units was 400 rounds per gun. The guns were considered excellent pieces, and were deployed aboard the Gangut
Gangut class battleship
The Gangut-class battleships were the first dreadnoughts begun for the Imperial Russian Navy before World War I. They had a convoluted design history involving several British companies, evolving requirements, an international design competition, and foreign protests...
and Imperatritsa Mariya
Imperatritsa Mariya class battleship
The Imperatritsa Mariya-class battleships were the first dreadnoughts built for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. All three ships were built in Nikolayev during World War I; two of the ships were built by the Rossud Dockyard and the third was built by the Associated Factories and...
class dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s in triple turret mountings constructed by the Metallicheskii Works
Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod
Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod , also known as LMZ, is the largest Russian manufacturer of power machines and turbines for electric power stations.-History:...
. These triple-gun turrets were designated "MK-3-12".
General characteristics
- Barrel length: 52 calibers
- Maximum laying speed: vertical - 4 degrees per second, horizontal - 3.2 degrees per second
- Rate of fire: 2-3 rounds per minute
- Shell weight:
- Naval 1911 : 471 kg (1.038 lb)
- Coastal defence : 446 kg (984 lb)
- German coastal HE : 405 kg (893 lb)
- Initial velocity of the shell:
- Naval 1911 471 kg shell : 762 meters/second (2,500 feet/second)
- Coastal defence 446 kg shell : 853 meters/second (2800 feet/second)
- Range:
- With 471 kg shell : 29,340 meters (32,080 yards)
Coastal artillery
In addition to being deployed aboard the GangutGangut class battleship
The Gangut-class battleships were the first dreadnoughts begun for the Imperial Russian Navy before World War I. They had a convoluted design history involving several British companies, evolving requirements, an international design competition, and foreign protests...
class and Imperatritsa Mariya
Imperatritsa Mariya class battleship
The Imperatritsa Mariya-class battleships were the first dreadnoughts built for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. All three ships were built in Nikolayev during World War I; two of the ships were built by the Rossud Dockyard and the third was built by the Associated Factories and...
class battleships, these pieces were also emplaced 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....
in the Peter the Great Naval Fortress
Peter the Great's Naval Fortress
Peter the Great's naval fortress or the Tallinn-Porkkala defence station was a Russian fortification line, which aimed to block access to the Russian capital Saint Petersburg via the sea. The plans for the fortress included heavy coastal artillery pieces along the northern and southern shores of...
along the Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
-Porkkala
Porkkala
Porkkala is a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland located at Kirkkonummi in Southern Finland.The peninsula had great strategic value, as coastal artillery based there would be able to reach more than halfway across the Gulf of Finland...
-Udd defensive line, as well as being mounted as railway gun
Railway gun
A railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval ordnance, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best known are the large Krupp-built pieces used by Germany in World...
s. Some guns were captured by the Germans in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and used in the Mirius battery in Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
(occupied Channel Islands).
1938 Railway gun TM-3-12
Three railway guns were built, using guns from the sunken battleship Imperatritsa Mariya, which had been lost to a magazine explosion in SevastopolSevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
harbor in October, 1916. They were used in the Soviet-Finnish war in 1939-1940. In June–December 1941 they took part in the defense of the Soviet naval base on Finland's Hanko peninsula (Rus. Gangut
Gangut
Gangut is the Russian transliteration of the Swedish name for Hanko Peninsula. It may have the following meanings:* The Battle of Gangut in 1714**Ships of the Imperial Russian Navy named after the battle:...
/ Гангут). They were disabled by Soviet seamen when the base was evacuated, and were later restored by Finnish specialists using guns from the withdrawn Russian battleship Imperator Aleksander III. After the war these were handed over to the Soviet Union, and they were maintained in operational condition until 1991, and withdrawn in 1999. When withdrawn from service, they were the last battleship-caliber Obukhov pieces still operational in the world.
See also
- BL 12 inch Mk XI - XII naval gunBL 12 inch Mk XI - XII naval gunThe BL 12 inch Gun Mark XI and Mark XII were British 50-calibres naval guns that were mounted as primary armament on dreadnought battleships from 1910.-History:...
Vickers British 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