BL 6-inch Mk XII naval gun | |
---|---|
![]() Casemate gun on HMS Warspite after the Battle of Jutland, June 1916 | |
Type | Naval gun |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1914–2011 |
Used by | British Empire |
Wars | |
Production history | |
Designer | Vickers |
Designed | 1913 |
Manufacturer | Vickers |
No. built | 463 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 15,512 pounds (7,036 kg) barrel & breech[1] |
Barrel length | 270 inches (6.858 m) bore (45 cal)[2] |
Shell | 100 pounds (45.36 kg) Lyddite, Armour-piercing, Shrapnel[3] |
Calibre | 6 inches (152.4 mm) |
Breech | Welin interrupted screw |
Recoil | Hydro-spring, 16.5 inches (420 mm)[4] |
Elevation | −7°–30°[5] |
Rate of fire | 5-7 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 2,825 feet per second (861 m/s)[6] |
Maximum firing range | 19,660 metres (21,500 yd)[7] |
The BL 6-inch Mark XII naval gun[8] was a British 45 calibre naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on light cruisers and secondary armament on dreadnought battleships commissioned in the period 1914–1926, and remained in service on many warships until the end of World War II.