| BL 9.2 inch gun Mk XI | |
|---|---|
 Aft guns of HMS Defence trained to port | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin |
 United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1908 - 1920[1] |
| Used by |
United Kingdom |
| Wars | World War I |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 28 tons barrel & breech |
| Barrel length | 38 ft 4 in (11.68 m) bore (50 cal) |
|
| |
| Shell | 380 pounds (172.4 kg) Lyddite, Armour-piercing, Shrapnel[2] |
| Calibre | 9.2 inches (233.7 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,875 ft/s (876 m/s)[3] |
The BL 9.2 inch gun Mark XI[4] was a British 50 calibre high-velocity naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on armoured cruisers and secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleships.
History[]
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The gun with its increased length of 50 calibres was an attempt to extract a higher velocity, and hence more range and armour-piercing capability, from the 9.2 inch gun. Like other British 50-calibre guns of the period it was relatively unsuccessful, and was the last model of 9.2 inch gun Britain built.
Guns were mounted in the following ships :
- Minotaur-class armoured cruisers laid down 1905 & completed 1908 - 1909 : 2 twin mounts.
- Lord Nelson-class battleships laid down 1905 & completed 1908 : 4 twin mounts and 2 single mounts.
After the scrapping of the ships above, these guns and mountings were retained in storage, the intention at one point during early World War Two to use them as armament for small monitors which would have been reduced versions of the Roberts-class monitors. This however never advanced beyond planning stages.
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1908 - 1920 : Dates of commissioning and scrapping of the ships. The guns were not used again after removal.
- ↑ 380 lb shells : Treatise on Ammunition, 1915
- ↑ 2875 ft/second : As quoted in "Range Tables for His Majesty's Fleet, 1910. February, 1911"; with 130 ½ lb cordite MD propellant : Treatise on Ammunition, 1915
- ↑ Mark XI = Mark 11. Britain use Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Hence this was the eleventh model of BL 9.2 inch gun.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to BL 9.2 inch Mk XI naval gun. |
- Tony DiGiulian, British 9.2"/50 (23.4 cm) Mark XI
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The original article can be found at BL 9.2 inch Mk XI naval gun and the edit history here.