BL 6-inch Mk XII naval gun

BL 6-inch Mk XII naval gun
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	World War I; World War II;
Production history
Designer	Vickers
Designed	1913
Manufacturer	Vickers
No. built	463
Specifications
Mass	15,512 pounds (7,036 kg) barrel & breech
Barrel length	270 inches (6.858 m) bore (45 cal)
Shell	100 pounds (45.36 kg) Lyddite, Armour-piercing, Shrapnel
Calibre	6 inches (152.4 mm)
Breech	Welin interrupted screw
Recoil	Hydro-spring, 16.5 inches (420 mm)
Elevation	−7°–30°
Rate of fire	5-7 rpm
Muzzle velocity	2,825 feet per second (861 m/s)
Maximum firing range	19,660 metres (21,500 yd)

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.

Design

This was a high-velocity naval gun consisting of inner "A" tube, "A" tube, wound with successive layers of steel wire, with a jacket over the wire.^[9]

Naval service

Single gun on CP mounting on cruiser HMS *Enterprise*

Experimental twin turret on HMS *Enterprise*, seen in 1936, which formed the prototype for twin 6-inch turrets for the *Nelson*-class battleships, as well as the *Leander* and *Arethusa*-class cruisers

Gunners load a casemate gun on battleship HMS *Malaya*, May 1943. The men at left carry cordite cartridges, still in their storage cases, on their shoulders

It superseded the 45-calibre Mk VII gun and the longer 50-calibre Mk XI gun which had proved unwieldy in light cruisers due to its length, and was Britain's most modern 6-inch naval gun when World War I began.

It was superseded as secondary armament on new battleships in the 1920s by the 50-calibre 6-inch Mk XXII gun, and as main armament on new light cruisers in the 1930s by the 50-calibre 6-inch Mk XXIII gun.

Guns were mounted in the following ships :

Birmingham-class light cruisers laid down 1912, commissioned 1914
Arethusa-class light cruisers laid down 1912, commissioned 1914
C-class light cruisers of 1914
M29-class monitors of 1915
Queen Elizabeth-class battleships laid down 1912, commissioned 1915
Revenge-class battleships laid down 1913, commissioned 1916
Destroyer leader HMS Swift as re-gunned in 1917
Danae-class (or D-class) light cruisers completed 1918–1919
Monitors HMS Raglan and HMS Abercrombie from 1918
Emerald-class (or E-class) light cruisers laid down 1918, commissioned 1926

Coast defence gun

During WWII some Mk XII guns were used in emergency coast defense batteries.^[10]

Notable actions

Ordinary Seaman John Henry Carless was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for heroism in serving his gun on HMS Caledon during the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight on 17 November 1917.

Ammunition

This gun generated a higher pressure in the chamber on firing compared to preceding 6-inch guns such as Mk VII and Mk XI. This necessitated use of special shells capable of withstanding a pressure of 20 tons per square inch on firing, which had "Q" suffixed to the name. World War I shells were marked "A.Q." denoting special 4 CRH shells for this gun.^[1]

Mk XII A.Q.N.T. Common lyddite shell with night tracer, 1914

Surviving examples

On monitor HMS M33 at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, UK
A gun from HMAS Adelaide at HMAS Cerberus naval base, Victoria, Australia

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b Handbook, 1917, Page 5
^ Handbook, 1917, Page 7
^ 100 lb shells: Treatise on Ammunition, 1915
^ Handbook, 1917, Page 6, 23-26
^ 30° elevation was possible with P.XIII mountings used on light cruisers; 20° elevation was possible on some P.VII* mountings used on light cruisers; 14° elevation was possible with P.IX mountings used on battleships; 15° was possible with P.VII mountings used on light cruisers. Handbook, 1917, Pages 5, 31, 41, Plates 6, 24, 35
^ 2,825 feet per second using 27 lb 2 oz cordite MD size 19 propellant was the figure used in range tables. New guns were quoted with a muzzle velocity of 2,845 feet per second. Handbook, 1917, Page 5
^ "Gun Model: BR 6in 45cal BL Mk XII". navalhistory. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
^ Mark XII = Mark 12 : Britain denoted Marks (models) of guns with Roman numerals until after World War II. This was the twelfth model of British BL 6-inch gun.
^ Handbook, 1917, page 5, 6
^ "Britain 6"/45 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XII and Mark XX". navweapons.com. Retrieved 6 September 2014.

Bibliography

Campbell, John (January 1984). Gray, Randal (ed.). "British Naval Guns, 1880–1945, No. 12". Warship (29): 30–32.
"Handbook for the 6-inch Breech Loading Mark XII. Gun" G.21117/17. Admiralty, Gunnery Branch, 1917.

External links

Tony DiGiulian, British 6"/45 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XII and Mark XX

[HandbookPage5-1] Handbook, 1917, Page 5

[2] Handbook, 1917, Page 7

[3] 100 lb shells: Treatise on Ammunition, 1915

[4] Handbook, 1917, Page 6, 23-26

[5] 30° elevation was possible with P.XIII mountings used on light cruisers; 20° elevation was possible on some P.VII* mountings used on light cruisers; 14° elevation was possible with P.IX mountings used on battleships; 15° was possible with P.VII mountings used on light cruisers. Handbook, 1917, Pages 5, 31, 41, Plates 6, 24, 35

[6] 2,825 feet per second using 27 lb 2 oz cordite MD size 19 propellant was the figure used in range tables. New guns were quoted with a muzzle velocity of 2,845 feet per second. Handbook, 1917, Page 5

[nh-7] "Gun Model: BR 6in 45cal BL Mk XII". navalhistory. Retrieved 6 September 2014.

[8] Mark XII = Mark 12 : Britain denoted Marks (models) of guns with Roman numerals until after World War II. This was the twelfth model of British BL 6-inch gun.

[9] Handbook, 1917, page 5, 6

[10] "Britain 6"/45 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XII and Mark XX". navweapons.com. Retrieved 6 September 2014.

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v t e British Empire naval weapons of the First World War
Monitor guns	BL 9.2-inch Mk VI BL 9.2-inch Mk VIII BL 9.2-inch Mk X BL 9.2-inch Mk XII BL 12-inch Mk VIII BL 14-inch Mk II (US built) BL 15-inch Mk I BL 18-inch Mk I
Capital ship main armament	Vickers 10-inch 45 cal. EOC 10-inch 45 cal. BL 12-inch Mk VIII BL 12-inch Mk IX BL 12-inch Mk X BL 12-inch Mk XI & XII EOC 12-inch 45 cal. Mk XIII BL 13.5-inch Mk I – IV BL 13.5-inch Mk V BL 13.5-inch Mk VI EOC 14-inch 45 cal. Mk I BL 15-inch Mk I
Armoured cruiser main armament	BL 7.5-inch Mk I BL 9.2-inch Mk X BL 9.2-inch Mk XI
Secondary armament and light cruiser main armament	QF 12-pounder 18 cwt QF 14-pounder Maxim-Nordenfelt QF 14-pounder Mk I & II QF 4-inch Mk III BL 4-inch Mk VII QF 4-inch Mk V BL 4-inch Mk IX BL 5.5-inch Mk I QF 6-inch Mk I – III BL 6-inch Mk VII BL 6-inch Mk XI BL 6-inch Mk XII BL 6-inch Mk XIII-XVIII BL 7.5-inch Mk II – Mk V
Destroyer and small cruiser armament	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk II QF 4-inch Mk III BL 4-inch Mk VIII QF 4-inch Mk IV BL 4.7-inch Mk I
Merchant ship armament	QF 4.7-inch Mk I – IV QF 4.7-inch Mk V*
Submarine guns	BL 4-inch Mk XI QF 4-inch Mk XII
Anti-aircraft guns	QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk II QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk V
Light weapons	.303 Vickers machine gun QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF 3-pounder Vickers QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss
Torpedoes	18-inch Mk V – VIII 21-inch Mk II 21-inch Mk IV
Mines	Spherical Mk I, II and III Vickers Elia mine Type H mine
Anti-submarine weapons	Type A Depth charge Type B Depth charge Type C Depth charge Type D Depth charge Type E Depth charge Type F Depth charge Type G Depth charge Cruiser Mine 7.5-inch howitzer
Landing guns	QF 12-pounder 8 cwt

v t e British Commonwealth naval weapons of the Second World War
Monitor guns	BL 15-inch
Capital ship main armament	BL 14-inch BL 15-inch BL 16-inch
Heavy cruiser main armament	BL 7.5-inch Mk VI BL 8-inch Mk VIII
Secondary armament and light cruiser main armament	QF 4-inch Mk V QF 4.5-inch QF 5.25-inch BL 5.5-inch BL 6-inch Mk XII BL 6-inch Mk XXII BL 6-inch Mk XXIII
Minesweeper, Sloop, Corvette, Frigate and Destroyer armament	QF 6-pounder 10 cwt QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk V QF 4-inch Mk IV BL 4-inch Mk IX QF 4-inch Mk XVI QF 4-inch Mk XIX QF 4.5-inch BL 4.7-inch Mk II QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII QF 4.7-inch Mk XI
Submarine guns	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk V QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk XII & XXII
Anti-aircraft weapons	Unrotated projectile Holman Projector 20 mm Oerlikon QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk VIII 40 mm Bofors QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk V QF 4-inch Mk XVI QF 4.5-inch QF 4.7-inch Mk VIII
Light weapons	.303 Lewis machine gun .50 Vickers Mk III machine gun QF 3-pounder Vickers
Torpedoes	21-inch Mk VII 21-inch Mk VIII 21-inch Mk X 21-inch Mk XI 24.5-inch Mk I
Anti-submarine weapons	Thornycroft depth charge thrower Hedgehog Squid
Small craft armament	Molins 6-pounder Vickers K machine gun 18-inch torpedo
Foreign-sourced weapons	20 mm Oerlikon 40 mm Bofors 3-inch 23 caliber gun (US) 3-inch 50 caliber gun (US) 4-inch 50 caliber Mark 9 gun (US) 5-inch 51 caliber Mark 8 gun (US) Y-gun depth charge projector (US) Mark 8 torpedo (US)