BL 6 inch Mk XII naval gun
Encyclopedia
The BL 6 inch Gun Mark XII was a British
45 calibres naval gun
which was mounted as primary armament on light cruiser
s 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
.
gun and the longer 50-calibres 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.
Guns were mounted in the following ships :
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
45 calibres naval gun
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...
which was mounted as primary armament on light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s 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
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...
.
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.Naval service
It superseded the 45-calibres Mk VIIBL 6 inch Mk VII naval gun
The BL 6 inch Gun Mark VII was a British naval gun dating from 1899, which was mounted on a heavy traveling carriage in 1915 for British Army service to become one of the main heavy field guns in the First World War, and also served as one of the main coast defence guns throughout the British...
gun and the longer 50-calibres Mk XI gun
BL 6 inch Mk XI naval gun
The BL 6 inch Gun Mark XI was a British 50 calibres high-velocity naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on cruisers and secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleships.-History:...
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
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began.
Guns were mounted in the following ships :
- Birmingham class light cruisers laid down 1912, commissioned 1914
- Arethusa class light cruiserArethusa class cruiser (1913)The Arethusa-class cruisers were a class of eight oil-fired light cruisers of the Royal Navy all ordered in September 1912, primarily for service in the North Sea. They had three funnels with the middle one somewhat larger in diameter than the others. All served in World War I...
s laid down 1912, commissioned 1914 - C class light cruisersC class cruiserThe C class was a group of twenty-eight light cruisers of the Royal Navy, and were built in a sequence of seven classes known as the Caroline , Calliope , Cambrian , Centaur , Caledon , Ceres and Carlisle classes...
of 1914 - M29 class monitorsM29 class monitorThe M29-class comprised five monitors of the Royal Navy, all built and launched during 1915.The ships of this class were ordered in March, 1915, as part of the Emergency War Programme of ship construction...
of 1915 - Queen Elizabeth class battleshipsQueen Elizabeth class battleshipThe Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were a class of five super-dreadnoughts of the Royal Navy. The lead ship was named after Elizabeth I of England...
laid down 1912, commissioned 1915 - Revenge class battleshipsRevenge class battleshipThe Revenge class battleships were five battleships of the Royal Navy, ordered as World War I loomed on the horizon, and launched in 1914–1916...
laid down 1913, commissioned 1916 - Destroyer leader SwiftHMS Swift (1907)HMS Swift was a unique destroyer leader designed and built for the Royal Navy prior to World War I, another product of Admiral "Jackie" Fisher's relentless quest for speed...
as re-gunned in 1917 - Danae (or "D") class light cruisersDanae class cruiserThe Danae or D-class was a class of light cruiser built for the Royal Navy at the end of World War I and that survived to see service in World War II.-Design:...
completed 1918 - 1919 - Monitors RaglanHMS RaglanHMS Raglan was a First World War Royal Navy Abercrombie-class monitor.-Design:On 3 November 1914, Charles M. Schwab of Bethlehem Steel offered Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, the use of eight /45 cal BL MK II guns in twin gun turrets, originally destined for the Greek battleship...
and Abercrombie from 1918 - Emerald (or "E") class light cruisersEmerald class cruiserThe Emerald or E class was a class of two light cruisers built for the Royal Navy. Following the Cavendish Class, three ships of a new class were ordered in March 1918, towards the end of World War I, designed to emphasise high speed at the cost of other qualities, for use against rumoured new high...
laid down 1918, commissioned 1926
Notable actions
- Ordinary Seaman John Henry CarlessJohn Henry CarlessJohn Henry Carless VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War.Carless was born on 11 November 1896 to John Thomas and Elizabeth Carless, of Walsall. He died when he was 21 years old, and an Ordinary Seaman in the Royal Navy during World War I...
was posthumously awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for heroism in serving his gun on HMS CaledonHMS Caledon (D53)HMS Caledon was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was the nameship of the Caledon group of the C-class of cruisers....
during the Second Battle of Heligoland BightSecond Battle of Heligoland BightThe Second Battle of Heligoland Bight was a naval engagement during the First World War. On 17 November 1917, German minesweepers clearing a path through the British minefield in the Heligoland Bight near the coast of Germany were intercepted by two British light cruisers, and , performing...
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 C.R.H. shells for this gun.Surviving examples
- On monitor HMS M33HMS M33HMS M33 is an M29-class monitor of the Royal Navy built in 1915. She saw active service in the Mediterranean during World War I and in Russia during the Allied Intervention in 1919...
at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, UK - A gun from HMAS Adelaide at HMAS Cerberus naval base, Victoria, Australia
External links
- Tony DiGiulian, British 6"/45 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XII and Mark XX