BL 10-inch Mk I – IV naval gun

The BL 10 inch guns Mks I, II, III, IV[3] were British rifled breechloading 32-calibre naval and coast defence guns in service from 1885.

Ordnance BL 10 inch gun Mk I - IV
Mk I coast defence gun, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
TypeNaval gun
Coast defence gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1885 - 1913
Used byRoyal Navy
Production history
VariantsMk I, II, III, IV
Specifications
MassMk I : 32 tons barrel & breech
Mks II - IV : 29 tons[1]
Barrel lengthMk I : 317.5 inches (8,064 mm) (31.75 calibres)
Mks II - IV : 320 inches (8,128 mm) (32 calibres)[1]
Shell500 pounds (226.8 kg)[1]
Calibre10-inch (254.0 mm)
Muzzle velocity2,040 feet per second (622 m/s)[2]
Maximum firing range10,000 yards (9,100 m)[1]

History

The British 10-inch calibre originated with the Committee on Ordnance in 1879 when it ordered a new 10.4-inch gun together with the new 9.2-inch [4] as part of its transition from muzzle-loading to breech-loading guns. The proposed 10.4-inch gun eventually went into service in 1885 as a 10-inch gun firing a 500-pound projectile.

After Mk IV of 1889 the Royal Navy discontinued the 10-inch calibre in favour of 9.2-inch and 12-inch.

Aft guns of HMS Renown

Mks II, III and IV guns were interchangeable and equipped the following warships :

25-ton gun for Victoria

A 25-ton version with a bore of 300 inches (30 calibres) and firing a 450-pound projectile was supplied in 1884 to the Australian colony of Victoria, mounted on the gunboat HMVS Victoria.[5] This gun was subsequently replaced on Victoria by an 8-inch gun, and in 1887 was mounted at Fort Franklin as a coast defence gun.[6]

Coast defence gun

Mk I was an Elswick Ordnance design used only for coastal defence. Mks II, III and IV were interchangeable Woolwich Arsenal designs used on warships but also for coastal defense around the British Empire, some on disappearing carriages.[7]

See also

Surviving examples

Notes and references
  1. Text Book of Gunnery 1902, Table XII Page 336
  2. 500 lb projectile, with 252 lb brown prism powder (gunpowder) or 76 lb cordite propellant size 30. Text Book of Gunnery 1902
  3. Mks I, II, III, IV = Marks 1, 2, 3, 4. Britain used Roman numerals to designate marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Hence this article covers the four models of British BL 10-inch guns.
  4. Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 176
  5. Manual for Victorian naval forces 1887. HMVS Cerberus website
  6. David Spethman, The Garrison Guns of Australia 1788-1962 page 89, published by Ron H Mortensen, Inala, Qld, 2008. ISBN 978-0-9775990-8-0
  7. DiGiulian

Bibliography
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