BL 9.2-inch gun Mk IX-X
| BL 9.2-inch gun Mk IX-X | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | BL 9.2 inch naval gun Mk IX / X |
| Manufacturer country: |
 United Kingdom
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| Developer / Manufacturer: |
Elswick Ordnance Company Vickers Beadmores |
| Start of production: | 1899 |
| Model variants: | Mk IX (1899, 14 units built) Mk X (from 1900) |
| Weapon Category: | cannon |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | Mk IX: 42.9 caliber / 10.03 Mk X: 46.7 caliber / 10.09 |
| Caliber : |
9.2 inch (233.7 mm) |
| Furnishing | |
| Bullet weight: | 380 pounds (170 kg) |
The BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX or Mk X was a British cannon that was used as a naval gun and in coastal artillery from 1899 to the 1950s. It is one of the most widely used and longest-serving heavy weapons in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth .
history
Only 14 of the Mk IX version were built in 1899. The Mk X version had a modified lock and modified cables in the tube. Elswick and Vickers manufactured a small number of cannons with a barrel length of 45 calibers for export. These were designated as the 9.2 inch gun Mk XIV . The propellant charge and projectile were identical on the Mk IX / X and the Mk XIV.
construction
The BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX / Mk X was a breech-loading with rifled barrel . Both type Mk IV fragmentation explosive shells and armor-piercing shells of the Mk V (marine and coastal artillery) and Mk VIIA (railway guns) types were used. The types Mk I (51½ lb) and MD (60 lb, each ½ charge) were used as propellant charges.
Propellant charge Mk I, 51½ lb., ½ charge
Propellant charge MD 60 lb, ½ charge
Mk IV fragmentation explosive grenade
Armor piercing grenade Mk VIIA
Armor piercing grenade Mk V
Ship gun
The Mk X was used on the cruiser classes Cressy , Drake and Duke of Edinburgh , as well as on the battleships of the King Edward VII class . From 1915 it was used on monitors M 15 (type ship) to M 18 .
In 1910, the Elswick Ordnance Company installed 4 Mk XIVs from their own production in two twin towers on the Greek armored cruiser Georgios Averof .
HMS King Edward VII, starboard forward
HMS Cressy (1899)
Coastal artillery
Cannons of this type, together with the BL 6 inch Mk VII naval gun, represented the most widespread armament of coastal artillery. By April 1918 three MK IXs and a total of 53 Mk Xs were deployed. A large number of guns were used for coastal defense in many parts of the British Empire , such as Malta , Singapore and Australia .
During the First World War , some of these cannons were stationed on the part of the Belgian coast that was still held by the Allies. Under the command of Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon , they fought positions of heavy German artillery.
Railway gun
In 1916, the Elswick Ordnance Company converted two Mk X cannons and four Mk XIVs, originally intended for export and built by Vickers, as railway guns for use on the Western Front and in Belgium.
Decommissioning
The decommissioning took place in the 1950s when missile artillery systems became available for coastal defense.
User countries
- Great Britain
- Australia
- Portugal (BL 9.2-inch Mk XV on Mk IX Mounting)
literature
- Text Book of Gunnery, 1902. LONDON: PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE
- General Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914-18. London: The Royal Artillery Institution, 1988
- Hogg, IV and Thurston, LF (1972). British Artillery Weapons and Ammunition 1914-1918. Ian Allan, London. ISBN 0-7110-0381-5
- Tony DiGiulian, British 9.2 ″ / 47 (23.4 cm) Mark IX
- Tony DiGiulian, British 9.2 ″ / 47 (23.4 cm) Mark X
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Official History of the Ministry of Munitions 1922, Volume X, Part 1, page 73. Facsimile reprint by Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military Press 2008. ISBN 1-84734-884-X
- ↑ a b Text Book of Gunnery 1902, Table XII, Page 336
- ^ DiGiulian
- ↑ Farndale 1988, p. 404.
- ↑ Hogg & Thurston 1972, pp. 168-169
