BL 14 inch / 45 mk VII naval gun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The BL 14 inch mk VII naval gun was designed for the ships of the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. This gun armed the King George V class battleships.
The choice of calibre was limited by the Second London Naval Treaty, an extension of the Washington Naval Treaty which set limits on the size armament and number of battleships constructed by the major powers. After disappointing experiences with the combination of high velocity but relatively light shell in the BL 16 inch /45 naval gun of the Nelson class battleships, the British reverted to the combination of lower velocities and (relatively) heavier shells in this weapon. These guns were constructed using a non wire wound radial expansion design which was an advance on previous British practice with a longer barrel life and better accuracy. Unfortunately, the choice of mountings was for quadruple turrets and in practice these proved unreliable with the turrets jamming during battle. Two guns were also mounted as coastal artillery near Dover. A total of 78 guns were made.
[edit] Specifications
- Date of design- 1937
- Entered service - 1940
- Bore - 14 inches (365 mm)
- Length - 45 calibres (16.02 m)
- Weight - 80.26 metric tonnes
- Rate of fire - 2 rounds per minute
- Shell weight - 1,590 lbs (721 kg)
- Propellant weight - 383.3 lbs (153.4 kg)
- Range - up to 36,500 yards at 40.7 degrees
- Muzzle Velocity - Standard Charge: 2,400 feet per second (732 m/s),
- Mountings
- 4 gun turret Mark III (1,557 Metric tonnes, up to 40 degree elevation)
- 2 gun turret Mark I (900.5 Metric tonnes, up to 40 degree elevation)
