BL 13.5 inch Mk V naval gun

Infobox Weapon
name=BL 13.5 inch Mk V gun


caption=Aft guns of HMS "Emperor of India"
origin=UK
type=Naval gun
is_ranged=yes
is_artillery=yes
is_UK=yes
service=1912 - 1940s (as railway gun)
used_by=UK
wars=World War I
World War II
designer=
design_date=1909
manufacturer=
unit_cost=
production_date=
number=
variants=Mk V(L)
Mk V(H)
weight=
length=
part_length=Bore convert|607.5|in|m|sigfig=5 (45 cal)
width=
height=
crew=
caliber=convert|13.5|in|mm|sigfig=4|sing=on
cartridge=AP, HE convert|1400|lb|kg|sigfig=5 (H); convert|1250|lb|kg|sigfig=5 (L) [The gun had a Heavy (H) shell of convert|1400|lb|abbr=on and a Light (L) shell of convert|1250|lb|abbr=on. Some guns were designated H or L to designated they were intended for the heavy or light shell.]
action=
rate=
velocity=convert|2582|ft/s|m/s|sigfig=3 (L); convert|2491|ft/s|m/s|sigfig=3 (H)
range=
max_range=convert|23820|yd|m|sigfig=4 at 20° (L); convert|23740|yd|m|sigfig=4 at 20° (H); convert|40600|yd|m|sigfig=4 at 40° (H, WWII railway gun, with Super Charge)
feed=
sights=
breech=
recoil=
carriage=
elevation=0° - 20° (naval); 0 - 40° (Railway)
traverse= The BL 13.5 inch Mk V gun was a British naval gun, introduced in 1912 as the main armament for the new super-dreadnought battleships of the "Orion" class. The calibre was 13.5 inches (343 mm) and the barrels were 45 calibres long i.e. 607.5 inches (15.43 m). They were classified as breech loading, hence the designation BL. The weapons were distinct from, and greatly superior to, the earlier 13.5 inch 30-calibre guns used on the "Admiral" and "Royal Sovereign" classes in the 1890s.

Characteristics

The gun weighed approximately 168,000 lb (76 tonnes) (excluding the breech), and in its original form fired a 1,250 lb (567 kg) armour-piercing capped (APC) or high-explosive (HE) round a distance of 23,800 yards (21,800 m) at a 20-degree elevation. [ [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_135-45_mk5.htm navweaps.com - 13.5-in/45 Mark V] ] Due to the excellent characteristics of the gun, it was decided to increase the weight of shell to 1,400 lb (635 kg) with an increased firing charge to achieve much the same range.

Variants

The gun as developed for the Royal Navy was designated Mark V(L) (for "light") and Mark V(H) (for "heavy"), according to whether it fired the 1,250 lb (567 kg) or the 1,400 lb (635 kg) round. ["ibid."] A very similar gun, designed for the Turkish battleship "Reshadeih", received the designation Mark VI; this was assigned when the ship was requisitioned by the British government after the outbreak of the First World War, eventually being commissioned as HMS "Erin". [ [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_135-45_mk6.htm navweaps.com - 13.5-in/45 Mark VI] ] The Mark VI gun fired the 1400 lb round.

Railway guns

Three BL 13.5 inch /45 Mark V guns were mounted on railway chassis during World War II for use as railway guns, named "Gladiator", "Piece Maker" and "Scene Shifter" [Dale Clarke. "British Artillery 1914-19. Heavy Artillery". Osprey Publishing, London, 2005. Seite 41-42] . Scene Shifter re-used the same railway truck which had carried a 14 inch gun in the First World War. In 1940, "Gladiator", "Piece Maker", and "Scene Shifter" were issued to the Royal Marines Siege Regiment at Dover in Kent to bombard German batteries and shipping in the Calais area [http://www.doverpages.co.uk/big_guns.htm "The Big Guns At Dover WW2 World War Two"] . These guns could be hidden in railway tunnels when not in use, to protect them from air attack and counter-battery fire.

ervice

British warships with the BL 13.5 inch /45 gun;
*"Orion" class battleships: Mark V(L)
*"King George V" class battleships of 1911: Mark V(H)
*"Iron Duke" class battleships: Mark V(H)
*HMS "Erin", a battleship: Mark VI
*"Lion" class battlecruisers: Mark V(L)
*HMS "Queen Mary", a battlecruiser : Mark V(H)
*HMS "Tiger", a battlecruiser : Mark V(H)

ee also

*15 inch (381 mm) /42 calibre Mark I naval gun

Notes

References

*Tony DiGiulian, [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_135-45_mk5.htm British 13.5"/45 (34.3 cm) Mark V(L) 13.5"/45 (34.3 cm) Mark V(H)]

External links

* [http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/archive/index.asp Vickers Photographic Archives]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_Main.htm "navweaps.com"]