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The BL 6-inch Mark XI naval gun was a British 50 calibres high-velocity
The Mk XI gun was emplaced for coast defence in South Africa and particularly in Australia leading up to World War II, and remained in service until the 1950s. Guns in Australia came from the decommissioned World War I cruisers HMAS ''Sydney'', HMAS ''Melbourne'' and HMAS ''Brisbane'' and were emplaced in northern Australia and
RGF gun No. 2035 of 1905, and 1 other gun
at Malgaskop,
VSM gun No. 2305 of 1912
formerly at Port Wakefield Proof Range, north of Adelaide, and since 2006 at B42 gun emplacement at Lower Georges Heights, Sydney Australiahttp://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/downloads/acrobat/media/mrcoastalgun.pdf
A coast defence gun
at East Point Military museum, Darwin, Australia * One of the
British 6"/50 (15.2 cm) BL Marks XI and XI*
{{DEFAULTSORT:BL 06-inch Mk 11 gun Naval guns of the United Kingdom World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom 152 mm artillery Coastal artillery
naval gun
Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for shore bombardment and anti-aircraft roles. The term generally refers to tube-launched projectile-firing weapons and excludes ...
which was mounted as primary armament on cruisers and secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleship
Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, protec ...
s from 1906 onwards.
History
The gun with its increased length of 50 calibres gave improved firepower over the current 6-inch Mk VII gun of 45 calibres. However, its increased length and weight made it unwieldy in the current manually operated shipboard mountings on light cruisers, which did not provide a steady platform. Britain reverted to 45-calibres guns in new warships from 1914 onwards with the BL 6-inch Mk XII gun. Of the 177 produced 126 remained for Royal Navy use in 1939.Naval gun
Guns were mounted in the following ships : * The last 3 ''King Edward VII class battleships'' ''Britannia'', ''Africa'' and ''Hibernia'' laid down 1902–1904 * Armoured cruisers: HMS ''Duke of Edinburgh'' and ''Black Prince'' laid down 1903 * ''Bristol'' class light cruisers laid down 1909 * ''Weymouth'' class cruisers laid down 1910 * ''Chatham'' class light cruisers laid down 1911 * ''Birmingham'' class light cruisers laid down 1912 * Monitor HMS ''Marshal Ney'' as re-gunned in 1918Coast defence gun
The Mk XI gun was emplaced for coast defence in South Africa and particularly in Australia leading up to World War II, and remained in service until the 1950s. Guns in Australia came from the decommissioned World War I cruisers HMAS ''Sydney'', HMAS ''Melbourne'' and HMAS ''Brisbane'' and were emplaced in northern Australia and Torres Strait
The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...
to defend against possible attack by Japan, and on Rottnest Island WA, Brisbane and the Sydney harbour and Port Kembla
A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more Wharf, wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can a ...
defences.
See also
*List of naval guns
List of Naval Guns by country of origin in decreasing caliber size
List of naval guns by caliber size, all countries
Naval anti-aircraft guns
See also
* List of artillery
* List of the largest cannon by caliber
*Glossary of British ordnanc ...
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
*15 cm/50 41st Year Type
The was a naval gun used by the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II. It had a bore with a length of (50 calibre) and fired shell for a distance of (in single mount version) or (in the later twin mounts). The gun was first ...
: Imperial Japanese Navy equivalent gun
* 6"/50 caliber gun
The 6"/50 caliber gun Mark 6 and Mark 8 (spoken "six-inch-fifty-caliber") were used for the secondary batteries of the United States Navy's and battleships, as well as the and armored cruisers. They were also used as the main battery on the p ...
: US equivalent
Surviving examples
RGF gun No. 2035 of 1905, and 1 other gun
at Malgaskop,
Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay ( af, Saldanhabaai) is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local ...
, South Africa
VSM gun No. 2305 of 1912
formerly at Port Wakefield Proof Range, north of Adelaide, and since 2006 at B42 gun emplacement at Lower Georges Heights, Sydney Australiahttp://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/downloads/acrobat/media/mrcoastalgun.pdf
A coast defence gun
at East Point Military museum, Darwin, Australia * One of the
HMAS Sydney
Five ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS ''Sydney'', after Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales.
*, a Town-class light cruiser launched in 1912, decommissioned in 1928, and broken up for scrap
*, a ''Leander''-clas ...
guns at Leighton Battery, Fremantle, Western Australia
* One of HMAS ''Melbourne'''s guns at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Nowra, NSW, Australia
References
Sources
* David Spethman, "The Garrison Guns of Australia 1788 – 1962", published by Ron H Mortensen, Inala QLD 2008. *External links
* Tony DiGiulianBritish 6"/50 (15.2 cm) BL Marks XI and XI*
{{DEFAULTSORT:BL 06-inch Mk 11 gun Naval guns of the United Kingdom World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom 152 mm artillery Coastal artillery