QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun on:
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The QF 12 pounder 18 cwt gun was a 3-inch high-velocity naval gun used to equip larger British warships such as battleships for defence against torpedo boats. 18 cwt referred to the weight of gun and breech (18 × 112 lb = 2,016 lb or 914 kg), to differentiate the gun from others that also fired the "12 pound" (actually 12.5 lb or 5.7 kg) shell.
Guns were mounted in:
* commissioned 1906
* The last three s—, , and , commissioned 1906–1907
* s commissioned 1908
* ''Minotaur''-class armoured cruisers commissioned 1908–1909
The gun was superseded in the anti-torpedo boat role on new capital ships from 1909 onwards by the far more powerful BL 4-inch Mk VII gun.
In
British 12-pdr (3"/50 (7.62 cm)) 18cwt QF Mark I
Service
Royal Navy service
Guns were mounted in:
* commissioned 1906
* The last three s—, , and , commissioned 1906–1907
* s commissioned 1908
* ''Minotaur''-class armoured cruisers commissioned 1908–1909
The gun was superseded in the anti-torpedo boat role on new capital ships from 1909 onwards by the far more powerful BL 4-inch Mk VII gun.
World War I land service
In World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
four guns were landed for service in the East Africa campaign, on 10 February 1916, and were used until September. They constituted the 9th Field Battery manned by Royal Marines. They were originally towed by oxen and later by Napier lorries.
Fourteen of these guns were mounted in coast defence batteries in the 'Middle Line' of the defences of the Firth of Forth when it was established in 1915 (the batteries on Inchcolm (8 guns), Inchmickery (4) and Cramond Island (2). During the general revision of the defences in 1916/17 two of the guns were removed to store, four moved to other batteries (Hound Point and Downing Point). The document setting out the armaments of the Forth differentiate clearly between the 12cwt and 18cwt types, both of which were in use in the fortress.'History of Forth Defences from 1914 to November 1918' Fort Record Book, Inchcolm Fire Command, The National Archives, Kew, reference WO 192/108.
Ammunition
The gun fired the same 12.5 lb shells as the other British "QF 12 pounder" guns, but used its own larger separate cartridge case to accommodate a larger quantity of cordite propellant.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 ...
Notes
References
* General Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base, 1914–18. London: The Royal Artillery Institution, 1988. * Tony DiGiulianBritish 12-pdr (3"/50 (7.62 cm)) 18cwt QF Mark I
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:QF 12-pounder 18 cwt naval gun Naval guns of the United Kingdom 76 mm artillery Elswick Ordnance Company World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom