The BL 6-inch Mark XI naval gun was a British 50 calibres high-velocity

naval gun Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for more specialized roles in surface warfare such as naval gunfire support (NGFS) and anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) engagements. T ...

which was mounted as primary armament on

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s and secondary armament on

pre-dreadnought battleship Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built from the mid- to late- 1880s to the early 1900s. Their designs were conceived before the appearance of in 1906 and their classification as "pre-dreadnought" is retrospectively appli ...

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 three ''King Edward VII''-class battleships , and laid down 1902–1904 *

Armoured cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a pre-dreadnought battles ...

s: and 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 as re-gunned in 1918

Coast defence gun

6 inch Mk XI gun and crew Moreton Island Qld Nov 1943 AWM 060072

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 ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, �zen̪ad̪ 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, ...

to defend against possible attack by Japan, and on Rottnest Island WA, Brisbane and the

Sydney harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

and

Port Kembla A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...

defences.

Surviving examples

One of HMAS Melbournes 6-inch guns on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in February 2015

RGF gun No. 2035 of 1905, and 1 other gun
at Malgaskop,

Saldanha Bay Saldanha Bay () 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, Western Cape, Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay ...

, 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 Australia * A coast defence gun at East Point Military museum, Darwin, AustraliaA coast defence gun
lickr.com * One of the HMAS Sydney 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 DiGiulian
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