BL 9.2-inch Mk VIII naval gun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ordnance BL 9.2-inch Mk VIII gun |
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| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1897–1918 |
| Used by | Royal Navy |
| Production history | |
| No. built | 6 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 25 tons barrel & breech |
| Barrel length | 368.7 inches (9,360 mm) (40.08 calibres) |
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| Shell | 380 pounds (170 kg) |
| Calibre | 9.2-inch (233.7 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,347 feet per second (715 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 12,400 yards (11,300 m) |
The BL 9.2-inch Mk VIII naval gun was a very powerful weapon used by the Royal Navy a long time ago. It was one of the first big guns designed to use a new type of explosive called cordite, which made it very strong. This gun was also special because it was built using a "wire-wound" method, making it extra tough and able to handle the force of firing.
What Was This Big Gun?
The BL 9.2-inch Mk VIII gun was a type of naval gun. Naval guns are large cannons used on warships. This particular gun was designed in the United Kingdom. It weighed about 25 tons, which is like the weight of several elephants! It could fire a shell weighing 380 pounds (about 172 kilograms) over 12,400 yards (about 11,300 meters). That's a very long distance!
Cordite and Wire-Wound Design
Two important features made this gun special:
- Cordite: This was a new type of smokeless propellant. Before cordite, guns used gunpowder, which created a lot of smoke. Cordite was more powerful and didn't make as much smoke, which was a big advantage in battles.
- Wire-wound: To make the gun barrel strong enough to handle the force of cordite, it was built using a special "wire-wound" method. This meant that strong steel wire was wrapped tightly around the inner tube of the gun. This made the barrel much more resistant to bursting when fired.
Where Was This Big Gun Used?
These powerful guns were first put on special ships called Powerful-class cruisers. Cruisers are large, fast warships. The guns were used on these ships starting in 1897. They stayed on the Powerful-class cruisers until these ships were taken out of service.
After the ships were decommissioned (taken out of active duty), some of these 9.2-inch guns found a new purpose. They were used for coast defense in the United Kingdom. This means they were placed on land along the coast to protect against enemy ships trying to attack.
Later, during World War I, one of these guns was even mounted on a special type of warship called a monitor. Monitors were ships designed to bombard targets on land, often having very large guns for their size. The gun was placed on the monitor HMS Marshal Ney in 1916.
See also
- List of naval guns
