Early cocoa-powder gun used on 1st class Protected Cruisers. Later used in coast defense batteries at Cromarty in 1913-1914.
Constructed of inner A tube/A tube/wire over rear half of A/jacket and B tube to 150 in ( cm) from muzzle/trunnion hoop over join jacket and B hoop. The breech bush screwed into the A tube and a collar between the A tube and the jacket screwed into the latter. The breech block was an interrupted screw cylindrical type with a hand worked continuous mechanism. The Mark VIII* indicated an alteration to the front slope to prevent slip back at high elevations, but no guns were so modified.
Actual bore length was 40.08 calibers. A total of six guns were made.
Designation | 9.2"/40 (23.4 cm) Mark VIII |
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Ship Class Used On | Powerful class |
Date Of Design | about 1895 |
Date In Service | 1897 |
Gun Weight | 25 tons (26 mt) |
Gun Length oa | 384 in (9.754 m) |
Bore Length | 368.7 in (9.366 m) |
Rifling Length | N/A |
Grooves | N/A |
Lands | N/A |
Twist | N/A |
Chamber Volume | 4,600 in3 (75.4 dm3) |
Rate Of Fire | about 2 rounds per minute |
Type | Bag |
---|---|
Projectile Types and Weights | CPC 2crh: 380 lbs. (172.4 kg) |
Bursting Charge | CPC: 35.4 lbs. (16.1 kg) |
Projectile Length | CPC 35.4 in (89.9 cm) |
Propellant Charge | 66 lbs. (29.9 kg) Cord 40+3.75 77.25 lbs. (35.0 kg) MD37 |
Muzzle Velocity | 2,329 fps (710 mps) [Cord propellant] |
Working Pressure | N/A |
Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
Elevation | Distance |
---|---|
15 degrees | 12,846 yards (11,745 m) |
Taken from range tables, but John Campbell calls this figure "optimistic."
Data from:
- "Big Gun Monitors: The History of the Design, Construction and Operation of the Royal Navy's Monitors" by Ian Buxton
- "British Naval Guns 1880-1945 No 6" article by John Campbell in "Warship Volume VI"
- "World Warships in Review 1860-1906" by John Leather
- Article in Brasseys Naval Annual
Special help from George Gratz and Daniel Muir/p>
- 05 August 2006
- Benchmark
- 31 January 2009
- Added construction details