Based upon a 1924 Vickers design, these guns were of built-up construction. Their design was lighter than that of the equivalent British 8" (20.3 cm) Mark VIII and the turrets had a smaller diameter roller path.
Construction consisted of A tube, B tube not extending to the muzzle and a jacket.
| Designation | 8"/50 (20.3 cm) Model 1924 Mark D |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Canarias class |
| Date Of Design | 1924 |
| Date In Service | 1936 |
| Gun Weight | 15.8 tons (16.05 mt) |
| Gun Length oa | N/A |
| Bore Length | about 400 in (10.160 m) |
| Rifling Length | N/A |
| Grooves | N/A |
| Lands | N/A |
| Twist | N/A |
| Chamber Volume | N/A |
| Rate Of Fire 1 | about 3 to 6 rounds per minute |
- ^A note on sources: "Canarias, Adiós" says that the rate of fire with AP projectiles was 6 rounds per minute. This seems unrealistically high. See ROF note on 8" (20.3 cm) Mark VIII datapage.
| Type | Bag |
|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights | AP: 256 lbs. (116.12 kg)
HE: 256 lbs. (116.12 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | N/A |
| Projectile Length | N/A |
| Propellant Charge | 80 lbs. (36.3 kg) |
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,904 fps (885 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | 150 rounds |
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| About 49 degrees | 32,480 yards (29,700 m) | 70 degrees | 21,330 yards (19,500 m) |
| Designation | Two-gun Turrets: Canarias (4) 1a |
|---|---|
| Weight | N/A |
| Elevation | -5 / +70 degrees 2a |
| Elevation Rate | N/A |
| Train | about +120 / -120 degrees |
| Train Rate | N/A |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
| Loading Angle | +8 degrees |
- ^These mountings were generally similar to the British Mark II and had similar hollow rammers for holding the propellant charges. Compared to the Mark II, the roller path diameter was smaller as was the inner barbette diameter.
- ^As these mountings were designed and built in Britain, they had the same elevation as most of the British Mark II mountings as they were intended to operate in the AA mode. Like the other British mountings, the training and elevation speeds were too slow to be effective in the AA mode.
- The distance between gun axes was 76 inches (193 cm).
The Vickers Photographic Archive
See 6332
and 6333
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Cruisers of World War Two" by M.J. Whitley Page History
"Canarias, Adiós" article in Warship International No. 2, 1979 by Willard C. Frank, Jr. On-line at KBismarck.
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Special help by Javier Villarroya del Real
22 September 2007 - Benchmark
18 February 2012 - Updated to latest template
02 December 2015 - Changed Vickers Photographic Archive links to point at Wayback Archive
09 August 2019 - Converted to HTML 5 format, reorganized notes
02 February 2021 - Added photographs of Canarias, turret and mounting sketch