The 8"/23 (20.3 cm) Mark 7 was an ASW Howitzer that could be used in place of the standard 4"/50 (10.2 cm) destroyer gun. Besides destroyers, it was planned to mount these on battleships, cruisers and gunboats. Following tests with two British 7.5" Howitzers on USS Caldwell (D-69), the Navy planned to mount two of the new 8" (20.3 cm) Howitzer on destroyers, but none were actually installed. Orders were placed for 89 guns with the first one being test fired in Februay 1918, but it is not certain how many were actually completed. None survived to World War II.
Manufactured from a single alloy-steel forging.
The USN 8"/15 (20.3 cm) Mark 8 was the Vickers 8" (20.3 cm) BL Mark 6 Model 1917 land howitzer that was issued to the US Marine Corps during World War I. Weight with breech block was 6,552 lbs. (2,972 kg).
The data that follows is for the Mark 7 unless otherwise noted.
| Designation | 8"/23 (20.3 cm) Mark 7 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Planned for Flush-deck destroyers of World War I |
| Date Of Design | 1917 |
| Date In Service | 1918 |
| Gun Weight | 5,560 lbs. (2,522 kg) with breech block |
| Gun Length oa | 190 in (4.826 m) |
| Bore Length | 182.9 in (4.646 m) |
| Rifling Length | 156.8 in (3.983 m) |
| Grooves | (48) 0.050 in (1.27 mm) deep |
| Lands | N/A |
| Twist | Increasing RH 1/40 to 1/15 at 115 in (2.921 m) from origin |
| Chamber Volume | 1,300 in3 (21.3 dm3) |
| Rate Of Fire | 3 - 4 rounds per minute |
| Type | Bag |
|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights | ASW Mark XII Mod 4 - 285.3 lbs. (129.4 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | 70 lbs. (31.8 kg) |
| Projectile Length | 43.25 in (109.9 cm) |
| Propellant Charge | 5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) SP |
| Muzzle Velocity | 700 fps (213 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
The original HE projectile for this weapon was a special flat-nose ASW type. This weapon may have later used the standard 8" (20.3 cm) 260 lbs. (118 kg) projectile.
| Elevation | Range |
|---|---|
| 20.8 degrees | 2,600 yards (2,380 m) |
| Designation | N/A |
|---|---|
| Weight | N/A |
| Elevation | N/A |
| Elevation Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Train | about +150 / -150 degrees |
| Train Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
| Loading angle | N/A |
This mounting was designed to be interchangeable with the standard 4"/50 (10.2 cm) Mark 12 mounting used on the flush-deck destroyers of World War I.
"US Naval Weapons" and "US Naval Weapons of World War One" both by Norman Friedman
"A Treatise on Rifling of Guns" by Carl F. Jeansén
---
"United States Naval Guns: Their Marks and Modifications" Ordnance Pamphlet No. 127, December 1916, Second Revision June 1924
"Navy Ordnance Activities: World War, 1917-1918" by Navy Dept, United States, Bureau of Ordnance
---
Gene Slover's Navy Pages
---
Special help from Leo Fischer
31 May 2008 - Benchmark
07 February 2015 - Added data on gun and projectiles
29 July 2016 - Converted to HTML 5 format