Armstrong Whitworth 12 inch /40 naval gun

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Type 41 12-inch (305 mm) /40 caliber naval gun
Type Naval gun
Place of origin United Kingdom, later license-produced in Japan
Service history
In service 1900-1945
Used by Royal Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
Wars Russo-Japanese War
World War I
Production history
Designed 1898
Manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth
Specifications
Weight 49 tons
Barrel length 485-inch (12.319 m) bore
Shell separate charges and shell
Calibre 12-inch (305 mm)
Breech welin
Elevation -5 / +15 degrees
Traverse +150 / -150 degrees
Rate of fire 1 round per minute
Muzzle velocity 2,400 f/s (732 m/s)
Effective range 15,000-yard (13,716 m); 15° elevation

The Armstrong Whitworth 12 inch naval gun of 40-calibre length was produced by Elswick Ordnance Company. It was intended for the Royal Navy’s Royal Sovereign class battleships, but budgetary constraints delayed their introduction. The first units were instead supplied to Japan. It later entered service with the RN as the 12 inch Mark IX

As the Type 41 12-inch (305 mm) /40 caliber naval gun it was the standard main battery on several early British-built pre-dreadnought battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The Type 41 12-inch naval gun was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, as a slightly modified version of the “EOC G pattern” 12-inch guns used on contemporary Royal Navy battleships. Japan purchased a total of 44 of these weapons for use of the Fuji and Shikishima class battleships, and the Mikasa.


[edit] Service

In combat at the Battle of the Yellow Sea in the Russo-Japanese War, Japanese battleships Asahi, Shikishima and Mikasa all had one of their main guns taken out of action due to bore prematures. The cause was traced to faulty fuses, and the problem was rectified prior to the Battle of Tsushima.

The gun was officially designated as “Type 41” from the 41st year of the reign of Emperor Meiji on 1908-12-25. It was further re-designated in centimeters on 1917-10-05 as part of the standardization process for the Imperial Japanese Navy to the metric system.

The Type 41 12-inch gun fired an 850-pound (385.6 kg) shell, with either an armor piercing, high explosive or general purpose warhead.

[edit] References

  • Brown, D. K. (2003). Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905. Book Sales. ISBN 978-1-84067-529-2. 
  • Brown, D. K. (2003). The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922. Caxton Editions, 208. ISBN 978-1-84067-531-3. 
  • Gardiner, Robert (Ed.) and Lambert, Andrew (Ed.). Steam, Steel and Shellfire: The steam warship 1815-1905 - Conway's History of the Ship. Book Sales, 192. ISBN 978-0-78581-413-9. 
  • Hodges, Peter (1981). The Big Gun: Battleship Main Armament 1860-1945. United States Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0870219170. 
  • Parkes, Oscar (1990). British Battleships. first published Seeley Service & Co, 1957, published United States Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-075-4. 


[edit] External Links