| 12"/50 caliber Bethlehem gun | |
|---|---|
a main gun of the battleship ARA Moreno during its construction, sometime between 1910 and 1915. |
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| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1915–1956[1][2] |
| Used by | Rivadavia class battleships |
| Wars | World War I, World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1910 |
| Manufacturer | Bethlehem Steel Corporation[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 66 tons[1] |
| Barrel length | 50 ft 6 in (15.39 m) bore (50 cal)[1] |
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| Caliber | 12 inches (304.8 mm)[1] |
| Recoil | 38 inches (97 cm)[1] |
| Rate of fire | 2.0–3.0 rounds per minute[1] |
| Maximum range | 24,000 yd (22,000 m)[1] |
The 12"/50 caliber Bethlehem gun was a US naval gun designed in 1910 as the main armament for the Argentine Navy’s dreadnought battleships of the Rivadavia class.
Contents |
The gun was designed in 1910, and it was probably based on the US 12"/50 (30.5 cm) Mark 7 naval gun with a breech weight added. The guns were manufactured at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.[1] The ships in the class had twelve 305 mm guns each, mounted in six twin (2-gun) turrets, with two turrets forward, two aft, and one on each side.
The gun weighed 66 tons including the breech and was capable of an average rate of fire of 2–3 rounds a minute. It could throw a 870 lb. (394.6 kg) Mark 15 armor piercing shell 24,000 yards (21,950 meters) at an elevation of 14.7°, while the "barrel life" of the guns was 200 shots.
The previous 12" gun, manufactured for the U.S. Navy, was the Mark 7 version, which had been designed and installed in the 1912 era Wyoming-class battleships.[1]
This gun was only installed in the Argentine Navy “Rivadavia” battleship class ships: ARA Rivadavia and ARA Moreno.