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The BL 6-inch Mark XI naval gun was a British 50 calibres high-velocity naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on
The Mk XI gun was emplaced for coast defence in South Africa and particularly in Australia leading up to World War II, and remained in service until the 1950s. Guns in Australia came from the decommissioned World War I cruisers HMAS ''Sydney'', HMAS ''Melbourne'' and HMAS ''Brisbane'' and were emplaced in northern Australia and Torres Strait to defend against possible attack by Japan, and on Rottnest Island WA, Brisbane and the
RGF gun No. 2035 of 1905, and 1 other gun
at Malgaskop, Saldanha Bay, South Africa
VSM gun No. 2305 of 1912
formerly at
A coast defence gun
at
British 6"/50 (15.2 cm) BL Marks XI and XI*
{{DEFAULTSORT:BL 06-inch Mk 11 gun Naval guns of the United Kingdom World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom 152 mm artillery Coastal artillery
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
s and secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleships from 1906 onwards.
History
The gun with its increased length of 50 calibres gave improved firepower over the current 6-inch Mk VII gun of 45 calibres. However, its increased length and weight made it unwieldy in the current manually operated shipboard mountings on light cruisers, which did not provide a steady platform. Britain reverted to 45-calibres guns in new warships from 1914 onwards with the BL 6-inch Mk XII gun. Of the 177 produced 126 remained for Royal Navy use in 1939.Naval gun
Guns were mounted in the following ships : * The last 3 ''King Edward VII class battleships'' ''Britannia'', ''Africa'' and ''Hibernia'' laid down 1902–1904 *Armoured cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...
s: HMS ''Duke of Edinburgh'' and ''Black Prince'' laid down 1903
* ''Bristol'' class light cruisers laid down 1909
* ''Weymouth'' class cruisers laid down 1910
* ''Chatham'' class light cruisers laid down 1911
* ''Birmingham'' class light cruisers laid down 1912
* Monitor HMS ''Marshal Ney'' as re-gunned in 1918
Coast defence gun
The Mk XI gun was emplaced for coast defence in South Africa and particularly in Australia leading up to World War II, and remained in service until the 1950s. Guns in Australia came from the decommissioned World War I cruisers HMAS ''Sydney'', HMAS ''Melbourne'' and HMAS ''Brisbane'' and were emplaced in northern Australia and Torres Strait to defend against possible attack by Japan, and on Rottnest Island WA, Brisbane and the Sydney harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
and Port Kembla defences.
See also
* List of naval gunsWeapons of comparable role, performance and era
*15 cm/50 41st Year Type
The was a naval gun used by the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II. It had a bore with a length of (50 calibre) and fired shell for a distance of (in single mount version) or (in the later twin mounts). The gun was first ...
: Imperial Japanese Navy equivalent gun
* 6"/50 caliber gun : US equivalent
Surviving examples
RGF gun No. 2035 of 1905, and 1 other gun
at Malgaskop, Saldanha Bay, South Africa
VSM gun No. 2305 of 1912
formerly at
Port Wakefield Port Wakefield may refer to.
Australia
*Port Wakefield, South Australia, a town and locality
* Port Wakefield railway line, part of the now-closed Balaklava-Moonta railway line in South Australia
* Port Wakefield Circuit, a former motor racing cir ...
Proof Range, north of Adelaide, and since 2006 at B42 gun emplacement at Lower Georges Heights, Sydney Australiahttp://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/downloads/acrobat/media/mrcoastalgun.pdf
A coast defence gun
at
East Point Military museum
The Darwin Military Museum was originally established as an artillery museum by the Royal Australian Artillery Association (NT) Inc (RAAA) to exhibit photographs and artefacts from Darwin's history during World War II. The Museum now has a large ...
, Darwin, Australia
* One of the HMAS Sydney guns at Leighton Battery
Leighton Battery at Buckland Hill, Mosman Park, Western Australia, was part of the Coastal defences of Australia during World War II and the Fremantle Fortress, protecting Fremantle Harbour.
The battery initially consisted of two 6-inch Mk VII ...
, Fremantle, Western Australia
* One of HMAS ''Melbourne'''s guns at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Nowra, NSW, Australia
References
Sources
* David Spethman, "The Garrison Guns of Australia 1788 – 1962", published by Ron H Mortensen, Inala QLD 2008. *External links
* Tony DiGiulianBritish 6"/50 (15.2 cm) BL Marks XI and XI*
{{DEFAULTSORT:BL 06-inch Mk 11 gun Naval guns of the United Kingdom World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom 152 mm artillery Coastal artillery