The BL 8 inch gun Mark VIIIMark VIII = Mark 8. Britain used

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ...

to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Hence this was the eighth model of BL 8-inch naval gun. was the main battery gun used on the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

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 ...

s,A more accurate term is "Treaty Cruiser", as the term heavy cruiser was only formally defined at the time of the London Naval Treaty of 1930. However, all the 8-inch gun cruisers introduced as a result of the 1922 Washington Treaty were what became known as "heavy cruisers". in compliance with the

Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was a treaty signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. It was negotiated at the Washington Nav ...

of 1922. This treaty allowed ships of not more than 10,000 tons

standard displacement The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...

and with guns no larger than to be excluded from total tonnage limitations on a nation's

capital ship The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. Strategic im ...

s. The 10,000 ton limit was a major factor in design decisions such as turrets and gun mountings. A similar gun formed the main battery of Spanish cruisers.Campbell 1985 p.389 In 1930, the Royal Navy adopted the

BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval gun The 50 calibre BL 6 inch gun Mark XXIIIMark XXIII = Mark 23. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. Mark XXIII indicates this was the twenty-third model of BL 6-inch gun. was the main batt ...

as the standard cruiser main battery in preference to this 8-inch gun.Whitley 1995 pp.96–127

Description

These guns, 50 calibres long, were

built-up gun A built-up gun is artillery with a specially reinforced barrel. An inner tube of metal stretches within its elastic limit under the pressure of confined powder gases to transmit stress to outer cylinders that are under tension.Fairfield (1921) p. ...

s which consisted of a

wire-wound This article explains terms used for the British Armed Forces' ordnance (i.e.: weapons) and also ammunition. The terms may have slightly different meanings in the military of other countries. BD Between decks: applies to a naval gun mounting in ...

tube encased within a second tube and jacket with a Welin breech block and hydraulic or hand-operated Asbury mechanism. Two cloth bags each containing of

cordite Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom since 1889 to replace black powder as a military propellant. Like modern gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burn ...

were used to fire a projectile. Mark I turrets allowed gun elevation to 70 degrees to fire high-explosive shells against aircraft. Hydraulic pumps proved incapable of providing sufficient train and elevation speed to follow contemporary aircraft; so simplified version of the Mark II turrets with a maximum elevation of 50 degrees were installed in the '. Each gun could fire approximately five rounds per minute. Useful life expectancy was 550 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel.

Naval service

The following ships mounted Mk VIII guns in 188-tonne twin turrets. The standard main battery was four turrets, but ''Exeter'' and ''York'' carried only three to reduce weight and formed the separate ''York'' class.Lenton & Colledge 1968 pp. 36–39 * heavy cruisers : 13 ships ** ''Canarias''-class heavy cruisers : 2 ships * ''York''-class heavy cruisers : 2 ships

Coast defence guns

428 Battery 8 inch gun firing WWII IWM TR 559

Six single guns capable of elevating to 70 degrees were installed as

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form o ...

in the

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...

area during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Ammunition

File:BL8inchSAPKMkIBNTShell1943Diagram.jpg, File:BL8inchHENavalShellDiagram1934.jpg, File:428 Battery setting 8 inch shell fuzes WWII IWM TR 564.jpg,

Shell trajectory

Range with 256 lbs. (116.1) SAPC with MV = 2,725 fps (831 mps)

Surviving examples

* A gun from HMAS ''Australia'' outside the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

, Canberra

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* Tony DiGiulian
Britain 8"/50 (20.3 cm) Mark VIII
* Terry Gander
Twentieth century British coast defence guns
{{DEFAULTSORT:BL 08 inch Mk 08 gun Naval guns of the United Kingdom Coastal artillery 203 mm artillery World War II naval weapons of the United Kingdom Military equipment introduced in the 1920s