The BL 12 inch Gun Mark X
[Mark X = Mark 10. Succeeding versions were Mark XI (11) and XII (12). Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II] was a British
45-calibre naval gun
Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for naval gunfire support, shore bombardment and anti-aircraft roles. The term generally refers to tube-launched projectile-firi ...
which was mounted as primary armament on
battleships and
battlecruiser
The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of at ...
s from 1906. It first appeared on .
History

Mk X continued the trend of lengthening gun barrels as far as new construction methods would permit, in order to allow more cordite propellant to be used to attain higher projectile velocities. Mk X increased the bore length from
Mk IX's , increasing muzzle velocity from .
Subsequent British attempts to further increase the power of 12-inch guns led to failure with the 50-calibre
Mk XI and Mk XII guns; the Mk X was the last successful 12-inch British gun.
Naval use
Mk X guns were mounted in the following ships which served throughout
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
:
* s, laid down 1905, completed 1908
* Battleship , laid down 1905, completed 1906
* s, laid down 1906, completed 1908–1909
* s, laid down 1906, completed 1909
* s, laid down 1909, completed 1911–1913
World War I use ashore
From 1917 several Mk X guns were deployed ashore on the section of the Belgian coast still held by the Allies, near
Nieuwpoort. They were part of the "Royal Naval Siege Guns" under the command of
Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon, and were used for attacking German heavy gun batteries.
Ammunition
See also
*
List of naval guns
List of Naval Guns by country of origin in decreasing caliber size
List of naval guns by caliber size, all countries
Naval anti-aircraft guns
See also
*List of artillery
* List of the largest cannon by caliber
*Glossary of British ordnan ...
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
*
305mm/45 Modèle 1906 gun
The 305mm/45 Modèle 1906 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy.
The type was used on the , mounted in two twin turrets. An improved version, the 305mm/45 Modèle 1910 gun, was installed on the ''Courbet'' class. Six surplus guns were mo ...
French equivalent
*
EOC 12 inch /45 naval gun Elswick Ordnance Company equivalent
*
12"/45 caliber Mark 5 gun
The 12″/45 caliber Mark 5 gun was an American naval gun that first entered service in 1906. Initially designed for use with the of pre-dreadnought battleships, the Mark 5 continued in service aboard the first generation of American dreadnough ...
US equivalent
Notes
References
Bibliography
"Range Tables for His Majesty's Fleet, 1910. February, 1911"*
Treatise on Ammunition, 1915
External links
* Tony DiGiulian
British 12"/45 (30.5 cm) Mark X
{{DEFAULTSORT:BL 12-inch Mk 10 gun
Naval guns of the United Kingdom
World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom
305 mm artillery
Vickers