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8-inch/55-caliber gun

January 01, 1970

The 8"/55 caliber gun (spoken "eight-inch-fifty-five-caliber") formed the main battery of United States Navy heavy cruisers and two early aircraft carriers. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun barrel had an internal diameter of 8 inches (203 mm), and the barrel was 55 calibers long (barrel length is 8 inch × 55 = 440 inches or 36.6 feet or 11 meters).[3]

8"/55 caliber naval gun
No. 2 turret of USS New Orleans following a Japanese torpedo-initiated explosion of the forward magazine during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942.
TypeNaval gun
Coastal defence
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1925–1975
Used byUnited States
WarsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Production history
VariantsMk 9, Mk 12, Mk 14, Mk 15, Mk 16
Specifications
Barrel length440 inches (11 m) bore (55 caliber)
Shell335 pounds (152 kg)[1]A.P. 260 pounds (118 kg)[2] H.E.
Caliber8 inches (20 cm)
Muzzle velocity2,500 feet per second (760 m/s)[1]
Maximum firing range30,050 yards (27,480 m)[1]
The rounded roofs of early Mark 9 twin and triple turrets of USS Salt Lake City and USS Pensacola with the later turrets of USS New Orleans on the right.

Mark 9 edit

These built-up guns weighed about 30 tons including a liner, tube, jacket, and five hoops. A down-swing Welin breech block was closed by compressed air from the gas ejector system. Loading with two silk bags each containing 45 pounds (20 kg) of smokeless powder gave a 260-pound (120 kg) projectile a velocity of 2800 feet per second (853 m/s).[1] Range was 18 miles 31,860 yd (29,130 m) at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees.[1][4]

Mark 12 edit

These simplified built-up guns eliminated hoops to reduce weight to 17 tons. The breech mechanism was similar and loading two silk bags each containing 43 pounds (20 kg) of smokeless powder gave a 335-pound (152 kg) projectile a velocity of 2500 feet per second (760 m/s).[1] Each gun could fire about four rounds per minute. Maximum range was 30,050 yd (27,480 m) at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees.[5]

Mark 14 edit

These guns were similar to Mark 9, with the same shell weight and maximum range,[4] with a smaller chamber and rifling twist increased from 1 in 35 to 1 in 25 in a chromium-plated bore.

Mark 15 edit

These guns were similar to Mark 12, with the same shell weight and maximum range, with the smaller chamber of the Mark 14 gun.[5] Useful life expectancy was 715 effective full charges (EFC) per liner.

Mark 16 edit

These self-loading guns with lined monobloc construction and vertical sliding breech blocks weighed about 20 tons. Semi-fixed ammunition (projectile and powder case handled separately) with 78 pounds (35 kg) of smokeless powder gave a 335-pound (152 kg) projectile a velocity of 2500 feet per second (760 m/s).[1] Each gun could fire about ten rounds per minute. Useful life expectancy was 780 Effective Full Charges per liner. Range was 17 miles (27 kilometers) at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees.[1][6][7] This gun was modified for the experimental Major Caliber Lightweight Gun.

Coast defense use edit

The eight twin turrets of Lexington and Saratoga were removed in early 1942 during refits at Pearl Harbor. The turrets were turned over to the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps and remounted as coastal artillery on Oahu. Four two-turret batteries were established at Salt Lake near Aliamanu Crater (Battery Salt Lake, later Battery Burgess),[8] Wiliwilinui Ridge Military Reservation (Battery Wilridge, later Battery Kirkpatrick),[9] Opaeula Military Reservation (Battery Opaeula, later Battery Riggs),[10] and Brodie Camp Military Reservation (Battery Brodie, later Battery George Ricker).[11][12][13][14] After the war, all of the guns and turrets were scrapped in 1948, along with almost all other US coast artillery.

One of USS Louisville's main battery 8 inch 55 caliber gun turrets (Turret No. 2) damaged in a kamikaze attack on January 5, 1945, was removed and taken to the Nevada Test Site and converted into a rotating radiation detector, to collect data on nuclear tests.[15]

Ships mounting 8"/55 caliber guns edit

 
The heavy cruiser USS Helena fires her 8"/55 caliber Mark 15 guns at enemy forces ashore on the Korean Peninsula in August 1950 during the Korean War.
 
The after turret of the heavy cruiser USS Toledo fires its 8"/55 caliber Mark 15 guns at enemy targets ashore around Incheon, South Korea, on 13 or 14 September 1950 during the bombardment preceding the invasion of Incheon during the Korean War.
 
The heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul fires her 8"/55 caliber Mark 15 guns at Chinese troops threatening the evacuation of United Nations troops from Hungnam, North Korea, in December 1950 during the Korean War.
 
The heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul's forward 8"/55-caliber guns fire at enemy targets ashore in North Vietnam in October 1966 during the Vietnam War.
Ship Gun Installation[1]
USS Lexington (CV-2) Mk 9 guns in four 190-ton twin turrets
USS Saratoga (CV-3) Mk 9 guns in four 190-ton twin turrets
USS Pensacola (CA-24) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in two 190-ton twin turrets
and two 250-ton triple turrets
USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in two 190-ton twin turrets
and two 250-ton triple turrets
USS Northampton (CA-26) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Chester (CA-27) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Louisville (CA-28) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Chicago (CA-29) Mk 9 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Houston (CA-30) Mk 9 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Augusta (CA-31) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS New Orleans (CA-32) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 294-ton triple turrets
USS Portland (CA-33) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Astoria (CA-34) Mk 9 guns in three 294-ton triple turrets
USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Minneapolis (CA-36) Mk 9 (later Mk 15) guns in three 294-ton triple turrets
USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) Mk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS San Francisco (CA-38) Mk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Quincy (CA-39) Mk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Vincennes (CA-44) Mk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets
USS Wichita (CA-45) Mk 12 guns in three 314-ton triple turrets
USS Baltimore (CA-68) Mk 12 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Boston (CA-69) CAG-1 Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Canberra (CA-70) CAG-2 Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Quincy (CA-71) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Saint Paul (CA-73) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Columbus (CA-74) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Helena (CA-75) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Oregon City (CA-122) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Albany (CA-123) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Rochester (CA-124) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Bremerton (CA-130) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Fall River (CA-131) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Macon (CA-132) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Toledo (CA-133) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Des Moines (CA-134) Mk 16 guns in three 450-ton triple turrets
USS Los Angeles (CA-135) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Chicago (CA-136) Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets
USS Salem (CA-139) Mk 16 guns in three 450-ton triple turrets
USS Newport News (CA-148) Mk 16 guns in three 450-ton triple turrets
USS Hull (DD-945) Mk 16 gun in one 86-ton single automatic mount
(8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun installation)

See also edit

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Campbell 1985 pp.127-131
  2. ^ 8-inch shell info at San Francisco Maritime National Park website
  3. ^ Fairfield 1921 p.156
  4. ^ a b DiGiulian, Tony (27 April 2011). "United States of America 8"/55 (20.3 cm) Marks 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14". Navweaps.com. from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  5. ^ a b DiGiulian, Tony (7 February 2008). "United States of America 8"/55 (20.3 cm) Marks 12 and 15". Navweaps.com. from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  6. ^ "New Cruiser Packs 8 inch Automatics" , May 1949, Popular Science detailed illustrations of Mark 16
  7. ^ DiGiulian, Tony (27 January 2011). "United States of America 8"/55RF (20.3 cm) Mark 16". Navweaps.com. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  8. ^ FortWiki article on Battery Burgess
  9. ^ FortWiki article on Battery Kirkpatrick
  10. ^ ForWiki article on Battery Riggs
  11. ^ FortWiki article on Battery George Ricker
  12. ^ FortWiki article on Hawaii turret batteries
  13. ^ Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2004). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide (Second ed.). CDSG Press. pp. 118–119, 217–219. ISBN 0-9748167-0-1.
  14. ^ List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
  15. ^ "Mystery in the Desert Is a Mystery No More".

Bibliography edit

  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
  • Fairfield, A.P. (1921). Naval Ordnance. The Lord Baltimore Press.
  • Lewis, E. R. & Kirchner, D. P. (1992). "The Oahu Turrets". Warship International. XXIX (3): 273–301. ISSN 0043-0374.
  • Martin, Ty (2016). "Question 3/52: USN 8-in/55 Mk-15 Rate of Fire". Warship International. LIII (1): 23. ISSN 0043-0374.
  • "Mystery in the Desert Is a Mystery No More".

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 8"/55 caliber gun.

January 01, 1970
inch, caliber, caliber, spoken, eight, inch, fifty, five, caliber, formed, main, battery, united, states, navy, heavy, cruisers, early, aircraft, carriers, united, states, naval, terminology, indicates, barrel, internal, diameter, inches, barrel, calibers, lon. The 8 55 caliber gun spoken eight inch fifty five caliber formed the main battery of United States Navy heavy cruisers and two early aircraft carriers United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun barrel had an internal diameter of 8 inches 203 mm and the barrel was 55 calibers long barrel length is 8 inch 55 440 inches or 36 6 feet or 11 meters 3 8 55 caliber naval gunNo 2 turret of USS New Orleans following a Japanese torpedo initiated explosion of the forward magazine during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942 TypeNaval gunCoastal defencePlace of originUnited StatesService historyIn service1925 1975Used byUnited StatesWarsWorld War IIKorean WarVietnam WarProduction historyVariantsMk 9 Mk 12 Mk 14 Mk 15 Mk 16SpecificationsBarrel length440 inches 11 m bore 55 caliber Shell335 pounds 152 kg 1 A P 260 pounds 118 kg 2 H E Caliber8 inches 20 cm Muzzle velocity2 500 feet per second 760 m s 1 Maximum firing range30 050 yards 27 480 m 1 The rounded roofs of early Mark 9 twin and triple turrets of USS Salt Lake City and USS Pensacola with the later turrets of USS New Orleans on the right Contents 1 Mark 9 2 Mark 12 3 Mark 14 4 Mark 15 5 Mark 16 6 Coast defense use 7 Ships mounting 8 55 caliber guns 8 See also 8 1 Weapons of comparable role performance and era 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 External linksMark 9 editThese built up guns weighed about 30 tons including a liner tube jacket and five hoops A down swing Welin breech block was closed by compressed air from the gas ejector system Loading with two silk bags each containing 45 pounds 20 kg of smokeless powder gave a 260 pound 120 kg projectile a velocity of 2800 feet per second 853 m s 1 Range was 18 miles 31 860 yd 29 130 m at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees 1 4 Mark 12 editThese simplified built up guns eliminated hoops to reduce weight to 17 tons The breech mechanism was similar and loading two silk bags each containing 43 pounds 20 kg of smokeless powder gave a 335 pound 152 kg projectile a velocity of 2500 feet per second 760 m s 1 Each gun could fire about four rounds per minute Maximum range was 30 050 yd 27 480 m at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees 5 Mark 14 editThese guns were similar to Mark 9 with the same shell weight and maximum range 4 with a smaller chamber and rifling twist increased from 1 in 35 to 1 in 25 in a chromium plated bore Mark 15 editThese guns were similar to Mark 12 with the same shell weight and maximum range with the smaller chamber of the Mark 14 gun 5 Useful life expectancy was 715 effective full charges EFC per liner Mark 16 editThese self loading guns with lined monobloc construction and vertical sliding breech blocks weighed about 20 tons Semi fixed ammunition projectile and powder case handled separately with 78 pounds 35 kg of smokeless powder gave a 335 pound 152 kg projectile a velocity of 2500 feet per second 760 m s 1 Each gun could fire about ten rounds per minute Useful life expectancy was 780 Effective Full Charges per liner Range was 17 miles 27 kilometers at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees 1 6 7 This gun was modified for the experimental Major Caliber Lightweight Gun Coast defense use editThe eight twin turrets of Lexington and Saratoga were removed in early 1942 during refits at Pearl Harbor The turrets were turned over to the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps and remounted as coastal artillery on Oahu Four two turret batteries were established at Salt Lake near Aliamanu Crater Battery Salt Lake later Battery Burgess 8 Wiliwilinui Ridge Military Reservation Battery Wilridge later Battery Kirkpatrick 9 Opaeula Military Reservation Battery Opaeula later Battery Riggs 10 and Brodie Camp Military Reservation Battery Brodie later Battery George Ricker 11 12 13 14 After the war all of the guns and turrets were scrapped in 1948 along with almost all other US coast artillery One of USS Louisville s main battery 8 inch 55 caliber gun turrets Turret No 2 damaged in a kamikaze attack on January 5 1945 was removed and taken to the Nevada Test Site and converted into a rotating radiation detector to collect data on nuclear tests 15 Ships mounting 8 55 caliber guns edit nbsp The heavy cruiser USS Helena fires her 8 55 caliber Mark 15 guns at enemy forces ashore on the Korean Peninsula in August 1950 during the Korean War nbsp The after turret of the heavy cruiser USS Toledo fires its 8 55 caliber Mark 15 guns at enemy targets ashore around Incheon South Korea on 13 or 14 September 1950 during the bombardment preceding the invasion of Incheon during the Korean War nbsp The heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul fires her 8 55 caliber Mark 15 guns at Chinese troops threatening the evacuation of United Nations troops from Hungnam North Korea in December 1950 during the Korean War nbsp The heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul s forward 8 55 caliber guns fire at enemy targets ashore in North Vietnam in October 1966 during the Vietnam War 2 Lexington class c 1921 1925 aircraft carriers 1 Lexington Saratoga Mk 9 guns in four 190 ton twin turrets removed in 1942 and added to Oahu coast defenses 2 Pensacola class c 1927 heavy cruisers 1 Pensacola Salt Lake City Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in two 190 ton twin turrets and two 250 ton triple turrets 6 Northampton class c 1928 heavy cruisers 1 2 of 6 Chicago Houston Mk 9 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets Houston was sunk in March 1942 Chicago was sunk in January 1943 4 of 6 Northampton Chester Louisville Augusta Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets 2 Portland class c 1930 heavy cruisers 1 Portland Indianapolis Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets 7 New Orleans class c 1931 heavy cruisers 3 of 7 294 ton triple turrets Astoria Mk 9 guns sunk in 08 1942 New Orleans Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns Minneapolis Mk 9 later Mk 15 guns 4 of 7 Tuscaloosa San Francisco Quincy Vincennes Mk 12 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets Wichita Mk 12 guns in three 314 ton triple turrets 14 Baltimore class c 1941 heavy cruisers 1 1 of 14 Baltimore Mk 12 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets 13 of 14 Boston Canberra Quincy Pittsburgh Saint Paul Columbus Helena Bremerton Fall River Macon Toledo Los Angeles Chicago Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets 3 Oregon City class c 1944 heavy cruisers 1 Oregon City Albany Rochester Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets 3 Des Moines class c 1945 heavy cruisers 1 Des Moines Salem Newport News Mk 16 guns in three 450 ton triple turrets 1 ex Forrest Sherman class USS Hull DD 945 Mk 16 gun in one 86 ton single automatic mount 8 55 caliber Mark 71 gun installation Ship Gun Installation 1 USS Lexington CV 2 Mk 9 guns in four 190 ton twin turrets USS Saratoga CV 3 Mk 9 guns in four 190 ton twin turrets USS Pensacola CA 24 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in two 190 ton twin turrets and two 250 ton triple turrets USS Salt Lake City CA 25 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in two 190 ton twin turrets and two 250 ton triple turrets USS Northampton CA 26 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Chester CA 27 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Louisville CA 28 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Chicago CA 29 Mk 9 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Houston CA 30 Mk 9 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Augusta CA 31 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS New Orleans CA 32 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 294 ton triple turrets USS Portland CA 33 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Astoria CA 34 Mk 9 guns in three 294 ton triple turrets USS Indianapolis CA 35 Mk 9 later Mk 14 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Minneapolis CA 36 Mk 9 later Mk 15 guns in three 294 ton triple turrets USS Tuscaloosa CA 37 Mk 12 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS San Francisco CA 38 Mk 12 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Quincy CA 39 Mk 12 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Vincennes CA 44 Mk 12 guns in three 250 ton triple turrets USS Wichita CA 45 Mk 12 guns in three 314 ton triple turrets USS Baltimore CA 68 Mk 12 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Boston CA 69 CAG 1 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Canberra CA 70 CAG 2 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Quincy CA 71 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Pittsburgh CA 72 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Saint Paul CA 73 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Columbus CA 74 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Helena CA 75 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Oregon City CA 122 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Albany CA 123 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Rochester CA 124 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Bremerton CA 130 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Fall River CA 131 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Macon CA 132 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Toledo CA 133 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Des Moines CA 134 Mk 16 guns in three 450 ton triple turrets USS Los Angeles CA 135 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Chicago CA 136 Mk 15 guns in three 300 ton triple turrets USS Salem CA 139 Mk 16 guns in three 450 ton triple turrets USS Newport News CA 148 Mk 16 guns in three 450 ton triple turrets USS Hull DD 945 Mk 16 gun in one 86 ton single automatic mount 8 55 caliber Mark 71 gun installation See also edit8 55 caliber Mark 71 gun 1970s US experimental program Weapons of comparable role performance and era edit 203mm 50 Modele 1924 gun French equivalent 20 3 cm SK C 34 Naval gun German equivalent 203 mm 53 Italian naval gun Italian equivalent 20 cm 50 3rd Year Type naval gun Japanese equivalent BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun UK equivalentReferences edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Campbell 1985 pp 127 131 8 inch shell info at San Francisco Maritime National Park website Fairfield 1921 p 156 a b DiGiulian Tony 27 April 2011 United States of America 8 55 20 3 cm Marks 9 10 11 13 and 14 Navweaps com Archived from the original on 30 June 2011 Retrieved 2011 07 21 a b DiGiulian Tony 7 February 2008 United States of America 8 55 20 3 cm Marks 12 and 15 Navweaps com Archived from the original on 30 June 2011 Retrieved 2011 07 21 New Cruiser Packs 8 inch Automatics May 1949 Popular Science detailed illustrations of Mark 16 DiGiulian Tony 27 January 2011 United States of America 8 55RF 20 3 cm Mark 16 Navweaps com Retrieved 2016 04 10 FortWiki article on Battery Burgess FortWiki article on Battery Kirkpatrick ForWiki article on Battery Riggs FortWiki article on Battery George Ricker FortWiki article on Hawaii turret batteries Berhow Mark A ed 2004 American Seacoast Defenses A Reference Guide Second ed CDSG Press pp 118 119 217 219 ISBN 0 9748167 0 1 List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group Inc website Mystery in the Desert Is a Mystery No More Bibliography editCampbell John 1985 Naval Weapons of World War Two Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 459 4 Fairfield A P 1921 Naval Ordnance The Lord Baltimore Press Lewis E R amp Kirchner D P 1992 The Oahu Turrets Warship International XXIX 3 273 301 ISSN 0043 0374 Martin Ty 2016 Question 3 52 USN 8 in 55 Mk 15 Rate of Fire Warship International LIII 1 23 ISSN 0043 0374 Mystery in the Desert Is a Mystery No More External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 8 55 caliber gun Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 8 inch 55 caliber gun amp oldid 1222271063, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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