12-inch/50-caliber Mark 8 gun

May 2024 yes yes yes USS Guam (CB-2) firing main battery, 1944-45.jpg 300 Guam CB-2 6 firing her 12"/50 guns during a training session sometime in 1944–1945. 12"/50 caliber Mark 8 gun United States Alaska cruisers World War II Naval gun 1939 Naval Gun Factory, Midvale and Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Watervliet Arsenal 1944–19611961 is the year the last remaining Alaska-class ship, Guam, was decommissioned. 12 in mm 4 50 ft m 4 bore (50 cal) 2.4–3.0 rounds per minute 1140 lb kg 38,021 yd m The 12"/50 caliber gun Mark 8 was a US naval gun mounted on the Alaska cruiser. The gun, like the "large cruiser" that mounted it, was intended to fill the gap between US "heavy cruisers" (6-8") and US battleships (14-16"). The name describes the size of the shells, 12 inches in diameter, and the length of the bore in calibers (50 bore diameters). Design and production The gun was designed in 1939, and a prototype was tested in 1942. Unlike previous guns, such as the 16"/45 caliber guns used on the North Carolina battleship 4, which were completely made and assembled at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington D.C., the forgings for the Mark 8 were manufactured at the Midvale and Bethlehem Steel corporations. They were then sent to the Naval Gun Factory for processing, which was followed by a trip to Watervliet Arsenal until they were 65% complete. Finally, the built-up guns were sent back to the Naval Gun Factory to be finished. The gun was first deployed in 1944, on the lead ship of the Alaska class, Alaska CB-1 6.DiGiulian Tony United States of America 12"/50 Mark 8 http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_12-50_mk8.htm Navweaps.com 7 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090107124009/http://www.navweaps.com//Weapons/WNUS_12-50_mk8.htm 7 January 2009 live The two Alaska-class ships each had nine Mark 8 guns mounted in three triple (3-gun) turrets, with two turrets forward and one aft, a configuration known as "2-A-1". Only two vessels of the class were completed, making them the only applications of the Mark 8 12"/50 caliber gun. Measurements The Mark 8 weighed 121856 lb kg including the breech and was capable of an average rate of fire of 2.4–3 rounds a minute. It could throw a 1,140 lb. (517 kg) Mark 18 armor-piercing shell 38,573 yards (35,271 meters) at an elevation of 45°.DiGiulian Tony United States of America 16"/50 (40.6 cm) Mark 7 http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7.htm Navweaps.com 7 February 2008 7 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090107111605/http://www.navweaps.com//Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7.htm 7 January 2009 live The previous 12" gun manufactured for the U.S. Navy was the Mark 7 version, used in the World War I era Wyoming battleships, could only throw an 870 lbs kg us on shell 24000 yard m 0, at an elevation of 15°DiGiulian Tony United States of America 12"/50 Mark 7 http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_12-50_mk7.htm Navweaps.com 2011-07-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20110630225044/http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_12-50_mk7.htm 30 June 2011 live dmy The Mark 8's significant improvement in firing weight and range over the Mark 7 gave it the honor of "by far the most powerful weapon of its caliber ever placed in service."Dulin Jr. Robert O. Garzke Jr. William H. Battleships: United States Battleships in World War II https://books.google.com/books?id=oFv4gqBwF1UC&dq=%22Alaska+class%22&pg=PA179 Naval Institute Press 1976 1-55750-174-2 190 11 January 2009 In fact, as a result of the decision to fire "super heavy" armor-piercing projectiles, the Mark 8's deck plate penetration was better and the side belt armor penetration equal to the older (but larger) 14"/50 caliber gun. The barrel life of the Mark 8 guns was 344 rounds, 54 more than the 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun found in the Iowa battleships. See also 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun 14"/50 caliber gun References External links Category:Naval guns of the United States Category:World War II naval weapons Category:305 mm artillery Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1944