8"/30 caliber gun
| 8"/30 caliber Mark 1 & 2 Naval Gun | |
|---|---|
| File:8inch 30 cal gun.jpg
USS Boston's forward 8"/30 gun is in the right foreground, with its crew standing at their posts.
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| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1886–1906 |
| Used by |  United States Navy |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Bureau of Ordnance |
| Designed | 1883 |
| Manufacturer | U.S. Naval Gun Factory |
| Produced | 1886– |
| Number built | 8 |
| Variants | Mark 1 Mod 0 and 1 and Mark 2 Mod 1 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 29,100 lb (13,200 kg) |
| Length |
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| Barrel length |
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| Shell | 260 lb (120 kg) |
| Caliber | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Elevation | −5° to +20° |
| Traverse | −150° to +150° |
| Rate of fire | 0.5–1 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 14,000-yard (12,802 m) at 20° elevation |
The 8"/30 caliber gun (spoken "eight-inch-thirty-caliber") formed the main batteries of the United States Navy's "New Navy". They were a US naval gun that first entered service in 1886, and were designed for use with the first three protected cruisers, Atlanta, Boston and Chicago .[1]
Mark 1
Mark 1, Nos. 1–4, Mod 0, consisted of a tube, jacket, 19 hoops and an elevating band with integral trunnions. The Mod 1 had no trunnions and were not hooped to the muzzle. They weighed 29,100 lb (13,200 kg) with a barrel length of 240 in (6.1 m) bore (30 calibers). [1][2]
Mark 2
The Mark 2 Mod 1, Nos. 5–8, was similar, but had the hoops differently arranged, did not have integral trunnions and had its rear sights controlled by worm and miter gears. Mark 2 gun No. 7, from Chicago, was later modified into a pneumatic gun and mounted in Vesuvius to fire a 10 in (254 mm) aerial torpedo.[1][2]
| Ship | Gun Installed | Gun Mount |
|---|---|---|
| USS Atlanta (1884) | Mark 1: 2 × 8"/30 caliber | Mark 1: 2 × Single Barbette Mount |
| USS Boston (1884) | Mark 1: 2 × 8"/30 caliber | Mark 1: 2 × Single Barbette Mount |
| USS Chicago (1885) | Mark 2: 4 × 8"/30 caliber | Mark 2: 4 × Single "Half-turret" |
On display
Two guns from the cruiser USS Boston are currently (2010) on display at Hamlin Park in Shoreline, Washington. A plaque at the site states that one of these guns fired the first shot at the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898.[3]
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 8"/30 caliber gun. |
- Photo gallery of USS Boston at NavSource Naval History
- Photo gallery of USS Chicago at NavSource Naval History
- Photo gallery of USS Atlanta at NavSource Naval History
- Bluejackets Manual, 1917, 4th revision: US Navy 14-inch Mark 1 gun
