12"/50 caliber gun (Argentina)
12"/50 caliber Bethlehem gun | |
---|---|
Type | Naval gun |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1915–1956[1][2] |
Used by | Rivadavia-class battleships |
Wars | World War I, World War II |
Production history | |
Designed | 1910 |
Manufacturer | Bethlehem Steel Corporation[1] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 66 tons[1] |
Barrel length | 50 ft 6 in (15.39 m) bore (50 cal)[1] |
Caliber | 12 inches (304.8 mm)[1] |
Recoil | 38 inches (97 cm)[1] |
Rate of fire | 2.0–3.0 rounds per minute[1] |
Maximum firing range | 24,000 yd (22,000 m)[1] |
The 12"/50 caliber Bethlehem gun was a US naval gun designed in 1910 as the main armament for the Argentine Navy’s dreadnought battleships of the Rivadavia class.
Design[]
The gun was designed in 1910, and it was probably based on the US 12"/50 (30.5 cm) Mark 7 naval gun with a breech weight added. The guns were manufactured at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.[1] The ships in the class had twelve 305 mm guns each, mounted in six twin (2-gun) turrets, with two turrets forward, two aft, and one on each side.
Measurements and Capabilities[]
The gun weighed 66 tons including the breech and was capable of an average rate of fire of 2–3 rounds a minute. It could throw an 870 lb. (394.6 kg) Mark 15 armor-piercing shell 24,000 yards (21,950 meters) at an elevation of 14.7°, while the "barrel life" of the guns was 200 shots.
The previous 12" gun, manufactured for the U.S. Navy, was the Mark 7 version, a very similar gun which had been designed and installed in the 1912 era Wyoming-class battleships.[1]
Service[]
This gun was only installed in the Argentine Navy Rivadavia-class battleships Rivadavia and Moreno.
See also[]
- BL 12 inch Mk XI – XII naval gun British equivalent
- Obukhovskii 12"/52 Pattern 1907 gun Russian equivalent
- 30.5 cm SK L/50 gun German equivalent
- List of naval guns
References[]
Citations[]
- ^ 1956 is the year the Argentinian battleships were decommissioned.
Sources[]
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External links[]
- History and specifications, at Naval Weapons of the World website (NavWeaps.com) (retrieved 2010-02-22)
- "Haze Gray & Underway" - World Battleship Lists - Argentina (retrieved 2010-02-22)
- (in Spanish) "Historia y Arqueología Marítima" (HistArMar) - Battleships ARA Moreno & Rivadavia - History & Pictures (retrieved 2010-02-22)
- Naval guns of Argentina
- Naval guns of the United States
- World War II naval weapons
- 305 mm artillery