10"/31 caliber gun

10"/31 caliber Mark 1 Mod 1/ 10"/35 caliber Mark 1 Mod 2/ 10"/30 caliber Mark 2 Naval Gun

Fitting one of the 10-inch main guns to the front turret of USS Miantonomoh (BM-5) at the New York Navy Yard, circa 1890.
Type Naval gun
Place of origin  United States
Service history
In service 1895
Used by  United States Navy
Wars
Production history
Designer Bureau of Ordnance
Designed 1891
Manufacturer U.S. Naval Gun Factory
Variants Mark 1 Mod 1, Mark 1 Mod 2 and Mark 2
Specifications
Weight
  • Mark 1 Mod 1: 57,500 lb (26,100 kg) (without breech)
  • Mark 2: 50,200 lb (22,800 kg) (without breech)
Length
  • Mark 1 Mod 1: 329.1 in (8.36 m)
  • Mark 1 Mod 2: 365.5 in (9.28 m)
  • Mark 2: 329.1 in (8.36 m)
Barrel length
  • Mark 1 Mod 1: 312.8 in (7.95 m) bore (31 calibers)
  • Mark 1 Mod 2: 340 in (8.6 m) bore (34 calibers)
  • Mark 2: 300 in (7.6 m) bore (30 calibers)
Shell 510 lb (230 kg) armor-piercing
Caliber 10 inches (254 mm)
Elevation
  • Marks 1 and 2:-3° to +13.5°
  • Marks 3 and 5:−3° to +15°
Traverse −150° to +150°
Rate of fire
  • 1890s: 0.66 rounds per minute
  • 1900s: 2 – 3 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s)
Effective firing range 20,000-yard (18,288 m) at 15° elevation

The 10"/31 caliber gun Mark 1 Mod 1 (spoken "ten-inch-thirty-one--caliber") and the 10"/34 caliber gun Mark 1 Mod 2 were both used for the primary batteries of the United States Navy's Amphitrite-class monitor Miantonomoh. The 10"/30 caliber gun Mark 2 was used as main armament on the remaining Amphitrite-class monitors, the monitor Monterey, and the armored cruiser Maine.[1]

Mark 1

The Navy's Policy Board call for a variety of large caliber weapons in 1890, with ranges all the way up to 16 in (410 mm), lead to the development of the 10-inch/31 caliber gun. The 10" Mark 1 was a built in a length of 31 caliber, Mod 0 and Mod 1, and also 35 caliber, Mod 2. These were both mounted in pairs on Mianonomoh. Both of the Mod 0 and Mod 1 guns had a tube, jacket and 15 hoops with a locking ring. The Mod 2, was a 35 caliber gun of similar constructions but only had 14 hoops with a locking ring.[1]

Mark 2

The Mark 2 was an even simpler construction with only 11 hoops. These would be the guns used on the remaining Amphitrite-class monitors, Monterey, and Maine.[1]


Naval Service

Ship Gun Installed Gun Mount
USS Miantonomoh (BM-5)
  • Mark 1 Mod 1: 10"/31 caliber
  • Mark 1 Mod 2: 10"/34 caliber
 Mark 1: 2 × Twin Turrets
USS Amphitrite (BM-2) Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber Mark 2: 2 × twin turrets
USS Monadnock (BM-3) Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber Mark 2: 2 × twin turrets
USS Terror (BM-4) Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber Mark 5: 2 × twin turrets
USS Monterey (BM-6) Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber Mark 2: 1 × twin turret
USS Maine (ACR-1) Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber Mark 3: 2 × twin turrets

References

  1. 1 2 3 "United States of America 10"/31 (25.4 cm) Mark 1 Mod 0 and Mod 1 10"/35 (25.4 cm) Mark 1 Mod 2 10"/30 (25.4 cm) Mark 2". Navweaps. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2016.

External links

Bluejackets Manual, 1917, 4th revision: US Navy 14-inch Mark 1 gun


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