8"/30 caliber gun

8"/30 caliber Mark 1 & 2 Naval Gun

USS Boston forward 8/30 gun is in the right foreground, with its crew standing at their posts.
Type Naval gun
Place of origin  United States
Service history
In service 1886–1906
Used by  United States Navy
Wars Spanish–American War
Production history
Designer Bureau of Ordnance
Designed 1883
Manufacturer U.S. Naval Gun Factory
Produced 1886–
Variants Marks 1 and 2
Specifications
Weight 29,100 lb (13,200 kg)
Barrel length 240 in (6.1 m) bore (30 calibers)
Shell 260 lb (120 kg)
Caliber 8 inches (203 mm)
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 battery of the United States Navy's "New Navy". They were a US naval gun that first entered service in 1886. Initially designed for use with the Atlanta-class and Chicago-class protected cruisers.[1]

Mark 1

Mark 1 consisted of a tube, jacket, 19 hoops and an elevating band with integral trunnions. Mark 1 Mod 1 had no trunnions. They weighed 29,100 lb (13,200 kg) with a barrel length of 240 in (6.1 m) bore (30 calibers).[1]

Mark 2

The Mark 2 was similar, but had the hoops differently arranged, did not have integral trunnions and had its rear sights controlled by worm and miter gears.[1]

Naval Service

Ship Gun Installation
USS Atlanta (1884) Mark 1: 2 × Single Barbette Mount
USS Boston (1884) Mark 1: 2 × Single Barbette Mount
USS Chicago (1885) Mark 2: 4 × Single "Half-turret"

On display

Two guns from the cruiser 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.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "United States of America 8"/30 (20.3 cm) Marks 1 and 2". Navweaps. 27 August 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "7 Odd Things to See in Seattle Parks (North End Edition)". The Sun Break. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2015.

External links

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