BL 13.5-inch Mk I – IV naval gun

Ordnance BL 13.5 inch gun Mk I - IV
The forward 13.5-inch (343-mm) gun turret of the battleship HMS Hood
TypeNaval gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
Used byUnited Kingdom
Kingdom of Italy
Production history
DesignerWoolwich
Designed1880
VariantsMk I, II, III, IV
Specifications
Mass67-69 tons barrel & breech
Barrel length405 inches (10.29 m) bore (30 calibres)

Shell1,250 pounds (570 kg)
Calibre13.5-inch (342.9 mm)
Muzzle velocity2,016 feet per second (614 m/s)
Effective firing range12,000 yards (11,000 m)

The BL 13.5 inch naval gun Mk I ("67-ton gun") was Britain's first successful large breechloading naval gun, initially designed in the early 1880s and eventually deployed in the late 1880s. Mks I - IV were all of 30 calibres length and of similar construction and performance.