8-inch/30-caliber gun
| 8"/30 caliber Mark 1 & 2 Naval Gun | |
|---|---|
 USS Boston's 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 | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Bureau of Ordnance |
| Designed | 1883 |
| Manufacturer | U.S. Naval Gun Factory |
| Produced | 1886– |
| No. built |
|
| Variants | Mark 1 Mod 0 and 1 and Mark 2 Mod 1 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 29,100 lb (13,200 kg) (without breech) |
| Length |
|
| Barrel length |
|
| Shell | 260 lb (120 kg) |
| Caliber | 8 in (203 mm) |
| Elevation | −5° to +20° |
| Traverse | −150° to +150° |
| Rate of fire | 0.5–1 round per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 14,000 yd (13,000 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), without the breech, with a barrel length of 240 in (6,100 mm) 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 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. Another plaque states
8-inch 30 Caliber Gun
U.S.S. Boston
Captain Frank Wildes, U.S. Navy Commanding
This gun is credited at
THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY
with dismounting three guns
in the
Spanish fort at Cavite
May 1, 1898
[3] The two guns from Boston are marked "U. S. NAVY 8in MARK II 1899 CONVERTED".
Notes
- ^ a b Friedman 2011, p. 173.
- ^ The Sun Break 2013.
References
- Books
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978 1 84832 100 7.
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- Online sources
- "United States of America 8"/30 (20.3 cm) Marks 1 and 2". Navweaps. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- "7 Odd Things to See in Seattle Parks (North End Edition)". The Sun Break. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
External links
- 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