BL 5.5-inch Mark I | |
---|---|
Type | Naval gun, Coastal defence |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1913–1954 |
Wars | World War I World War II |
Production history | |
Designer | Coventry Ordnance Works |
Designed | 1913 |
Manufacturer | Coventry Ordnance Works |
No. built | 81 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 13,955 lbs (6,330 kg)[2] |
Length | 275 inches (7.0 m) L/50 |
Shell | 82 pounds (37.19 kg) |
Calibre | 5.5-inch (140 mm) |
Breech | Welin breech block with Holmstrom mechanism[3] |
Elevation | -7 degrees to +30 degrees depending on mount[2] |
Rate of fire | 12 rounds per minute |
Muzzle velocity | 2,790 f/s (850 m/s)[2] |
Effective firing range | 17,800 yards (16,300 m) at 30-degree elevation |
The Breech Loading 5.5-inch Mk I was a naval gun used by the British Royal Navy during both World Wars.
The 5.5 inch guns were removed from HMS Hood in the 1935 refit. In 1940 two were installed in Fort Bedford Battery on Ascension Island and remain there today. A pair were installed in specially built casemates on the roof of Coalhouse Fort in Essex, overlooking the Thames.[4] Guns from the Hood also went to Bognor Regis, Pevensey, North Foreland, Dover and Folkestone.[5]
Boy Seaman First Class Jack Cornwell was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for heroism in serving his gun on HMS Chester during the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916.