The 8"/55 caliber gun (spoken "eight-inch-fifty-five-caliber") formed the main battery of United States Navy heavy cruisers and two early aircraft carriers. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun barrel had an internal diameter of 8 inches (203 mm), and the barrel was 55 calibers long (barrel length is 8 inch × 55 = 440 inches or 36.6 feet or 11 meters).Fairfield 1921 p.156

Mark 9 These built-up guns weighed about 30 tons including a liner, tube, jacket, and five hoops. A down-swing Welin breech block was closed by compressed air from the gas ejector system. Loading with two silk bags each containing of smokeless powder gave a projectile a velocity of 2800 feet per second (853 m/s). Range was 18 miles at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees.

Mark 12 These simplified built-up guns eliminated hoops to reduce weight to 17 tons. The breech mechanism was similar and loading two silk bags each containing 43 pounds (20 kg) of smokeless powder gave a 335-pound (152 kg) projectile a velocity of 2500 feet per second (760 m/s). Each gun could fire about four rounds per minute. Maximum range was at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees.

Mark 14 These guns were similar to Mark 9, with the same shell weight and maximum range, with a smaller chamber and rifling twist increased from 1 in 35 to 1 in 25 in a chromium-plated bore.

Mark 15 These guns were similar to Mark 12, with the same shell weight and maximum range, with the smaller chamber of the Mark 14 gun. Useful life expectancy was 715 effective full charges (EFC) per liner.

Mark 16 These self-loading guns with lined monobloc construction and vertical sliding breech blocks weighed about 20 tons. Semi-fixed ammunition (projectile and powder case handled separately) with 78 pounds (35 kg) of smokeless powder gave a 335-pound (152 kg) projectile a velocity of 2500 feet per second (760 m/s). Each gun could fire about ten rounds per minute. Useful life expectancy was 780 Effective Full Charges per liner. Range was 17 miles (27 kilometers) at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees. "New Cruiser Packs 8 inch Automatics" , May 1949, Popular Science detailed illustrations of Mark 16 This gun was modified for the experimental Major Caliber Lightweight Gun.

Coast defense use The eight twin turrets of and were removed in early 1942 during refits at Pearl Harbor. The turrets were turned over to the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps and remounted as coastal artillery on Oahu. Four two-turret batteries were established at Salt Lake near Aliamanu Crater (Battery Salt Lake, later Battery Burgess),FortWiki article on Battery Burgess Wiliwilinui Ridge Military Reservation (Battery Wilridge, later Battery Kirkpatrick),FortWiki article on Battery Kirkpatrick Opaeula Military Reservation (Battery Opaeula, later Battery Riggs),ForWiki article on Battery Riggs and Brodie Camp Military Reservation (Battery Brodie, later Battery George Ricker).FortWiki article on Battery George RickerFortWiki article on Hawaii turret batteriesList of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website After the war, all of the guns and turrets were scrapped in 1948, along with almost all other US coast artillery.

One of s main battery 8 inch 55 caliber gun turrets (Turret No. 2) damaged in a kamikaze attack on January 5, 1945, was removed and taken to the Nevada Test Site and converted into a rotating radiation detector, to collect data on nuclear tests.

Ships mounting 8"/55 caliber guns

2 (c. 1921 – 1925) aircraft carriers: , Mk 9 guns in four 190-ton twin turrets removed in 1942 and added to Oahu coast defenses 2 (c. 1927) heavy cruisers: , Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in two 190-ton twin turrets and two 250-ton triple turrets 6 (c. 1928) heavy cruisers: 2 of 6: , Mk 9 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets Houston was sunk in March 1942, Chicago was sunk in January 1943 4 of 6: , , , Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets Northampton was sunk in November 1942 2 (c. 1930) heavy cruisers: , Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turrets Indianapolis was sunk in July 1945 7 (c. 1931) heavy cruisers: 3 of 7: 294 ton triple turrets : Mk 9 guns (sunk in 08/1942) : Mk 9 (later Mk 14) guns : Mk 9 (later Mk 15) guns Astoria was sunk in August of 1942 4 of 7: , , , Mk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turrets Quincy and Vincennes were sunk in August 1942

Mk 12 guns in three 314-ton triple turrets 14 (c. 1941) heavy cruisers: 1 of 14: Mk 12 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets 13 of 14: , , , , , , , , , , , , Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets 3 (c. 1944) heavy cruisers: , , Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets 3 (c. 1945) heavy cruisers: , , Mk 16 guns in three 450-ton triple turrets 1 ex-: Mk 16 gun in one 86-ton single automatic mount 8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun installation

ShipGun InstallationMk 9 guns in four 190-ton twin turretsMk 9 guns in four 190-ton twin turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in two 190-ton twin turrets and two 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in two 190-ton twin turrets and two 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 294-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 guns in three 294-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 14) guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 9 (later Mk 15) guns in three 294-ton triple turretsMk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 12 guns in three 250-ton triple turretsMk 12 guns in three 314-ton triple turretsMk 12 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets CAG-1Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets CAG-2Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 16 guns in three 450-ton triple turrets Mk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 15 guns in three 300-ton triple turretsMk 16 guns in three 450-ton triple turretsMk 16 guns in three 450-ton triple turretsMk 16 gun in one 86-ton single automatic mount (8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun installation)

See also 8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun 1970s US experimental program

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 gun French equivalent 20.3 cm SK C/34 Naval gun German equivalent 203 mm /53 Italian naval gun Italian equivalent 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun Japanese equivalent BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun UK equivalent

References

Bibliography

"Mystery in the Desert Is a Mystery No More".

External links