BL 6 inch Gun Mk 19
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| Ordnance BL 6 inch gun MK XIX | |
|---|---|
 BL 6 inch gun Mk XIX, France 1918 |
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| Type | Heavy field gun |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1916 - 1940 |
| Used by | United Kingdom United States Brazil |
| Wars | World War I World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Number built | 310 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 10,248 lbs (gun & breech) 10 tons 3 1/2 cwt (total) |
| Barrel length | 35 calibres |
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| Shell | HE 100 pounds (45.36 kg) |
| Calibre | 6 in (152 mm) |
| Recoil | hydro pneumatic, variable |
| Carriage | wheeled, box trail |
| Elevation | 0° - 38°[1] |
| Traverse | 4° L & R[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 2350 ft/s[1] |
| Maximum range | 16,500 yds (2 crh shell); 17,800 yds (4 crh shell); 18,750 yds (6 crh shell)[1] |
The BL 6 inch Gun Mk 19 was introduced in 1916 as a lighter and longer-range replacement for the obsolescent BL 6 inch Gun Mk 7.
Contents |
[edit] History, description
Introduced in October 1916 by Vickers. It utilized the modern carriage and recoil mechanism of the BL 8 inch Howitzer Mk 6.
The gun barrel was of wire-wound construction : "The gun body is of steel and consists of tubes, a series of layers of steel wire, jacket, breech bush and breech ring".[2]
"The breech mechanism is operated by means of a lever on the right side of the breech. On pulling the lever to the rear the breech screw is automatically unlocked and swung into the loading position. After loading, one thrust of the lever inserts the breech screw and turns it into the locked position. The breech mechanism is similar to that used on the 8 inches (203 mm) howitzers both in design and operation".[2]
[edit] British service
310 were built during World War I[3] and the gun served in all theatres, with 108 being in service on the Western front at the end of World War I,[1], but it did not completely replace the Mk VII gun until the end of the war.
3 batteries served with the BEF in France early in World War II, and others were deployed in the home defence of Britain. The gun was superseded by the 155-mm Gun M1, and the carriages used for 7.2 inches (183 mm) howitzers.[4]
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[edit] US Service
"Handbook of artillery" of May 1920 stated that :
"The original British ammunition so closely resembled the American that it was decided to use the [US] regular Mark II high-explosive shell... the propellant charge will consist of a base section and increment section having a total weight of approximately 25 pounds".[5]
This is 2 pounds more than the British charge (23 lb Cordite MD)[6], and may be the result of the US usage of Nitrocellulose propellant, which was slightly less powerful than the British cordite.
[edit] Brazil Service
Brazil purchased guns from USA in 1940.
[edit] See also
[edit] Surviving examples
- A gun bought by Brazil from USA in 1940 is displayed at the Brazilian Army museum, Copacabana.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 146
- ^ a b Handbook of artillery, United States. Army. Ordnance Dept, May 1920, page 245
- ^ Clarke 2005, page 40
- ^ Nigel F Evans, BRITISH ARTILLERY IN WORLD WAR 2. THE GUNS
- ^ Handbook of artillery, May 1920, page 277
- ^ Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 244
[edit] Notes and References
- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.
- Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914-1919. Heavy Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2005
- Handbook of artillery : including mobile, anti-aircraft and trench matériel (1920). United States. Army. Ordnance Dept, May 1920
