Armstrong Whitworth 12 inch/40 gun

It later entered service with the RN as the 12-inch Mark IX, being fitted to warships of three pre-dreadnought classes prior to World War I. Also, during the war several guns were converted for use as railway guns, and, towards the end of the conflict, for use on the M-class submarine monitors. The gun also saw service with the Italian Regia Marina, in two classes of pre-dreadnought battleships.

• Name — Type 41 12-inch 40-calibre BL 12-inch Mk IX gun • Origin — United Kingdom, later licence-produced in Japan • Type — Naval gun • Is Ranged — YES • Is Artillery — YES • Is Uk — YES • Service — 1900–1945 • Used By — Royal Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Regia Marina • Wars — Russo-Japanese War World War I • Designer — Elswick Ordnance Company • Design Date — 1898 • Manufacturer — Elswick Ordnance Company Vickers Woolwich Arsenal • Weight — 49 LT • Part Length — 40 ft bore (40 calibres) • Cartridge — 850 lb separate charges and shell • Caliber — 12 in • Rate — 1 round per minute • Velocity — Japanese service: 2,400 ft/s (732 m/s) UK service: 2481 ft/s, 2612 ft/s • Range — 15000 yd; 15° elevation • Breech — Welin interrupted screw • Elevation — −5/+15 degrees • Traverse — +150/−150 degrees

The Type 41 12-inch naval gun was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, as a slightly modified version of the "EOC G pattern" 12-inch guns used on contemporary Royal Navy battleships.

Japan purchased a total of 44 of these weapons for use on the four ships of the and, and the battleships and. Each ship carried four guns in twin turrets. In combat at the Battle of the Yellow Sea in the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese battleships Asahi, and Mikasa all had one of their main guns taken out of action due to premature bore detonations. The cause was traced to faulty fuses, and the problem was rectified prior to the Battle of Tsushima. The gun was officially designated as "Type 41" from the 41st year of the reign of Emperor Meiji on 25 December 1908. It was further re-designated in centimetres on 5 October 1917 as part of the standardization process for the Imperial Japanese Navy to the metric system. The Type 41 12-inch gun fired an 850 lb shell, with either an armour-piercing, high-explosive or general-purpose warhead.

The gun entered service with the Royal Navy as "BL 12 inch gun Mark IX" on the following ships: • s: Three ships, laid down 1898 and mounting four guns each. • s: Five ships, laid down in 1898–1901 and mounting four guns each. • s: Six ships laid down 1899, each mounting four guns. • s of 1904. Five of the eight ships of this class (King Edward VII, Commonwealth, Hindustan, Dominion and New Zealand) carried the Mark IX gun.

• Illustration — Sectioned model showing mounting on submarine The gun was in service mounted on the three M-class submarines. HMS M2 and M3 had their guns removed in 1927–28.

Four guns were mounted on railway carriages and used by the British army in World War I on the Western Front.

• Illustration — Cartridge 63½ lb (¼ charge), Cordite M.D. used on • Illustration — Common pointed capped shell, 1912

• Illustration — Fitted to Armstrongs also sold versions of their 12-inch 40-calibre gun to Italy to arm the two (commissioned 1905) and the four s (commissioned 1908). The version for the Regina Elena class fired a heavier 417 kg shell. The Regina Margheritas were lost during the war, the Regina Elenas scrapped after the war.

• 305 mm/40 Modèle 1893/1896 French equivalent • Russian 12-inch 40-caliber naval gun Russian equivalent

Dar-mo bkaʼ rgya ma: man ṅag zab mo kun gyi sñiṅ khu bsdus pa dar-mo sman-rams-pa'i gdams ṅag bka rgya ma. Associated with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Classified as a rifled breech loader or naval artillery. Within the Encyclopedia. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.