| 8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun | |
|---|---|
_testing_Mk71_8_inch_gun.jpg) The destroyer USS Hull test-firing a Mark 71 MCLWG prototype | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1975–1978 (testing only) |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division |
| Designed | 1975 |
| Manufacturer | FMC |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 172,895 lbs. (78,425 kg) including ready ammunition |
| Barrel length | 440 inches (11.165 m) |
| Crew | 6 |
| Caliber | 8 in (203 mm) |
| Elevation | +65 / -5 degrees Rate: 20 degree/second |
| Traverse | +160 / -160 degrees 30 degrees/second |
| Rate of fire | 12 rounds per minute (rpm) automatic maximum Guided projectiles: 6 rpm |
| Effective firing range | 32,000 yards (29,260 m) at 41° elevation |
| Feed system | 75 rounds on ready service loader |
The U.S. Navy's Major Caliber Lightweight Gun (MCLWG) program was the 8"/55 caliber Mark 71 major caliber lightweight, single-barrel naval gun prototype (spoken "eight-inch-fifty-five-caliber") that was mounted aboard the destroyer USS Hull in 1975 to test the capability of destroyer-sized ships to replace decommissioned cruisers for long-range shore bombardment.[1] United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 8 inches (203 mm) in diameter, and the barrel was 55 calibers long (barrel length is 8" × 55 = 440" or 11.165 meters.)[2]