Ordnance BL 6-inch 80-pounder Mk I | |
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![]() Gun from HMAS Protector at Birkenhead, South Australia, August 2011 | |
Type | Naval gun Coast defence gun |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1880–1943 |
Used by | Royal Navy Australian Colonies |
Production history | |
Designer | Elswick Ordnance Company |
Manufacturer | Elswick Ordnance Company |
Variants | Mk I |
Specifications | |
Mass | 80 or 81 cwt (4 tons)[1] |
Barrel length | 153 – 156 inches[2] |
Shell | 80 pounds (36.29 kg) Palliser, Shrapnel, common |
Calibre | 6-inch (152.4 mm) |
Breech | 3 motion interrupted screw. Elswick cup obturation |
Muzzle velocity | 1,880 feet per second (573 m/s)[3] |
Maximum firing range | 8,000 yards (7,300 m) |
The BL 6-inch 80-pounder gun Mk I was the first generation of British 6-inch breechloading naval gun after it switched from muzzle-loaders in 1880. They were originally designed to use the old gunpowder propellants.