The 10"/31 caliber gun Mark 1 Mod 1 (spoken "ten-inch-thirty-one--caliber") and the 10"/35 caliber gun Mark 1 Mod 2 were both used for the primary batteries of the United States Navy's Amphitrite-class monitor Miantonomoh. The 10"/30 caliber gun Mark 2 was used as main armament on the remaining Amphitrite-class monitors, the monitor Monterey, and the armored cruiser Maine.[2]
The Navy's Policy Board called for a variety of large caliber weapons in 1890, with ranges all the way up to 16-inch (406 mm). This 10-inch (254 mm) gun had been in development since 1885. The Navy desired a light weight heavy weapon with a 10-inch bore to arm their coastal monitors and the armored cruiser Maine, which would later be classified a "Second Class Battleship." The 10-inch/31 caliber gun would be the first heavy breech loader (BL) gun in the "New Navy" and be the ancestor to all large caliber BL guns built in the United States.[2]
Mark 1
The 10-inch Mark 1 was a built-up gun constructed in a length of 31 caliber, Mod 0 and Mod 1, and also 35 caliber, Mod 2. These were both mounted in pairs on Mianonomoh and numbered 1–4 by the Navy. Both of the Mod 0 and Mod 1 guns had a tube, jacket, with the Mod 1 having a thicker jacket, and 15 hoops with a locking ring. The hoops started 5.91 in (150 mm) from the breech and extended to the muzzle. The Mod 2, was a 35 caliber gun of similar constructions but had only 14 hoops with a locking ring.[2] These were all constructed of gun steel.[3]
Mark 2
The Mark 2 was an even simpler construction with only 11 hoops, a different breech mechanism and reverting to a shorter, 30 caliber length, barrel. Eighteen were built, Nos. 5–26. These would be the guns used on the remaining Amphitrite-class monitors, Monterey, and Maine.[2][3]
Naval service
| Ship | Gun Installed | Gun Mount |
|---|---|---|
| USS Miantonomoh (BM-5) |
|
Mark 1: 2 × Twin Turrets |
| USS Amphitrite (BM-2) | Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber | Mark 2: 2 × twin turrets |
| USS Monadnock (BM-3) | Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber | Mark 2: 2 × twin turrets |
| USS Terror (BM-4) | Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber | Mark 4: 2 × twin turrets |
| USS Monterey (BM-6) | Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber | Mark 2: 1 × twin turret |
| USS Maine (ACR-1) | Mark 2: 10"/30 caliber | Mark 3: 2 × twin turrets |
Surviving Guns
Two Mark 2 guns from USS Maine exist in Havana, Cuba, where they were incorporated into a memorial dedicated to victims of the ship's destruction.[4]
Notes
- ^ Jamestown 1909, p. 101.
- ^ a b Friedman 2011, p. 173.
- ^ Spanamwar 2022.
References
- Books
- Final Report of the Jamestown Ter-Centennial Commission. Washington Government Printing Office. 1909. p. 101.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Seaforth Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Online sources
- "United States of America 10"/31 (25.4 cm) Mark 1 Mod 0 and Mod 1 10"/35 (25.4 cm) Mark 1 Mod 2 10"/30 (25.4 cm) Mark 2". Navweaps. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- "The Monument to the MAINE in Havana, Cuba". Spanamwar. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
External links