13-inch/35-caliber gun
The 13"/35 caliber gun Mark 1 (spoken "thirteen-inch-thirty-five-caliber") was used for the primary batteries on eight of the first nine battleships in the United States Navy, Indiana-class, Kearsarge-class and Illinois-class; USS Iowa (BB-4) used the 12-inch (305 mm)/35 caliber gun.
| 13"/35 caliber Mark 1 and Mark 2 | |
|---|---|
Forward 13-inch gun turret of USS Indiana (BB-1), c. 1898. | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1895 |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Wars |
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| Production history | |
| Designer | Bureau of Ordnance |
| Manufacturer | US Naval Gun Factory |
| Unit cost | $53,000 |
| No. built |
|
| Variants | Mark 1 and Mark 2 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Barrel length |
|
| Shell | 1,130 lb (510 kg) armor-piercing |
| Caliber | 13 in (330 mm) |
| Elevation | -5° to +15° |
| Traverse | −150° to +150° |
| Rate of fire | 1 round per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 12,000 yd (10,973 m) at 15° elevation |
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). A 16-inch caliber gun was beyond US manufacturing capabilities at this time though and the largest gun possible was the 13-inch (330 mm)/35 caliber. The Navy intended to use this gun in short-range action against heavily armored targets and was fitted to the first true battleship in the US Navy, Indiana. This turned out to be the only 13-inch gun developed for the US Navy.