BL 16 inch Mk I naval gun

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Ordnance BL 16 inch Mark I
Guns of HMS Rodney at maximum elevation, 1940
Type	naval gun
Place of origin	UK
Service history
In service	1927-1948
Used by	UK
Production history
Designed	1922
Specifications
Weight	108 tons (109.7 tonnes)
Length	61 ft 10 in (18.85 m)
Barrel length	60 ft (18.3 m)

Shell	separate charge, AP shell 2,048 lb (929 kg)
Calibre	16 inch (406 mm)
Breech	Welin
Elevation	40° in mounting Mark I
Rate of fire	1.5 rounds per minute as fitted
Muzzle velocity	2,586 feet/second (788 m/s)
Effective range	35,000 yards (32,000 m) at 32° elevation
Maximum range	39,780 yards (36,375 m)

The BL 16 inch Mark I, BL standing for breech loading, was a British naval gun introduced in the 1920s and used on the Nelson class battleships. The barrel was 45 calibres long, /45 in shorthand, meaning it was 45 x 16 inches = 720 inches long.

These weapons had originally been planned for the cancelled G3 battlecruiser design upon which the Nelson class drew.

An improved weapon, the BL 16 inch Mark II was designed, but not produced, for the cancelled Lion class battleships.

Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth & Company at Elswick, Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, William Beardmore & Company at Dalmuir and the Royal Gun Factory at Woolwich made a total of 29 guns of which 18 would be required for both ships at any time.