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 monitor . The 10"/30 caliber gun Mark 2 was used as main armament on the remaining Amphitrite-class monitors, the monitor , and the armored cruiser .
The Navy's Policy Board called for a variety of large-caliber weapons in 1890, with ranges all the way up to . This gun had been in development since 1885. The Navy desired a lightweight 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.
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 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. These were all constructed of gun steel.
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.
Naval service ShipGun InstalledGun MountMark 1 Mod 1: 10"/31 caliber Mark 1 Mod 2: 10"/35 caliberMark 1: 2 × Twin TurretsMark 2: 10"/30 caliberMark 2: 2 × twin turretsMark 2: 10"/30 caliberMark 2: 2 × twin turretsMark 2: 10"/30 caliberMark 4: 2 × twin turretsMark 2: 10"/30 caliberMark 2: 1 × twin turretMark 2: 10"/30 caliberMark 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. Notes
References
Books
Online sources
External links
Bluejackets Manual, 1917, 4th revision: US Navy 14-inch Mark 1 gun