HMS Benbow carried two 16.25-inch Mark I guns, second in Royal Navy service only to the larger weapons on HMS Furious. Each barrel measured 40 feet 8 inches, equivalent to 30 calibres. Twelve guns of the type were built. Benbow received them before Victoria and Sans Pareil, which carried their pair together in a single forward turret. The guns’ scale explains why Benbow holds a distinctive place among the Admiral-class ironclads.
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Benbow’s record-sized naval guns
Meet HMS Benbow’s 16.25-inch guns, among the largest weapons ever fitted to a Royal Navy battleship.