Elswick mounting

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Gun in firing position
Gun in loading position
principle

When Elswick mounting MOUNTINGS mentioned is there is a version of as disappearing gun known joint mount that in the second half of the 19th century for stationary guns of the fortress came and coastal artillery used. The mount was developed and manufactured by Elswick Ordnance Company , a subsidiary of Armstrong .

Artillery had developed further since the middle of the 19th century . The guns were fitted with trains. This enabled the range and accuracy to be increased. At the same time, it was possible to fire grenades, which increased the effect on the target. Since breech- loading cannons were not yet ready for series production, these guns were largely converted from the existing muzzle-loading cannons . However, loading the cannon from the front proved to be a decisive disadvantage, for which the crew had to step in front of the cannon.

Due to the design, the cannon towered over the parapet. The use of parapets with loopholes was hardly possible, as this severely restricted the directional range of the cannon. The gun and the operator were thus largely unprotected from the enemy fire.

The attempt was made to eliminate this disadvantage by moving the cannon to a protected position for reloading. A joint mount was also used. The upper mount was swiveled backwards by approx. 90 degrees. The gun drove down through a recess in the armor and finally came to rest under it. In this position, the cannon could be loaded from the front under armor protection. The entire carriage could still be swiveled sideways. During the return to the loading position, air was compressed in a piston. This in turn drove a hydraulic system that moved the cannon into the firing position after loading.

The advantage was the protection of the cannon and the operator. The upper mount could still be made lighter because it did not have to absorb the full recoil of the tube. The guns of that time did not yet have any facilities for the return of the barrel , the first cannon with barrel return was not introduced into the French army until 1897. The force of the recoil acted directly on the mount. Due to the recoil force that occurred when firing, the cannon usually ran back a few meters, so that it had to be brought back into position and realigned. This reduced the rate of fire considerably and allowed shooting only from level gun positions that allowed reverse travel. This was not acceptable for use in fixed firing positions.

In addition to the complicated structure and the resulting costs for production and maintenance, the main disadvantage was the low rate of fire of the muzzle-loaders due to the design. The cadence and was no longer a well-established use than three rounds per minute. Shelling tests carried out in 1890 by the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy also showed that the probability of a direct hit on the gun emplacement was very low. The effort was out of proportion to the benefit. The muzzle-loading cannons were obsolete with the introduction of breech-loading guns, in which armored shields provided protection for the operators. From 1912 onwards, the Royal Navy refrained from purchasing further “Elswick mountings”.

  • Elswick mounting, sketch

  • production

  • View of the articulated mount

  • Breech loader on Elswick mounting

literature

  • Charles Stephenson: "The Fortifications of Malta 1530-1945", Osprey Publishing Limited, 2004, ISBN 1-84176-836-7
  • Thomas Allnutt Brassey, Tom Leyland: "The Naval Annual, 1900", Adamant Media Corporation, 2000, ISBN 978-1421241760

Web links