QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun
| QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun |
| Manufacturer country: |
 United Kingdom
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| Developer / Manufacturer: | Elswick Ordnance Company |
| Start of production: | 1906 |
| Weapon Category: | cannon |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 3.81 (50 caliber) |
| Caliber : |
3 inch (76.2 mm) |
| Cadence : | 20 rounds / min |
The gun QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval was in 1906 in the Royal Navy initiated and until the mid-1920s Ship cannon of the caliber 3 inches (76 mm). QF stands for Quick Fire (Schnellfeuergeschütz), 12 pounder for the bullet weight, 18 cwt for the weight of the barrel and breech (to distinguish it from other twelve pounders) and naval gun (ship gun) for the primary purpose (the designation of British guns at the time of Construction was not uniform, guns were named according to the weight of the bullet, the weight of the gun or the caliber). The cannon was designed and produced by Elswick .
construction
The cannon was a breech-loader . The gun had a hydraulic barrel brake under the barrel, which made space-saving installation on warships possible. On warships, the cannon was mounted on a pivot carriage. The ammunition used was charged with propellant and grenade separately. The propellant charge with ignition device was in a brass cartridge and was inserted into the barrel after the grenade . This type of ammunition was called Separate loading QF . This allowed a higher cadence than conventional breechloaders ( BL - breech loading) where bullet, propellant bags and igniting be loaded separately had. Compared to cartridged ammunition (grenade and propellant charge are in one cartridge and are loaded together), however, the rate was lower.
The gun fired the same shells with a weight of 5.67 kg (12.5 lb) as the other British 12-pounders , but the cartridge was longer and could take a larger propellant charge. The muzzle velocity and thus the effective range were higher (the higher combat range of the QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun is based on the different mountings, which made a barrel elevation of 40 ° possible).
commitment
The gun was used in the Royal Navy on larger units, usually battleships , to repel torpedo boats . The following ships or ship classes were equipped with cannons of this type:
- the battleship HMS Dreadnought , 1906
- the battleships HMS Britannia , HMS Africa , HMS Hibernia ( King Edward VII class ), 1906/1907
- the Lord Nelson class battleships , 1908
- the Minotaur-class armored cruiser , 1908/1909
- the submarines of the E-Class , 1912/1916
First World War
At the beginning of the First World War the British Army suffered from a severe shortage of heavy field artillery. Therefore, various improvised solutions were used. Four of the guns were used in East Africa from September 10, 1916 . From them, the 9th Field Battery (was 9 th Field Battery ) formed the waitresses were from the Royal Marines asked. The guns were first pulled by oxen and later by Napier tractors. The mission ended in September 1916.
literature
- General Sir Martin Farndale: The Forgotton Fronts and the Home Base, 1914-18. The Royal Artillery Institution, London 1988, ISBN 1-870114-05-1 ( History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery ).
Web links
- Tony DiGiulian, British 12-pdr (3 "/ 50 (7.62 cm)) 18cwt QF Mark I.
Individual evidence
- ^ After Elswick gun tables of 1901 , according to other sources 15
- ^ The Sight Manual 1916
- ↑ Farndale 1988, pp. 316, 391; According to various sources, the cannons came from the HMS Pegasus , but this did not carry such guns.