RML 12 Inch 25 Ton Gun

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RML 12 Inch 25 Ton Gun


Gun on HMS Hotspur , projectile is loaded into the muzzle

General Information
Military designation: RML 12 inch 25t gun
Manufacturer designation: RML 12 inch 23.5t gun
RML 12 inch 25t gun
Manufacturer country: United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Developer / Manufacturer: Royal Arsenal
Development year: 1866
Production time: 1866 to 1871
Number of pieces: Mk I: 4
Mk II: 9
Mk I / II: 2
Model variants: Mk I, II
Weapon Category: cannon
Technical specifications
Pipe length: 12.1 caliber / 3.683
Caliber :

12 inch (304.8 mm)

Number of trains : 9
Elevation range: 45 degrees
Furnishing
Bullet weight: 608 pounds

The RML 12 inch 25t gun was a British cannon that was used as a ship gun and in coastal artillery only in small numbers. After 1870 the type was abandoned in favor of the RML 11 inch gun .

history

The first breech-loading guns ( RBL - Rifled Breech Loading) rifled were from Armstrong developed and in 1859 the British Army and the Royal Navy introduced. However, these guns could not convince in action. Therefore, the British Army and the Royal Navy switched to rifled muzzle loading ( RML ) again from the mid-1860s . The rifled barrel was retained, however.

The cannon was based on a request from 1864. Compared to the 13 inch caliber, a higher muzzle velocity of the bullet was expected. However, the approach was initially not followed until 1866. In the meantime, the 11 inch caliber was favored, which meant that similar shooting performance could be expected. A comparison was made to determine “which caliber and which barrel length would be most suitable for a cannon weighing 23 to 35 t”. The decision was made on October 1, 1870 in favor of the 11 inch caliber. The ranges achieved were identical, but the penetration rate of the 12 inch gun was even a fraction less than that of the 11 inch caliber.

construction

The RML 12 inch gun 25t differed from the RML 11 inch 25 ton gun practically only by the caliber. The cannon was a muzzle loader . First the propellant charge was inserted from the front, then the projectile in the same way. The core tube was surrounded by a jacket tube made of one or more layers of wound steel. Armstrong's original design was a jacket tube made of several thin layers of pure iron. In the Mk I version, only one thicker layer was shrunk on, and in the Mk II two layers. This made production cheaper. The number of rings was reduced from 7 on the Mk I to 3 on the Mk II, which changed the external appearance of the guns. Construction numbers 20 and 21 represented an intermediate step. Constructively, they were designed like the Mk I version, but had a slightly modified outer shape. At 23.5 t, the Mk I version was lighter than the Mk II version with 25 t, but for the sake of simplicity the designation RML 12 inch of 25 tons was given for all versions.

The grenades used were provided with wart-shaped elevations that slid along the rifling of the barrel and thus made it possible to insert the projectile from the front. From the mid-seventies, projectiles with a twist guide ring were used, which sealed the projectile gas-tight against the barrel.

  • Structure of the pipe

  • Bullet with wart-shaped elevations, sectional drawing

For the gun RML 12 inch 25t , the same guns as for were RML 11 inch 25 ton gun used, as dimensions, weights and shooting performance practically not distinguished. The gun did not have a barrel return mechanism . In order to absorb the forces of the recoil , special mount designs were necessary. When setting up the pivot, the lower mount could be rotated around a pin. The cannon was mounted on a wall mount that was placed on the lower mount. A similar construction was used when setting up the casemate. An articulated carriage was used for the installation in Barbette .

The maximum pipe elevation was 45 degrees. Due to the steeper trajectory, the lighter armored decks could be penetrated.

Ship gun

The cannon was used, among other things, on the HMS Captain .

Coastal artillery

Cannons of this type were used in coastal fortifications in parts of the British Empire.

Decommissioning

The decommissioning began in the eighties of the 19th century, as the guns no longer met the increased requirements and from this point on more modern breech loading cannons ( BL - Breech Loading) were available.

User countries

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Treatise on the Construction and Manufacture of Ordnance in the British Service. 1877, p. 284 f.
  2. ^ A b c d Treatise on the Construction and Manufacture of Ordnance in the British Service. 1877, p. 285.
  3. ↑ a b Text Book of Gunnery 1887. Table XVI p. 312.
  4. ^ Treatise on the Construction and Manufacture of Ordnance in the British Service. 1877, pp. 77f.
  5. ^ A b Treatise on the Construction and Manufacture of Ordnance in the British Service. 1877, p. 94.
  6. ^ Treatise on the Construction and Manufacture of Ordnance in the British Service, 1877, pp. 282f.
  7. ↑ Text Book of Gunnery 1887. Table XVI p. 313.
  8. ^ Treatise on the Construction and Manufacture of Ordnance in the British Service. 1877, p. 257.
  9. ↑ http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/art/11rml1.htm ( Memento from August 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ↑ http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/art/11rml2.htm ( Memento from August 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/art/gallery1/large/art09.jpg

Web links

Commons : RML 12 inch 25 ton gun  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Treatise on the construction and manufacture of ordnance in the British Service prepared in the Royal Gun Factory. Printed in Order of the Secretary of State of War, London 1877.
  • Text Book of Gunnery. Printed for His Majesty's Stationery Office by Harrison and Sons, St Martin's Lane, London 1887.