RML 12.5-inch 38-ton Gun
The RML 12.5-inch guns were large rifled muzzle-loading guns designed for British battleships and were also employed for coast defence. Design The gun originated from a desire for a longer 12-inch gun than the existing RML 12-inch 35-ton gun. Experiments in 1874 with both 12-inch and 12.5-inch versions 3 feet longer than the existing 12-inch gun showed the 12.5-inch calibre was more suitable, and further experiments showed a projectile of 800 pounds could be fired with a charge of 130 pounds of P2 gunpowder without undue strain. The same construction as in the existing 12-inch 35-ton gun was used : a mild steel "A" tube toughened in oil, surrounded by wrought iron "B" tube, triple coil in front of the trunnion, coiled breech-piece and breech coil. This was approved in January 1875. The gun was rifled on the "Woolwich" pattern of a small number of broad shallow rounded grooves, with 9 grooves increasing from 0 to 1 turn in 35 calibres ( i.e. 1 turn in 437.5 inches). Mark II had ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fort Nelson, Portsmouth
Fort Nelson, in the civil parish of Boarhunt in the English county of Hampshire, is one of five defensive forts built on the summit of Portsdown Hill in the 1860s, overlooking the important naval base of Portsmouth. It is now part of the Royal Armouries, housing their collection of artillery, and a Grade I Listed Building. Description Fort Nelson is a typical Polygonal or Palmerston Fort. It is six-sided with a deep ditch protected by three caponiers. Above each caponier is a well-protected emplacement for 13-inch mortars. It was originally entered by two Guthrie rolling bridges and has a barrack block for 172 officers and other ranks, protected by a V-shaped redan. A large open parade ground gives access to the magazines 40 feet underneath it. There are open emplacements on the ramparts for 64 pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns and RML 6.6-inch howitzers. There are also three Haxo casemates for 7 inch rifled breech-loaders. The Nelson Monument, which gave the fort its nam ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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HMS Dreadnought (1875)
HMS ''Dreadnought'' was an ironclad turret ship built for the Royal Navy during the 1870s. Construction was halted less than a year after it began and she was redesigned to improve her stability and buoyancy. Upon completion in 1879, the ship was placed in reserve until she was commissioned in 1884 for service with the Mediterranean Fleet. Upon her return 10 years later, she became a coast guard ship in Ireland for two years. The ship then became a depot ship in 1897 before she was reclassified as a second-class battleship in 1900. ''Dreadnought'' participated in the annual fleet manoeuvres for the next two years before she became a training ship in 1902. The ship was taken out of service three years later and sold for scrap in 1908. Background and design ''Dreadnought'' was originally named ''Fury'' and was designed by the Director of Naval Construction (DNC), Sir Edward Reed, as an improved and enlarged version of the preceding turret ships. The ship was laid down, fully ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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320 mm Artillery
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societies. Evolution of the Arabic digit The use of three lines to denote the number 3 occurred in many writing systems, including some (like Roman and Chinese numerals) that are still in use. That was also the original representation of 3 in the Brahmic (Indian) numerical notation, its earliest forms aligned vertically. However, during the Gupta Empire the sign was modified by the addition of a curve on each line. The Nāgarī script rotated the lines clockwise, so they appeared horizontally, and ended each line with a short downward stroke on the right. In cursive script, the three strokes were eventually connected to form a glyph resembling a with an additional stroke at the bottom: ३. The Indian digits spread to the Caliphate in the 9th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Naval Guns Of The United Kingdom
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includes anything conducted by surface Naval ship, ships, amphibious warfare, amphibious ships, submarines, and seaborne naval aviation, aviation, as well as ancillary support, communications, training, and other fields. The strategic offensive role of a navy is Power projection, projection of force into areas beyond a country's shores (for example, to protect Sea lane, sea-lanes, deter or confront piracy, ferry troops, or attack other navies, ports, or shore installations). The strategic defensive purpose of a navy is to frustrate seaborne projection-of-force by enemies. The strategic task of the navy also may incorporate nuclear deterrence by use of submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Naval operations can be broa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Harding's Battery
Harding's Battery is a restored artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located at Europa Point and includes the Europa Sunken Magazine that is now used as a visitor centre. History This battery is on Europa Point at the southern end of Gibraltar. Europa had been the site of earlier Spanish and Moorish fortifications as well as those constructed by the British which included walls, scarping and the batteries. Europa Advance Batteries, Europa Pass Batteries, Europa Batteries, Eliott's Battery, Europa Advance Battery, Half Way Battery, Lighthouse Battery, Lady Louisa's Battery and Woodford's Battery were supported by a local barracks. Harding's battery was built on the remains of the 7th Europa Battery in 1859. The battery was named after Sir George Harding, who was Chief Engineer in 1844 and had been involved with Sir Charles Holloway in the 1810 destruction of the Spanish fortifications including Fort St. Felipe and Fort St. Barbara. At that ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fort Delimara
Fort Delimara ( mt, Il-Fortizza ta' Delimara) is a polygonal fort in Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built between 1876 and 1888 by the British as part of a chain of fortifications intended to protect Marsaxlokk Harbour. Today, the fort is still intact but is in need of restoration, and is in danger of collapse due to coastal erosion. History The fort was built between 1876 and 1888 by the British. The main gate carries a date of 1881, but this is the date of completion of the gatehouse, not the commissioning of the fort. Fort Delimara was one of a ring of forts and batteries that protected Marsaxlokk harbour, along with Fort Tas-Silġ at the shoreward end of Delimara point, Fort San Lucian on ''Kbira point'' in the middle of Marsaxlokk bay, Fort Benghisa on ''Benghisa Point'', and the Pinto and Ferreti batteries on the shores of Marsaxlokk Bay. The nearby 17th century Delimara Tower was demolished to clear Fort Delimara's line of fire. On 29 March 1903, defective bombs, which were ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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List Of Naval Guns ...
List of Naval Guns by country of origin in decreasing caliber size List of naval guns by caliber size, all countries Naval anti-aircraft guns See also *List of artillery *List of the largest cannon by caliber *Glossary of British ordnance terms References {{reflist External links NAVWEAPS – Naval weapons of the world, 1880 to today(retrieved 2010-02-01) Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle is an artillery fort established by Henry VIII on the Hurst Spit in Hampshire, England, between 1541 and 1544. It formed part of the king's Device Forts coastal protection programme against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended the western entrance to the Solent waterway. The early castle had a central keep and three bastions, and in 1547 was equipped with 26 guns. It was expensive to operate due to its size, but it formed one of the most powerful forts along the coast. During the English Civil War of the 1640s, Hurst was held by Parliament and was used briefly to detain King Charles I before his execution in 1649. It continued in use during the 18th century but fell into disrepair, the spit being frequented by smugglers. Repairs were made during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars with France, and the castle was modernised to enable it to hold 24-pounder (10.8 kg) guns. Fresh fears of invasion followed in the 1850s, leading to heavi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rotating Gas-check
A rotating gas-check (more commonly known as an automatic gas-check) was a copper plate that automatically attached itself to a specially-designed studless projectile of rifled muzzle-loading ("RML") artillery, sealing the escape of gas between the projectile and the barrel and imparting axial rotation to the projectile.Ref 1881 pp. 188-190; Ref 1887A pp. 155-156 Gallery Image:RML 12.5in Studless Palliser Shell Mk I with Automatic Gas-Check.JPG , 1 Image:RML 12.5in Studless Common Shell Mk I with Automatic Gas-Check.JPG , 2 # RML 12.5in Studless Palliser Shell Mk I with Automatic Gas-Check # RML 12.5in Studless Common Shell Mk I with Automatic Gas-Check See also * Gas-checks in British RML heavy guns * Attached gas-check An attached gas-check was a copper plate that was physically attached to the base of a studded projectile of rifled muzzle-loading ("RML") artillery, sealing the escape of gas between the projectile and the barrel. Gallery Image:RML 12.5in Studde ... Note ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gas-checks In British RML Heavy Guns
Gas-checks were attachments to ammunition that revolutionised the performance of RML heavy guns. The first generation of RML heavy guns began entering service in about 1865. They all had Woolwich rifling and relied on studs on the projectiles for rotation. Gas-checks were first introduced in 1878 or soon after. They significantly reduced wear on the guns while also increasing their range and accuracy. Before long, studless ammunition was being manufactured for these guns, using gas-checks for projectile rotation. Gas-checks also facilitated a switch to the second generation of RML guns which used polygroove rifling and only supported studless ammunition. Introduction The first RML heavy guns were introduced into British service in about 1865. By 1878, 11 models of Woolwich rifled guns had been introduced, ranging from 7 inches to 12.5 inches. Unfortunately, Woolwich rifling had a major defect, namely, that hot powder gas escaping around the ammunition ("Windage Windage is a term ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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HMS Ajax (1880)
HMS ''Ajax'' was the name ship of her class of ironclad battleships built for the Royal Navy during the 1870s. Completed in 1883, she was immediately placed in reserve until 1885 when the ship was commissioned for the first time. Later that year, ''Ajax'' was assigned as a coast guard ship in Scotland and remained there for the next six years. She was reduced to reserve again in 1891 and was taken out of service a decade later. The ship was sold for scrap in 1904 and subsequently broken up. Design and description The ''Ajax'' class was designed as a shallow- draught version of the preceding that was also smaller and cheaper; unfortunately the need, imposed by budgetary constraints, to produce a smaller ship produced a vessel with all of the shortcomings of ''Inflexible'' but with none of her virtues.Parkes, p. 262 The ships had a length between perpendiculars of and were long overall, some shorter than ''Inflexible''. They had a beam of , and a draught of and displac ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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HMS Agamemnon (1879)
HMS ''Agamemnon'' was a Victorian Royal Navy ''Ajax''-class ironclad turret battleship, the sister ship of . ''Agamemnon'' and ''Ajax'' were built to the same design, and were smaller and less expensive versions of . The class is known as the ''Ajax'' class because ''Ajax'' was laid down first although ''Agamemnon'' was completed one day before her sister. Description The class was designed with a very small length to beam ratio, it being thought at the time that this would increase fuel economy. This turned out not to be the case, and also and quite unexpectedly produced the need for a large amount of helm to be applied, sometimes to port and sometimes starboard, to keep the ship on a straight course. It is reported that on one occasion ''Agamemnon'', with her helm amidships, turned a complete circle in 9 minutes and 10 seconds. The armament of this class was carried in two turrets mounted in the waist of the ship. The turrets were carried 'en echelon', and the intenti ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |