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The SBBL 32-pounder was a British
The conversion was first suggested in 1879 to enable guns fitted in the flank defence of fortifications to be fired much more rapidly. They were used in 
The guns were only ever mounted on one type of carriage. It was an iron sliding carriage and platform, which enabled the gun to be traversed left and right, as well as run back for storage. The slide also acted to absorb recoil from the gun when it was fired. An elevating screw and wooden elevating wedge (or ''Quoin'') was also provided, to enable the gun to be elevated or depressed.
They were originally assigned a crew of six, but this was later reduced to four. Since the role of flank defence was considered to be of limited importance there was considerable delay in mounting the guns. They were only ever designed to fire case shot, because of the limited field of fire they were given in fortifications.
In the flank defence role the guns were quickly superseded with the introduction of the machine gun and were declared obsolete in that role in 1907. Rather than being completely scrapped, many SBBL 32-pounders were later used in a saluting role; One gun was also used at Edinburgh Castle to fire the One O'Clock gun up until the First World War.
Seven examples of the guns survive in the United Kingdom in the collection of the 
Handbook for the 32-pr. S.B. B.L. gun (for flank defence) mounted on garrison sliding carriage and traversing platform : land service. London : HMSO 1885
at State Library of Victoria
Handbook for the 32-pr. S.B.B.L. gun mounted on garrison sliding carriage and traversing platform 1898
at State Library of Victoria
at Victorian Forts and Artillery website {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Artillery of the United Kingdom
smooth-bore
A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.
History
Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...
breech loading
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle).
Modern firearms are generally bre ...
gun made by converting older 32-pounder 42 cwt smooth-bore muzzle-loading guns.
Design and role
The guns chosen for conversion were Monk Pattern guns of 42 cwt, a lighter and shorter variant of muzzle loader. Thecascabel
Cascabel may refer to:
* Cascabel (artillery), a subassembly of a muzzle-loading cannon
* Cascabel chili, a small, round chili pepper
* Cascabel, a Shuttle Loop roller coaster at Chapultepec Park in Mexico City
* Spanish common name for ''Crotalu ...
of the gun was cut off and a double action breech block was fitted. A new vent was drilled in front of the breech mechanism, as the guns were designed to be fired with short friction tubes, the standard means of ignition for artillery pieces at the time.
The conversion was first suggested in 1879 to enable guns fitted in the flank defence of fortifications to be fired much more rapidly. They were used in caponier
A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French ', meaning "chicken coop" (a ''capon'' ...
s to provide flanking fire to fortifications. In this role their targets would have been personnel entering ditches, and the guns were designed to fire case shot only, with ranges of up to about 500 yards. Because of the nature of the conversion, and the type of ammunition, a service charge of 3lb of black powder was used, as opposed to around three times that amount for a conventional 32-pounder muzzle loading gun.
The guns were only ever mounted on one type of carriage. It was an iron sliding carriage and platform, which enabled the gun to be traversed left and right, as well as run back for storage. The slide also acted to absorb recoil from the gun when it was fired. An elevating screw and wooden elevating wedge (or ''Quoin'') was also provided, to enable the gun to be elevated or depressed.
They were originally assigned a crew of six, but this was later reduced to four. Since the role of flank defence was considered to be of limited importance there was considerable delay in mounting the guns. They were only ever designed to fire case shot, because of the limited field of fire they were given in fortifications.
Later use and surviving examples
In the flank defence role the guns were quickly superseded with the introduction of the machine gun and were declared obsolete in that role in 1907. Rather than being completely scrapped, many SBBL 32-pounders were later used in a saluting role; One gun was also used at Edinburgh Castle to fire the One O'Clock gun up until the First World War.
Seven examples of the guns survive in the United Kingdom in the collection of the Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour. Originally an important part of England's military organization, it became the United Kingdom's oldest museum, originally housed in the Tower of London from ...
. Four of them are mounted in original positions at Fort Nelson, Hampshire
Fort Nelson, in the civil parish of Boarhunt in the England, 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 ...
.
The Saluting Battery in Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...
, Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
was equipped with SBBL 32-pounders from 1906 to 1927. In 2011 eight working replicas were installed in the battery when it was being restored. The guns are now fired twice every day.
References
External links
Handbook for the 32-pr. S.B. B.L. gun (for flank defence) mounted on garrison sliding carriage and traversing platform : land service. London : HMSO 1885
at State Library of Victoria
Handbook for the 32-pr. S.B.B.L. gun mounted on garrison sliding carriage and traversing platform 1898
at State Library of Victoria
at Victorian Forts and Artillery website {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Artillery of the United Kingdom