RBL 20 pounder Armstrong gun
| RBL 20 pounder gun | |
|---|---|
| 300px 16 cwt Field gun with limber | |
| Type | Naval gun Field gun |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1859 - 19?? |
| Used by | British Empire |
| Production history | |
| Designer | W.G. Armstrong Co. |
| Number built | 412[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Naval : 13 long hundredweight (660 kg) or 15 long hundredweight (760 kg) Field : 16 long hundredweight (810 kg)[2] |
| Barrel length | Naval : 54 inches (1.372 m) Field : 84 inches (2.134 m) bore & chamber[2] |
| | |
| Shell | 21 pounds 13 ounces (9.894 kg)[2] |
| Calibre | 3.75-inch (95.2 mm) |
| Breech | Armstrong screw with vertical sliding vent-piece (block) |
| Muzzle velocity | Naval : 1,000 feet per second (300 m/s) Field : 1,130 feet per second (340 m/s)[3] |
| Effective range | 3,400 yards (3,100 m) |
The Armstrong Breech Loading 20 pounder gun, later known as RBL 20 pounder, was an early modern 3.75 inch rifled breech-loading light gun of 1859.
Contents
History
The gun was effectively a larger version of the successful RBL 12 pounder 8 cwt Armstrong gun. There were different versions for Land and Sea service.[4]
RBL 20 pounder of 13 cwt and 15 cwt for Sea Service
This was introduced in 1859. It is 2½ feet shorter than the Land version giving it a bore of only 54 inches (14.43 calibres), and hence a short stubby appearance. Its short barrel only allowed it to attain a muzzle velocity of 1,000 ft/second.
The 15 cwt gun, identifiable by the raised coil in front of the vent slot, was intended for broadside use on sloop-class ships. The more lightly constructed 13 cwt gun was known as a pinnace gun and was intended for boat use.[5]
RBL 20 pounder of 16 cwt for Land Service
This was introduced in 1860. It has a bore of 84 inches (22.36 calibres) and hence has the appearance of a typical field gun.
Surviving examples
- An unrestored 13 cwt pinnace gun at Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
- A 16 cwt gun on board HMS Warrior at Portsmouth, UK
- A 13 cwt gun dated 1859 at the Artillery Museum, North Head, Sydney, Australia
See also
- 12px Media related to RBL 20 pounder Armstrong gun at Wikimedia Commons
- List of field guns
- List of naval guns
- Armstrong gun
Notes
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- Treatise on the construction and manufacture of ordnance in the British service. War Office, UK, 1877
- Text Book of Gunnery, 1887. LONDON : PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE
- Alexander Lyman Holley, "A treatise on Ordnance and Armor" published by D Van Nostrand, New York, 1865
- Lieutenant-Colonel C H Owen R.A., "The principles and practice of modern artillery". published by John Murray, London, 1873
External links
- 12px Media related to RBL 20 pounder Armstrong gun at Wikimedia Commons
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- ↑ 412 were in service in 1877 : 89 16cwt (land service), 31 15cwt & 292 13cwt (sea service). Quoted in Treatise on Manufacture of Ordnance 1877, page 150. Holley 1865, page 13 quotes 257 as at 1863 : 9 land service & 1 sea service manufactured by Elswick Ordnance, 16 land service and 231 sea service by the Royal Gun Factory. From the Report of the Select Committee on Ordnance, 1863.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Text Book of Gunnery, 1887
- ↑ 1130 ft/second firing a 21 lb 13 oz projectile, using 2 lb 8 oz R.L.G.2 (gunpowder) propellant. Text Book of Gunnery, 1887
- ↑ Treatise on Manufacture of Service Ordnance, 1877
- ↑ Owen 1873, page 53
