6 inch 35 caliber naval gun 1877
Encyclopedia
6 inch 35 caliber naval gun 1877 was a 152 mm naval gun used by Russian Empire
. The gun was used from 1887 as battleship secondary armament
and cruiser
armament. The gun was mostly replaced by newer 6 inch 45 caliber Canet gun 1892 by Russo-Japanese War
, but was still used on some ships. During the First World War fourteen guns were used as a coastal guns on Gulf of Finland
in the Peter the Great's Naval Fortress
and were taken over by Finland
after Finland's Declaration of Independence
in 1917. The guns were used by Finland in the Second World War. Russian model year 1877 refers to rifling system, not gun adoption.
produced the first 35 caliber gun in 1885. The design was a hoop gun
with a total of eight layers besides the inner barrel: five mantle barrels, shroud, connecting and mounting rings. The gun was the first medium caliber gun used by Russia that had Treuille de Beaulieu
screw breech block
with de Bange obturator.
in 1885. After the first batch of guns was completed in 1887 production was changed to wire-wound model. At the beginning of 1890s a simplified wire-wound version was developed in Russia and was used in the production of the remaining orders. The adoption of 6 inch 45 caliber Canet gun halted the production of the older 6 inch 35 caliber gun.
Putilov factory
developed Vavasseur mounting for the gun in 1886 that had the central pivot at the centre of the mount and a circular base plate allowing 360° traverse. This mounting was used on deck gun installations. In 1887 Vavasseur-Dubrov or simply Dubrov mount was developed. For casemate
guns a Krel mounting was developed in 1886 that had the central pivot at the front of the mount with the rear of the mounting traversing on steel rollers.
pre-dreadnought battleships from mid-1880s to mid-1890s and was used on Ekaterina II and Imperator Aleksandr II class battleships along with Gangut
, Dvienadsat Apostolov and Navarin battleships. It was also used on Admiral Nakhimov
and Pamiat Azova
armored cruisers and on Admiral Kornilov
protected cruiser
. The gun was used to refit old Pervenets class ironclads and also on gunboat
s. During the Russo-Japanese War most of these ships had been fitted with the newer 6 inch 45 caliber Canet guns. During the First World War fourteen guns were used as coastal guns on Gulf of Finland in Peter the Great's Naval Fortress and were taken over by Finland after Finland's Declaration of Independence in 1917.
area were taken over by Finland. Six guns were in Härkölä and four guns both in Tuppura and Humaljoki. The Finnish designation for the gun was 152/35 Mk or 152 mm:n 35 kaliiperin merikanuuna (152 mm 35 caliber coastal gun). The "Mk" designation means simply coastal gun (merikanuuna); unlike other coastal guns in Finnish use this gun did not receive a manufacturer marking. The batteries in Härkölä and Tuppura were dismantled prior to Winter War
and the guns moved first to Lake Ladoga
and later to Archipelago Sea
: two guns in Lypertö, three in Bokulla, three in Lökholm and one in Pensar. Humaljoki battery supported Finnish troops in Winter War by shelling Soviet positions including troops attempting to cross over frozen sea. When Soviet forces breached the Mannerheim Line
in February 1940 the battery crew fired off their remaining ammunition and destroyed the guns on the night between 19th and 20 February 1940 when the fort was abandoned.
During Continuation War
the gun was used on Archipelago Sea and during the trench warfare period also on Lake Ladoga at Saunaniemi. At the end of Continuation War there were seven guns remaining, two at Lypertö, three at Bokulla and two at Ristisaari. Additionally three spare barrels were stored in Helsinki Naval Base. After the war one gun was placed on display at Suomenlinna
and the rest were scrapped.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. The gun was used from 1887 as battleship secondary armament
Battleship secondary armament
The secondary armament of a capital ship are smaller, faster-firing weapons that are typically effective at a shorter range than the main weapons...
and cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
armament. The gun was mostly replaced by newer 6 inch 45 caliber Canet gun 1892 by Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, but was still used on some ships. During the First World War fourteen guns were used as a coastal guns on Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
in the Peter the Great's Naval Fortress
Peter the Great's Naval Fortress
Peter the Great's naval fortress or the Tallinn-Porkkala defence station was a Russian fortification line, which aimed to block access to the Russian capital Saint Petersburg via the sea. The plans for the fortress included heavy coastal artillery pieces along the northern and southern shores of...
and were taken over by Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
after Finland's Declaration of Independence
Finland's declaration of independence
The Finnish declaration of independence was adopted by the Parliament of Finland on 6 December 1917. It declared Finland an independent and sovereign nation state rather than an autonomous Russian Grand duchy.-Revolution in Russia:...
in 1917. The guns were used by Finland in the Second World War. Russian model year 1877 refers to rifling system, not gun adoption.
Background
Russian Empire Staff captain A.F. Brink had developed plans for a new six inch 35 caliber gun that was able to withstand 20% higher barrel pressures than existing guns. In 1882 development began for a new six inch naval gun that resulted in Brink's design being selected. Based on gun barrel material strength theories of lieutenant general N.V. Kalakutskij Obukhov State PlantObukhov State Plant
Obukhov State Plant is a major Russian metallurgy and heavy machine-building plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was founded in 1863 to produce naval artillery based on German designs by Krupp. It has since been a major producer of artillery and other military equipment. From 1922 to 1992 it...
produced the first 35 caliber gun in 1885. The design was a hoop gun
Hoop gun
A hoop gun is a gun production technique that uses multiple layers of tubes to form a built-up gun. The innermost tube has one or more extra tubes wrapped around the main tube. These outer tubes are preheated before they are slid into position. As the outer tubes cool they naturally contract. This...
with a total of eight layers besides the inner barrel: five mantle barrels, shroud, connecting and mounting rings. The gun was the first medium caliber gun used by Russia that had Treuille de Beaulieu
Antoine Treuille de Beaulieu
Antoine Hector Thésée Treuille de Beaulieu was a French General of the 19th century, who developed the concept of rifled guns in the French Army. He studied the subject of rifling between 1840 and 1852. Following a request by Napoleon III in 1854 to develop such a weapon, the de Beaulieu system...
screw breech block
Interrupted screw
An interrupted screw or interrupted thread is a mechanical device typically used in the breech of artillery guns. It was invented circa 1845....
with de Bange obturator.
Modifications and mountings
While the first guns were being constructed, technology for making wire-wound guns was purchased from the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1885. After the first batch of guns was completed in 1887 production was changed to wire-wound model. At the beginning of 1890s a simplified wire-wound version was developed in Russia and was used in the production of the remaining orders. The adoption of 6 inch 45 caliber Canet gun halted the production of the older 6 inch 35 caliber gun.
Putilov factory
Kirov Plant
The Kirov Plant Kirov Factory or Leningrad Kirov Plant is a major Russian machine-building plant in St. Petersburg, Russia....
developed Vavasseur mounting for the gun in 1886 that had the central pivot at the centre of the mount and a circular base plate allowing 360° traverse. This mounting was used on deck gun installations. In 1887 Vavasseur-Dubrov or simply Dubrov mount was developed. For casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
guns a Krel mounting was developed in 1886 that had the central pivot at the front of the mount with the rear of the mounting traversing on steel rollers.
Service
The 6 inch 35 caliber gun formed the standard secondary battery of Imperial Russian NavyImperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
pre-dreadnought battleships from mid-1880s to mid-1890s and was used on Ekaterina II and Imperator Aleksandr II class battleships along with Gangut
Russian battleship Gangut (1888)
Gangut was an Imperial Russian coast defense ship named after the Battle of Gangut. This ship was a scaled down version of the Imperator Aleksandr II class battleships-Design and construction:...
, Dvienadsat Apostolov and Navarin battleships. It was also used on Admiral Nakhimov
Russian armoured cruiser Admiral Nakhimov
Admiral Nakhimov , was an armoured cruiser in the Imperial Russian Navy during the Russo-Japanese War. She was named after Admiral Pavel Nakhimov)-Construction:...
and Pamiat Azova
Russian cruiser Pamiat Azova
The Pamiat Azova was a unique armoured cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the late 1880s. She was decommissioned from front line service in 1909, converted into a depot ship and sunk by British torpedo boats during the Baltic Naval War, part of the Russian Civil War.-Name:The name of...
armored cruisers and on Admiral Kornilov
Russian cruiser Admiral Kornilov (1887)
The Admiral Kornilov was a protected cruiser of the Russian Imperial Navy.The ship was laid down in 1886 and launched in 1887 at St. Nazaire in France. She was commissioned in 1888. The Kornilov was 113 meters long and 14.8 meters wide, had a draught of 7.8 meters and featured a large ram bow. She...
protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
. The gun was used to refit old Pervenets class ironclads and also on gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s. During the Russo-Japanese War most of these ships had been fitted with the newer 6 inch 45 caliber Canet guns. During the First World War fourteen guns were used as coastal guns on Gulf of Finland in Peter the Great's Naval Fortress and were taken over by Finland after Finland's Declaration of Independence in 1917.
Service in Finland
Following Finland's independence the fourteen 6 inch 35 caliber guns on Vavasseur mountings in the coastal forts of Gulf of Vyborg and KoivistoPrimorsk, Leningrad Oblast
Primorsk is a coastal town in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, and the largest Russian port on the Baltic. It is located on the Karelian Isthmus, west of St. Petersburg, at the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, near Birch Islands, protected as a sea bird sanctuary...
area were taken over by Finland. Six guns were in Härkölä and four guns both in Tuppura and Humaljoki. The Finnish designation for the gun was 152/35 Mk or 152 mm:n 35 kaliiperin merikanuuna (152 mm 35 caliber coastal gun). The "Mk" designation means simply coastal gun (merikanuuna); unlike other coastal guns in Finnish use this gun did not receive a manufacturer marking. The batteries in Härkölä and Tuppura were dismantled prior to Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and the guns moved first to Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
and later to Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters...
: two guns in Lypertö, three in Bokulla, three in Lökholm and one in Pensar. Humaljoki battery supported Finnish troops in Winter War by shelling Soviet positions including troops attempting to cross over frozen sea. When Soviet forces breached the Mannerheim Line
Mannerheim Line
The Mannerheim Line was a defensive fortification line on the Karelian Isthmus built by Finland against the Soviet Union. During the Winter War it became known as the Mannerheim Line, after Field Marshal Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. The line was constructed in two phases: 1920–1924 and...
in February 1940 the battery crew fired off their remaining ammunition and destroyed the guns on the night between 19th and 20 February 1940 when the fort was abandoned.
During Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
the gun was used on Archipelago Sea and during the trench warfare period also on Lake Ladoga at Saunaniemi. At the end of Continuation War there were seven guns remaining, two at Lypertö, three at Bokulla and two at Ristisaari. Additionally three spare barrels were stored in Helsinki Naval Base. After the war one gun was placed on display at Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna, until 1918 Viapori , or Sveaborg , is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands , and which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with both tourists and locals, who...
and the rest were scrapped.