Palliser shot
Encyclopedia
Palliser shot was invented by Sir William Palliser
and hence its name. It was an early British armour-piercing artillery projectile, intended to pierce the armour protection of warships being developed in the second half of the 19th century.
principle (with three rifling grooves). Palliser shot in many calibers stayed in service in the armour piercing role until phased out of (British) service in 1909 for naval and fortress use, and 1921 for land service.
. The points were heated and quick chilled to harden the metal. At times there were defects that lead to cracking in the projectiles but these were overcome with time. Bronze
studs were installed into the outside of the projectile so as to engage the rifling grooves in the gun barrel. The base had a hollow pocket but was not filled with powder or explosive: the cavity was necessitated by difficulties in casting large solid projectiles without their cracking when they cooled, because the nose and base of the projectiles cooled at different rates, and in fact a larger cavity facilitated a better quality casting. The hole at the base was threaded to accept a copper gas check. This prevented propellant gases from blowing around the projectile providing obturation as the driving band
had yet to be perfected. Later designs did away with the studs on the projectile body with the gas checks being set with grooves to impart spin to the projectile.
At the Battle of Angamos
(October 8, 1879) the Chilean ironclad warship
s fired 20 250 pound-Palliser gunshots against the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar
, with devastating results. It was the first time that such piercing shells were used in actual combat.
in the 1870s-1880s. In the shell the cavity was slightly larger than in the shot and was filled with gunpowder instead of being empty, to provide a small explosive effect after penetrating armour plating. The shell was correspondingly slightly longer than the shot to compensate for the lighter cavity. The powder filling was ignited by the shock of impact and hence did not require a fuze. While these Palliser shells were effective against unhardened iron, British doctrine held that only shot (i.e. non-explosive projectiles) were suitable for penetrating the new hardened armour being developed in the 1880s; hence the gunpowder filling was discontinued.
William Palliser
Major Sir William Palliser CB MP was an Irish-born politician and inventor, Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1880 until his death.-Early life:...
and hence its name. It was an early British armour-piercing artillery projectile, intended to pierce the armour protection of warships being developed in the second half of the 19th century.
History
Major Palliser's shot, approved October 21, 1867 was an improvement over the ordinary elongated shot of the time. It was adopted for the larger types of rifled muzzle loading guns rifled on the WoolwichRoyal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
principle (with three rifling grooves). Palliser shot in many calibers stayed in service in the armour piercing role until phased out of (British) service in 1909 for naval and fortress use, and 1921 for land service.
Palliser shot
Palliser shot was manufactured from round billets of cast ironCast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
. The points were heated and quick chilled to harden the metal. At times there were defects that lead to cracking in the projectiles but these were overcome with time. Bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
studs were installed into the outside of the projectile so as to engage the rifling grooves in the gun barrel. The base had a hollow pocket but was not filled with powder or explosive: the cavity was necessitated by difficulties in casting large solid projectiles without their cracking when they cooled, because the nose and base of the projectiles cooled at different rates, and in fact a larger cavity facilitated a better quality casting. The hole at the base was threaded to accept a copper gas check. This prevented propellant gases from blowing around the projectile providing obturation as the driving band
Driving band
The driving band or rotating band is part of an artillery shell, a band of soft metal near the middle of the shell, typically made of gilding metal, copper or lead...
had yet to be perfected. Later designs did away with the studs on the projectile body with the gas checks being set with grooves to impart spin to the projectile.
At the Battle of Angamos
Battle of Angamos
The Battle of Angamos was fought on October 8, 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacific . The Chilean Navy, commanded by Captain Galvarino Riveros and Captain Juan Jose Latorre surrounded and captured the ironclad Huáscar, commanded by Rear Admiral Miguel Grau Seminario, who died in...
(October 8, 1879) the Chilean ironclad warship
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
s fired 20 250 pound-Palliser gunshots against the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar
Huáscar (ship)
Huáscar is a 19th century small armoured turret ship of a type similar to a monitor. She was built in Britain for Peru and played a significant role in the battle of Pacocha and the War of the Pacific against Chile before being captured and commissioned with the Chilean Navy. Today she is one of...
, with devastating results. It was the first time that such piercing shells were used in actual combat.
Palliser shell
Britain also deployed Palliser shellsShell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
in the 1870s-1880s. In the shell the cavity was slightly larger than in the shot and was filled with gunpowder instead of being empty, to provide a small explosive effect after penetrating armour plating. The shell was correspondingly slightly longer than the shot to compensate for the lighter cavity. The powder filling was ignited by the shock of impact and hence did not require a fuze. While these Palliser shells were effective against unhardened iron, British doctrine held that only shot (i.e. non-explosive projectiles) were suitable for penetrating the new hardened armour being developed in the 1880s; hence the gunpowder filling was discontinued.