RML 64 pounder 71 cwt gun
Encyclopedia
The RML 64 pounder 71 cwt guns (converted) were rifled muzzle-loading guns converted from obsolete smoothbore
8-inch 65 cwt shell guns. "71 cwt" refers to the gun's weight rounded up to differentiate it from other "64-pounder" guns : 1 cwt = 112 pounds.
ordnance in the 1860s it still had large stocks of serviceable but now obsolete smoothbore
guns. Gun barrels were expensive to manufacture, so the best and most recent models were selected for conversion to rifled guns, for use as second-line ordnance, using a technique designed by William Palliser
. The Palliser conversion was based on what was accepted as a sound principle that the strongest material in the barrel construction should be innermost, and hence a new tube of stronger wrought iron was inserted in the old cast iron barrel, rather than attempting to reinforce the old barrel from the outside.
This gun was based on the cast-iron barrel of the 8 inch 65 cwt gun, which previously fired a shell weighing 50 pounds. The 8-inch gun was bored out to 10.5 inches and a new built-up wrought iron
inner tube with inner diameter of 6.29 inches was inserted and fastened in place. The gun was then rifled with 3 grooves, with a uniform twist of 1 turn in 40 calibres (i.e. 1 turn in 252 inches), and proof fired. The proof firing also served to expand the new tube slightly and ensure a tight fit in the old iron tube.
Smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
8-inch 65 cwt shell guns. "71 cwt" refers to the gun's weight rounded up to differentiate it from other "64-pounder" guns : 1 cwt = 112 pounds.
Design
When Britain adopted rifledRifling
Rifling is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis...
ordnance in the 1860s it still had large stocks of serviceable but now obsolete smoothbore
Smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
guns. Gun barrels were expensive to manufacture, so the best and most recent models were selected for conversion to rifled guns, for use as second-line ordnance, using a technique designed by William Palliser
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:...
. The Palliser conversion was based on what was accepted as a sound principle that the strongest material in the barrel construction should be innermost, and hence a new tube of stronger wrought iron was inserted in the old cast iron barrel, rather than attempting to reinforce the old barrel from the outside.
This gun was based on the cast-iron barrel of the 8 inch 65 cwt gun, which previously fired a shell weighing 50 pounds. The 8-inch gun was bored out to 10.5 inches and a new built-up wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
inner tube with inner diameter of 6.29 inches was inserted and fastened in place. The gun was then rifled with 3 grooves, with a uniform twist of 1 turn in 40 calibres (i.e. 1 turn in 252 inches), and proof fired. The proof firing also served to expand the new tube slightly and ensure a tight fit in the old iron tube.
Deployment
This gun was deployed on many smaller British cruising warships around the world, and also as a coast defence gun in British colonial garrisons.See also
- RML 64 pounder 64 cwt gunRML 64 pounder 64 cwt gunThe RML 64 pounder 64 cwt gun was a Rifled, Muzzle Loading naval, field or fortification artillery gun manufactured in England in the 19th century, which fired a projectile weighing approximately...
the equivalent new design frontline 64-pounder gun - List of naval guns
Surviving examples
- Dartmouth Old Battery, Devon, UK
- A gun from 1872 at Southsea CastleSouthsea CastleSouthsea Castle is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, built in 1544 on the waterfront at the southern end of Portsea Island . The castle was built to guard the eastern entrance to the Solent and entrance to Portsmouth Harbour...
, UK - No. 142 of 1869 at St Helier, Jersey
- 2 guns, No. 398 and 407 at the Royal Australian Artillery Memorial, Mount PleasantMount Pleasant (Australian Capital Territory)Mount Pleasant in Canberra overlooks the Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College at Duntroon, Australia.On the top of the hill is a memorial to all ranks of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery....
, Canberra, Australia - A gun at Mays Hill Cemetery, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia
- A gun outside the wardroom at HMNZS PhilomelHMNZS PhilomelHMNZS Philomel is the main administrative naval baseof the Royal New Zealand Navy. Originally a training base on board the cruiser it takes its name from, it is part of the Devonport Naval Base in North Shore City, Auckland, New Zealand.-History:...
, Auckland, New Zealand - A gun on a locally-made carriage at Army Memorial Museum, WaiouruWaiouruWaiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu, and in the Ruapehu District....
, New Zealand
External links
- WL Ruffell, RML 64-pr 71-cwt