120-pounder Whitworth naval gun

The 120-pounder Whitworth naval gun was designed by Joseph Whitworth during the 1860s. It was a rifled muzzle loader and used his hexagonal rifled bore design, the principle of which is described in the article on the 70-pounder Whitworth naval gun.

120-pounder Whitworth gun
TypeNaval gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1865–
Used byBrazil
WarsParaguayan War
Production history
DesignerJoseph Whitworth
ManufacturerJoseph Whitworth
Produced1865?–
Specifications
Mass16,660 pounds (7,556.8 kg)
Length144 inches (3.658 m)

ShellSolid shot
Explosive shell
Shell weight151 pounds (68.5 kg)
Calibre7-inch (178 mm)
Maximum firing rangeabout 5,540 yards (5,070 m)
FillingBlack powder
Filling weight5 pounds (2.3 kg)[1]

Service

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A number of 120-pounders were bought by the Imperial Brazilian Navy and used to arm some of its ironclads during the Paraguayan War in the late 1860s.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ Holley, p. 34
  2. ^ Gratz, pp. 141, 144, 153

References

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  • Gratz, George A. (1999). "The Brazilian Imperial Navy Ironclads, 1865–1874". In Preston, Antony (ed.). Warship 1999-2000. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-724-4.
  • Alexander Lyman Holley, "A Treatise on Ordnance and Armor" published by D. Van Nostrand, New York, 1865