The 340mm/28 Modèle 1881 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy.
| 340mm/28 Modèle 1881 | |
|---|---|
 A 340mm/28 Modèle 1881 aboard the Magenta | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1881-1922 |
| Used by | France |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 52.2 t (51.4 long tons; 57.5 short tons)[1] |
| Length | 9.7 m (32 ft) L/28.5 calibres[1] |
| Shell | Separate loading bagged charges and projectiles |
| Shell weight | AP: 420.0 kg (925.9 lb) Common: 350.0 kg (771.6 lb)[1] |
| Calibre | 340 mm (13 in) |
| Breech | Interrupted screw |
| Muzzle velocity | 600 m/s (1,969 ft/s)[1] |
History edit
The type was used in single mountings on the ironclads of the Marceau class, and on the Hoche.
Railway guns edit
| Canon de 340 modèle 1881/84 à glissement | |
|---|---|
| Type | Railway gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1919-? |
| Used by |  France |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Schneider |
| Designed | 1917 |
| Manufacturer | Schneider |
| Produced | 1918 |
| No. built | 8 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 187 t (184 long tons; 206 short tons) |
| Barrel length | 9.7 m (32 ft) L/28.5 calibres[2] |
| Shell | Separate loading bagged charges and projectiles |
| Shell weight | 430 kg (950 lb) |
| Caliber | 340 mm (13 in) |
| Breech | Interrupted screw breech[2] |
| Recoil | Carriage recoil |
| Carriage | Two six-axle bogies |
| Elevation | +3° to +40° |
| Traverse | None |
| Rate of fire | 1 round every five minutes |
| Muzzle velocity | 430 m/s (1,400 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 19 km (12 mi)[2] |
Eight guns were converted from naval use to railway guns by Schneider and designated Canon de 340 modèle 1881/84 à glissement. The conversions were ordered during 1917 but they weren't delivered until January 1919 after the war had ended. The guns were suspended from two six-axle rail bogies and used carriage recoil known as the glissement system. The guns had no traverse mechanism so aiming was done by drawing the guns across a section of curved track.[3]
See also edit
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era edit
- BL 13.5 inch naval gun Mk I – IV : British equivalent
Notes edit
- ^ a b c d French gun tables quoted in Brasseys Naval Annual 1901
- ^ a b c Hogg, Ian (2004). Allied artillery of World War One. Ramsbury: Crowood. p. 218. ISBN 1861267126. OCLC 56655115.
- ^ Miller, H. W. (1921). Railway Artillery, vols. I and II. Washington: Government Printing Office. pp. 193–196.