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A rifled muzzle loader (RML) is a type of large artillery piece invented in the mid-19th century. In contrast to Smoothbore, smooth bore cannon which preceded it, the rifling of the gun barrel allowed much greater accuracy and penetration as the spin induced to the
shell gave it
directional stability
Directional stability is stability of a moving body or vehicle about an axis which is perpendicular to its direction of motion. Stability of a vehicle concerns itself with the tendency of a vehicle to return to its original direction in relation ...
. Typical guns weighed
18 tonnes with 10-inch-diameter bores, and were installed in forts and ships.
This new gun and the
rifled breech loader
A rifled breech loader (RBL) is an artillery piece which, unlike the smoothbore cannon and rifled muzzle loader (RML) which preceded it, has rifling in the barrel and is loaded from the breech at the rear of the gun.
The spin imparted by the ...
(RBL) generated a huge
arms race
An arms race occurs when two or more groups compete in military superiority. It consists of a competition between two or more states to have superior armed forces; a competition concerning production of weapons, the growth of a military, and ...
in the late 19th century, with rapid advances in
fortifications
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...
and
ironclad
An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. Th ...
warships.
Royal Navy experience
The largest rifled muzzle-loader carried on a warship was the
17.7-inch, 100-ton Elswick of the 1870s, four of which were installed in each of the Italian battleships ''
Duilio'' and ''
Enrico Dandolo
Enrico Dandolo (anglicised as Henry Dandolo and Latinized as Henricus Dandulus; c. 1107 – May/June 1205) was the Doge of Venice from 1192 until his death. He is remembered for his avowed piety, longevity, and shrewdness, and is known for his r ...
'' (launched in 1872). The Royal Navy at the time was restricted to the weapons produced by Woolwich Arsenal, so that the heaviest guns that could be shipped were the
80-ton 16-inch guns of
HMS ''Inflexible''.
Introduction of the Armstrong
rifled breechloaders (RBL) into the Royal Navy in 1860 was not very successful. The action of Kagosima on 14 August 1863 led to 28 accidents in 365 rounds fired. Following this experience, the Royal Navy reverted to the muzzle-loader until the early 1880s. Other navies, notably France, continued to develop and deploy RBLs, but they were hardly superior in rate of fire or muzzle energy to their British counterparts.
During this period rapid burning black powder was used as the propellant, so the guns had a stubby, 'soda bottle' shape giving easy access to either end for loading. The RBLs of the time were notably weaker in the breech region, and more prone to failure.
A catastrophic accident on board
HMS ''Thunderer'' in January 1879, in which a
35-ton 12-inch muzzle-loader hung fire and was subsequently double-loaded, motivated the Admiralty to re-consider the RBL.
Improvements in breech mechanisms in the period 1860 to 1880, together with the introduction of large-grain powder, caused the Navy to re-adopt the RBL as the new powder required longer barrels which could not be withdrawn into the turret for loading. A
new 12-inch gun was developed for
HMS ''Edinburgh'' in 1879, but burst during trials. Following modifications the new weapon proved reliable.
See also
*
Muzzle-loading rifle A muzzle-loading rifle is a muzzle-loaded small arm or artillery piece that has a rifled barrel rather than a smoothbore. The term " rifled muzzle loader" typically is used to describe a type of artillery piece, although it is technically accurate ...
*
Parrott rifle
The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle-loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.
Parrott rifle
The gun was invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He was an American soldier and inven ...
*
Brooke rifle
The Brooke rifle was a type of rifled, muzzle-loading naval and coast defense gun designed by John Mercer Brooke, an officer in the Confederate States Navy. They were produced by plants in Richmond, Virginia, and Selma, Alabama, between 1861 and 18 ...
*
James rifle
James rifle is a generic term to describe any artillery gun rifled to the James pattern for use in the American Civil War, as used in some period documentation. Charles T. James developed a rifled projectile and rifling system. Modern author ...
References
* Dr Oscar Parkes- British Battleships,
Seeley, Service & Co., London. 1973
Artillery
{{Artillery-stub
