The EOC 8 inch 45 caliber were a family of related

45 caliber This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case length *''OAL'' refers to the overall length of the cartridge *''Bullet'' refers to the diameter of the bullet All meas ...

naval guns designed by the

Elswick Ordnance Company The Elswick Ordnance Company (sometimes referred to as Elswick Ordnance Works, but usually as "EOC") was a British armaments manufacturing company of the late 19th and early 20th century History Originally created in 1859 to separate William A ...

and manufactured by

Armstrong Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victoria Canada * Armstrong, British Columbia * Armstrong ...

for export customers before World War I. In addition to being produced in the United Kingdom licensed variants were produced in Italy and in Japan. Users of this family of gun included the navies of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. This family of guns saw action in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result o ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In addition to its naval role it was later used as

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

and

siege artillery Siege artillery (also siege guns or siege cannons) are heavy guns designed to bombard fortifications, cities, and other fixed targets. They are distinct from field artillery and are a class of siege weapon capable of firing heavy cannonballs or ...

after the ships it served on were decommissioned.

History

The EOC 8 inch 45 caliber family of guns originated in 1894 from the Elswick Ordnance Company Pattern Q gun which was first produced for export in 1895. In addition to the Pattern Q there were S, U and W Pattern guns produced for export. Earlier Patterns A through P, R and T were shorter 35 or 40 caliber guns. While the Pattern Q, S, U and W were all 8 inch 45 caliber guns. The weights and dimensions of each Pattern of gun were similar and their ammunition, bagged charges and their ballistic performance were also similar.

Construction

The Armstrong Pattern Q was the first wire wound 8 inch EOC gun. I was constructed of an inner A tube, wire wound for , with a jacket shrunk over the wire. It had a single-motion breech mechanism of cylindrical-conical style with five threaded and five smooth sectors.

Naval service

The Japanese 20.3 cm/45 Type 41 naval gun was based on the Pattern S guns from Armstrong first installed on ''Takasago'' in 1898 with licensed production beginning in 1902. Existing S, U and W Pattern guns were later classified as Type 41 naval guns in Japanese service. Type 41 guns were employed as Coastal Artillery during World War II after the ships they armed were decommissioned and disarmed. Pattern S guns also armed

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...

s of Argentine Navy and Chinese Navy.

Pattern S

:* - This protected cruiser was completed in 1896 by Armstrong in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

for the Argentinian Navy. The primary armament was two Pattern S guns mounted on single, shielded, pedestal mounts fore and aft. :* ''Hǎi Qí'' class - The two protected cruisers of the ''Hǎi Qí'' class were completed in 1899 by Armstrong for the Chinese Navy. The primary armament of the class were two Pattern S guns mounted on single, shielded, pedestal mounts fore and aft. :* - The two protected cruisers of the ''Kasagi'' class were built in the United States for the Imperial Japanese Navy. was built by

William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company (also known as William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company) of Philadelphia was founded in 1830 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder of the late 19th century. Company hi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and completed in 1898, while was built by the

Union Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and completed in 1899. The primary armament of the class were two Pattern S guns mounted on single, shielded, pedestal mounts fore and aft. :* - This protected cruiser was completed in 1898 by Armstrong for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The primary armament was two Pattern S guns mounted on single, shielded, pedestal mounts fore and aft. Pattern U guns from Armstrong armed both Japanese and Chilean protected and

armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

Pattern U

:* - The two armored cruisers of the ''Asama'' class were completed in 1899 by Armstrong for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The primary armament of the class were four Pattern U guns mounted in twin

gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...

s fore and aft. :* - This armored cruiser was completed in 1900 by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Saint-Nazaire, France for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The primary armament was four Pattern U guns mounted in twin gun turrets fore and aft. :* - This protected cruiser was the sister ship of ''Takasago'' and completed in 1902 by Armstrong for the Chilean Navy. The primary armament was two Pattern U guns mounted on single, shielded, pedestal mounts fore and aft. :* - The two armored cruisers of the ''Izumo'' class were completed in 1900-1901 by Armstrong for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The primary armament of the class were four Pattern U guns mounted in twin gun turrets fore and aft. :* - This armored cruiser was completed in 1900 by

AG Vulcan Stettin Aktien-Gesellschaft Vulcan Stettin (short AG Vulcan Stettin) was a German shipbuilding and locomotive building company. Founded in 1851, it was located near the former eastern German city of Stettin, today Polish Szczecin. Because of the limited ...

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

, Germany for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The primary armament was four Pattern U guns mounted in twin gun turrets fore and aft. The Italian ''Cannone da 203/45 Modello 1897'' was based on the Pattern W gun from Armstrong and licensed production began in 1897 at the Armstrong factory in

Pozzuoli Pozzuoli (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula. History Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of ''Dicaearchia'' ( el, Δικα� ...

, Italy. The ''Modello 1897'' guns armed ships built in Italy for the Argentinian Navy, Italian Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy and the Spanish Navy. ''Modello 1897'' guns were later employed by the Italian Army as Siege Artillery during World War I and as Coastal Artillery during World War II after the ships they armed were decommissioned and disarmed.

Pattern W

:* :** One of the four ''Giuseppe Garibaldi''-class armored cruisers built for the Argentinian Navy, had four Pattern W guns as primary armament mounted in twin gun turrets fore and aft. :** The three ''Giuseppe Garibaldi''-class armored cruisers built for the Italian Navy had a primary armament of one Armstrong Pattern R 10 inch gun in a single turret fore and two Pattern W guns mounted in twin gun turrets aft. :** There were two armored cruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. had a primary armament of one Armstrong Pattern R 10-inch gun in a single turret fore and two Pattern W guns mounted in a twin gun turret aft. had a primary armament of four Pattern W guns mounted in twin turrets fore and aft. :** The single ''Giuseppe Garibaldi''-class armored cruiser built for the Spanish Navy, , was designed to have a primary armament of one Armstrong Pattern R 10-inch gun in a single turret fore and two Pattern W guns mounted in a twin gun turret aft. However the 10-inch gun was found to be defective and was not installed. :* ''Iwami'' - This ship originally ''Oryol'' of the Imperial Russian Navy and was a war prize from the Russo-Japanese War. In 1907 the ship's original secondary armament of twelve 6-inch guns, mounted in twin turrets, amidships were replaced by six, single gun, shielded, pedestal mounted, Pattern W guns. :* - The four

semi-dreadnought The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...

battleships of this class had a secondary armament of twelve Pattern W guns, in three twin gun turrets per side, amidships. :* - The two

pre-dreadnought Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, prote ...

battleships of this class had a secondary armament of four Pattern W guns mounted in

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mean ...

amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th t ...

in the ships

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

Italian Army use

As the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

settled into

Trench Warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became a ...

on the Italian Front the light field guns that the combatants went to war with were beginning to show their limitations when facing an enemy who was now dug into prepared alpine positions.

Indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim by ...

interdiction Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose e ...

and

counter-battery fire Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements (multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command an ...

emphasized the importance of long-range heavy artillery. In order to address the Italian Army's lack of long range heavy artillery surplus 203/45, 254B, 254/40, 305/17, 305/40, and 305/46

Naval Guns A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

were converted to land use. These guns were mounted on De Stefano carriages for land use and the resulting guns were classified by their size in millimeters 203, their length in calibers 45 and lastly by their carriage type DS which stood for De Stefano or 203/45 DS. The De Stefano carriage was a clever, but strange looking monstrosity which looked something like a large steel basket with the gun barrel mounted towards the rear of the carriage. The carriage was a large box-trail design with four non-steerable wheels. The wheels were fitted with detachable

grouser Grousers are devices intended to increase the traction of continuous tracks, especially in loose material such as soil or snow. This is done by increasing contact with the ground with protrusions, similar to conventional tire treads, and analog ...

s designed by major Crispino Bonagente for traction on soft ground and was towed in one piece by a Pavesi-Tolotti

artillery tractor An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be 6x6, wheeled, continuous track, tracked, or half-tracked. Trac ...

. When not on the move the grousers were removed and the steel wheels rode on an inclined set of steel rails when in firing position. The steel rails were mounted on a firing platform made of wooden beams which allowed the gun 360°of traverse. When the gun fired recoil which was not absorbed by the recoil mechanism was transmitted to the wheels and the carriage rolled up the inclined rails and then rolled back into firing position. The box trail carriage was tall and wide enough that the breech of the gun was accessible at high angles of elevation without a pit being dug and the gun crew had a bucket and hoist for ammunition handling.

Photo Gallery

File:Takasago 8 inch gun centre pivot right elevation.jpg, 8 inch gun as installed on the cruiser ''Takasago''. File:Doberdo-Plateau. Itl.20.5cm Schiffsgeschütz. (Ende April 1918.) (BildID 15664698).jpg, A 203/45 D.S. captured by the Austrians on the Doberdo-Plateau in 1918. File:Doberdo-Plateau. Itl.20.5cm Schiffsgeschütz. (Ende April 1918.) (BildID 15664719).jpg File:Doberdo-Plateau. Itl.20.5cm Schiffsgeschütz. (Ende April 1918.) (BildID 15664712).jpg

Notes

References

* *

External links

* http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNIT_8-45_EOC.php * http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNJAP_8-45_EOC.php {{DEFAULTSORT:EOC 8 45 203 mm artillery World War I naval weapons Naval guns of Italy Naval guns of Japan