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The Armstrong Breech Loading 20-pounder gun, later known as RBL 20-pounder, was an early modern 3.75-inch rifled breech-loading light gun of 1859.
The RBL 20 pounder of 13 cwt and 15 cwt for sea service was introduced in 1859. It is 2½ feet shorter than the land version giving it a bore of only 54 inches (14.43 calibres), and hence a short stubby appearance. Its short barrel only allowed it to attain a muzzle velocity of 1,000 ft/second.
The 15 cwt gun, identifiable by the raised coil in front of the vent slot, was intended for broadside use in sloops. The more lightly constructed 13 cwt gun was known as a pinnace gun and was intended for boat use.
A 13 cwt gun dated 1859
at the Artillery Museum, North Head, Sydney, Australia * Sea Service Pattern at
''Treatise on the construction and manufacture of ordnance in the British service''. War Office, UK, 1877
''Text Book of Gunnery'', 1887. London : Printed for his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Harrison and Sons, St. Martin's Lane
* Alexander Lyman Holley
''A treatise on Ordnance and Armor'' published by D Van Nostrand, New York, 1865
* Lieutenant-Colonel C H Owen R.A.
''The principles and practice of modern artillery'', published by John Murray, London, 1873
Handbook for the 20-pr. R.B.L. gun of 16-cwt. on garrison sliding carriage and on travelling carriage, 1892, 1896
{{VictorianEraBritishNavalWeapons Artillery of the United Kingdom Field guns Naval guns of the United Kingdom EOC naval guns 95 mm artillery Victorian-era weapons of the United Kingdom
History
The gun was effectively a larger version of the successful RBL 12 pounder 8 cwt Armstrong gun. There were different versions for land and sea service.Sea service
The RBL 20 pounder of 13 cwt and 15 cwt for sea service was introduced in 1859. It is 2½ feet shorter than the land version giving it a bore of only 54 inches (14.43 calibres), and hence a short stubby appearance. Its short barrel only allowed it to attain a muzzle velocity of 1,000 ft/second.
The 15 cwt gun, identifiable by the raised coil in front of the vent slot, was intended for broadside use in sloops. The more lightly constructed 13 cwt gun was known as a pinnace gun and was intended for boat use.
Land service
The RBL 20 pounder of 16 cwt for land service was introduced in 1860. It has a bore of 84 inches (22.36 calibres) and hence has the appearance of a typical field gun. After it became obsolete for regular Royal Artillery use, a small number were re-issued to Volunteer Artillery ''Batteries of Position'' from 1889, alongside 16-pounder RML guns and 40 Pounder RBL guns. The 1893 the War Office Mobilisation Scheme shows the allocation of twelve Artillery Volunteer position batteries equipped with 20 Pounder guns which would be concentrated inEpping, Essex
Epping is a market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. Part of the London metropolitan area, metropolitan and Urban area, urban area of London, it is 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Charing Cross. It is surrounde ...
in the event of mobilisation.Mobilization Tables for Home Defence, List of Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteer Units, HMSO, London, 1893
Surviving examples
* An unrestored 13 cwt pinnace gun at
Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
The Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence is a public museum in Hong Kong, located in a former coastal defence fort overlooking the Lei Yue Mun channel, near Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island. The fort was built by th ...
* A 16 cwt gun on board HMS ''Warrior'' at Portsmouth, UK
A 13 cwt gun dated 1859
at the Artillery Museum, North Head, Sydney, Australia * Sea Service Pattern at
Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower
The Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower is situated in the former Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Priddy's Hard, in Gosport, Hampshire, England. It now forms part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
The museum includes a wide variety of ex ...
, Gosport
Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...
See also
*Armstrong gun
An Armstrong gun was a type of rifled breech-loading field and heavy artillery piece designed by Sir William Armstrong. It was first manufactured in England starting in 1855 by the Elswick Ordnance Company and the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich.
...
* List of field guns
* List of naval guns
List of Naval Guns by country of origin
List of naval guns by caliber size
Naval anti-aircraft guns
See also
*List of artillery
* List of the largest cannon by caliber
*Glossary of British ordnance terms
*Naval artillery
References
Ext ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
''Treatise on the construction and manufacture of ordnance in the British service''. War Office, UK, 1877
''Text Book of Gunnery'', 1887. London : Printed for his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Harrison and Sons, St. Martin's Lane
* Alexander Lyman Holley
''A treatise on Ordnance and Armor'' published by D Van Nostrand, New York, 1865
* Lieutenant-Colonel C H Owen R.A.
''The principles and practice of modern artillery'', published by John Murray, London, 1873
External links
Handbook for the 20-pr. R.B.L. gun of 16-cwt. on garrison sliding carriage and on travelling carriage, 1892, 1896
{{VictorianEraBritishNavalWeapons Artillery of the United Kingdom Field guns Naval guns of the United Kingdom EOC naval guns 95 mm artillery Victorian-era weapons of the United Kingdom