A rifled muzzle loader in the forecastle of HMS Gannet (1878) ">HMS_Gannet_(1878).html" ;"title="forecastle of HMS Gannet (1878)">forecastle of HMS Gannet (1878)
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. 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 gun ...
(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 t ...
in the late 19th century, with rapid advances in
fortifications and
ironclad
An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...
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
Duilio (born Lorenzo Duilio di Cicco, 23 February 1973, Basel) is a Swiss singer, best known for his participation in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.
Duilio was chosen by broadcaster SRG SSR to represent Switzerland in the 39th Eurovision S ...
'' and ''
Enrico Dandolo'' (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
*
Parrott rifle
*
Brooke rifle
*
James rifle
References
* Dr Oscar Parkes- British Battleships,
Seeley, Service & Co., London. 1973
Artillery
{{Artillery-stub
