Landships II

d_fernetti · Hero

Italian BIG gun

Roger Todd · Legend

Thanks for asking, PDA! Sadly, my knowledge is nowhere near what you assume it is - in fact, apart from various photos I've scavenged from the web, and a set of drawings, I know pretty much nothing! Mind you, come to think of it...

Right, just checked my copy of Franz Kosar's 'Die Schweren Geschutze des Welt' and it seems to have a fair bit of information about this weapon. As my German is non-existent, and as I'm dead busy this week into early next week, the earliest I could start would be late next week, using Babelfish and commonsense! Leave it with me, I'll get back to you in a couple of weeks - feel free to remind me even at the risk of seeming to nag, I'm very forgetful!

And yes, that master looks cracking, I'll be snapping up a kit when it's released.

-- Edited by Roger Todd on Monday 21st of May 2012 10:33:44 PM

Roger Todd · Legend

Fantastic news, thank you, as I've always liked that gun!

Bloody annoying news, because I've got some plans and was thinking of making a 1/72 kit myself!

PDA · Legend

Looks like it will be a good looking kit - thanks for posting this news, D.

Roger, would you care to write a little article on this gun for Landships II?

Roger Todd · Legend

The model is of the 17-cal howitzer which was, you are correct in saying, made by Armstrong-Pozzuoli. The factory appears to have been built in the 1880s, with George Rendel (a very talented naval architect, responsible for the Rendel, or Flat-Iron, Gunboats and many protected cruisers for the export market, for which Armstrongs became famous) placed in charge. I should imagine this grew from the immense amount of work Armstrongs did for Italy from the 1870s onwards (for example, Armstrongs built the gigantic 17.7in RML guns for the Italian Navy's ironclads and for the British at Malta and Gibraltar and a little later 17in and 13.5in BL guns for the Italian Navy).

And yes, there were also some ex-naval battleship guns on Di Stefano type carriages (40-cal 305mm guns from pre-dreadnoughts and possibly some 46-cal 305mm dreadnought guns but I can't make out the German, I'd have to type/scan the text and Babelfish it which I can't be bothered doing now as it's late).

-- Edited by Roger Todd on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 12:51:54 AM

CharlieC · Legend

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Looks like there was a number of gun/howitzer types on the de Stefano carriage. The guns seem to be Armstrong barrels - likely ex-Naval guns. The howitzers are referred to as Armstrong-Puzzuoli - Italian design?

Regards,

Charlie�