Landships II

Tim R · Hero

Please ID another Gun

PDA · Legend

Can't ID the gun, but Admiral Bacon was working for Coventry Ordnance Works when he designed the 15in Howitzer (an upscaled 9.2in). He then re-enlisted (or resumed his commission) and took the guns to France (and/or Belgium) along with a detachment of Royal Marine Gunners and some big Fosters of Lincoln tractors.

Not saying that this is a 15in (it doesn't look like one to me), merely that Royal Marine Gunners and Royal Navy Gunners were fairly common on land. There is a segment of a documentary showing the firing of a 15in, and the crew are all wearing sou'westers and oilskins.

Roger Todd · Legend

The inclined slide with built-in recoil cylinders is strongly reminiscent of early 9.2" railway gun mountings, but the turntable below is more like the later marks.

It could be a ship-board gun dismounted and with the shield removed. There's a tantalisingly similar looking gun and mounting in a tiny photo at the bottom of this page:

http://www.findmypast.com.au/articles/anzac-day-stories/resources-photos

Pzkpfw-e · Commander in Chief

They're a whopping calibre, possibly ex-Predreadnought guns?
Looking through possibilities, there was a single 13.5" MkIII, used as a disappearing gun at the Penlee batterie in Plymouth.
Possibly also 12" MkI, VI or VII which were used as coastal defence guns too.
The "Defence of Paris" bit looks odd, it's sat in the open at the bottom of a quarry?

Roger Todd · Legend

It doesn't look as large as 12in. It's not a disappearing mounting. The quarry does look odd.

Ironsides · Legend

I believe this is whats called a "Vavasseur central pivot" VCP mounting.... possibly this gun is a BL 6 inch from the early 1890s, I believe the additional angle imparted by the footings of the mounting is to improve the range....

a similar gun:

http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/art/6inchBLCPVavasseur.htm

Cheers wink

Roger Todd · Legend

It's definitely a Vavasseur Centre Pivot. And it may even be 6in, though I incline towards 9.2in. I've got an original Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects from 1888 with a load of gatefold drawings of Armstrong gun mountings and the 6in VCP illustrated is very similar.

Ironsides · Legend

Roger I'm still humming and harring about the 9.2 as I'm not entirely convinced it is a 6 inch, it could be the 9.2 but I dont think so as it just doesn't looks big enough to me, but then there are so many versions.... smile

Roger Todd · Legend

As you say, very hard to tell from the angles of those photos! Plus the older guns tend to have beefier barrels, making them seem larger. I still reckon it's a 9.2in, it's just that the mounting in the drawing I have of a 6in VCP is clearer than the 9.2in drawing in the same book, and looks generally more like the mounting in the photos in terms of layout.

Ironsides · Legend

I think this is pretty close on barrel shape 9.2 inch gun, though I estimated the length about 20' (MkIII-VI 25 feet overall) from your first pic it could be more (anyone know how long a Foster Daimler tractor is?) but I think I agree, obsolete 9.2 probably from an old cruiser smile

This handbook includes MK1,IV and VI....

Handbook of the 9.2-inch B.L. guns, Marks ix. x and xv, (Land service), for 1902

-- Edited by Ironsides on Thursday 26th of June 2014 03:35:39 PM

Tim R · Hero

Thank you Gentlemen

I appreciate your inputs.

All the Best

Tim R.