70-pounder Whitworth naval gun
| 70-pounder Whitworth gun | |
|---|---|
|
Gun from Princess Royal, in Willard Park at the Washington Navy Yard | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1863– |
| Used by | Confederate States, United States, Brazil |
| Wars | American Civil War, Paraguayan War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Joseph Whitworth |
| Manufacturer | Joseph Whitworth |
| Unit cost | £3500 |
| Produced | 1863?– |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 8,582 pounds (3,892.7 kg) |
| Length | 118 inches (2.997 m) |
|
| |
| Shell |
Solid shot Explosive shell |
| Shell weight | 81 pounds (36.7 kg) |
| Calibre | 5.5-inch (140 mm) |
| Maximum firing range | 5,540 yards (5,070 m) |
| Filling | Black powder |
| Filling weight | 3 pounds 12 ounces (1.7 kg)[1] |
The 70-pounder Whitworth naval gun was designed by Joseph Whitworth during the 1860s. It was a rifled muzzle loader and used his hexagonal rifled bore design.
Service
Four guns were captured by the United States Navy on the blockade-runner Princess Royal on 29 January 1863. Two were sent to Morris Island, Charleston, South Carolina to bombard Fort Sumter during the summer of 1863. One gun had a premature detonation that killed four of its crew when trying to ram a projectile home. Another gun was disabled after 111 shots when its inner tube moved back far enough to block the vent.[2]
A number of 70-pounders were bought by the Brazilian Navy and used to arm some of its ironclads during the Paraguayan War in the late 1860s.[3]
Notes
Gallery
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On a naval carriage
-
On a coastal carriage in Rio de Janeiro city
References
- Gratz, George A. (1999). "The Brazilian Imperial Navy Ironclads, 1865–1874". In Preston, Antony. Warship 1999-2000. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-724-4.
- Alexander Lyman Holley, "A Treatise on Ordnance and Armor" published by D. Van Nostrand, New York, 1865
- Olmstead, Edwin; Stark, Wayne E.; Tucker, Spencer C. (1997). The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast, and Naval Cannon. Alexandria Bay, New York: Museum Restoration Service. ISBN 0-88855-012-X.
External links
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