Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1887

Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1887
Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1887
	The French battleship Jaureguiberry with its fore/aft 305 mm modèle 1887 guns.
Type	Naval gun; Railway artillery
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1887-1945
Used by	France
Wars	World War I; World War II
Specifications
Mass	45.7 t (50 short tons)
Length	13.9 m (46 ft)
Barrel length	13.5 m (44 ft)
Shell	Separate loading bagged charges and projectile
Shell weight	292–340 kg (644–750 lb)
Caliber	305 mm (12 in) 45 caliber
Elevation	-5° to +15°
Traverse	-150° to +150°
Rate of fire	1 rpm
Muzzle velocity	780–815 m/s (2,560–2,670 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	12 km (7.5 mi) at +15°

The Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1887 was a heavy naval gun used as the main armament of a number of French pre-dreadnoughts and coastal defense ships during World War I. Eight were converted to railway artillery in World War I and four were used during World War II.

Construction[edit]

The Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1887 45 caliber gun was a typical French built-up gun of the period. It used a Welin interrupted-screw breech and separate loading bagged charges and projectiles. It was mounted in single gun turrets which had a couple of unusual features. First, most of the turret's operating machinery was housed inside the turret, with only an armored tube to protect the ammunition hoists.^[2] This made little difference in the overall weight of the turret but did raise the machinery higher in the ship than the turrets of other nations, which did have implications for stability. Secondly, they used a hydraulic pivot to lift the turret when it rotated; this was lowered onto a seating ring when the turret was in the proper position to fire.^[2]

Naval use[edit]

The mle 1887 equipped three French pre-dreadnought battleships:

Charles Martel - The mle 1887 formed the primary armament of this pre-dreadnought battleship. There were two single gun turrets mounted fore and aft of the ship's superstructure. These were complemented by a secondary armament of two Canon de 274 mm Modèle 1887 single gun turrets port and starboard of the ship's superstructure. The four turrets together formed a lozenge pattern.

Carnot - The mle 1887 formed the primary armament of this pre-dreadnought battleship. There were two single gun turrets mounted fore and aft of the ship's superstructure. These were complemented by a secondary armament of two Canon de 274 mm Modèle 1887 single gun turrets port and starboard of the ship's superstructure. The four turrets together formed a lozenge pattern.

Jauréguiberry - The mle 1887 formed the primary armament of this pre-dreadnought battleship. There were two single gun turrets mounted fore and aft of the ship's superstructure. These were complemented by a secondary armament of two Canon de 274 mm Modèle 1887 single gun turrets port and starboard of the ship's superstructure. The four turrets together formed a lozenge pattern.

The mle 1887 equipped two French coastal defense ships:

Bouvines class - The mle 1887 formed the primary armament of the Bouvines and Amiral-Tréhouart. There were two single gun turrets mounted fore and aft of the ship's superstructure. The ship's secondary armament consisted of eight 100 mm (3.9 in) 45 caliber Modèle 1892 guns, four of which were mounted in individual casemates. The other four were carried on pivot mounts with gun shields on the shelter deck directly above the four casemated guns on the corners of the superstructure.

Railway artillery[edit]

The Obusier de 370 modèle 1915 was a conversion of the mle 1887 by shortening the barrels to 25 calibers and boring them out to 370 mm (15 in). It was proposed to convert eight gun barrels to railway artillery with another four spare barrels. The barrels for these guns would come from decommissioned ships of the Charles Martel class of pre-dreadnought battleships and Bouvines class coastal defense ships. The work of building the guns was split between Schneider and Batignolles each producing four guns.^[3]

There were slight differences between the two groups of four guns. For example, a 370 mle 1915 with gun barrels from the battleship Charles Martel weighed 127 tonnes, while the others from the Bouvines class of coastal defense ships weighed 134 tonnes. Whether there were any ballistic differences between the finished pieces is unknown.^[3]

The Obusier de 370 mm mle 1915 was considered a howitzer instead of a gun, so range and velocity were not primary considerations. Instead, high angle fire, projectile weight, and explosive yield were the primary considerations. Traverse was accomplished by using a section of curved track. Seven of the eight guns survived the first world war and four were captured by the Germans during the second world war their designation was 37 cm H(E) 711(f) and they used them throughout the second world war.^[4]^[5]

Ammunition[edit]

The mle 1887 was equipped with three different types of shell:

Armor-Piercing (AP) - 292 kg (644 lb) at 815 m/s (2,670 ft/s)
Semi-Armor-Piercing (SAP) - 340 kg (750 lb) at 815 m/s (2,670 ft/s)
Common-Incendiary (CI) - 292 kg (644 lb) at 815 m/s (2,670 ft/s)^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. S. Yorkshire: Seaforth Pub. pp. 210–211. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 751804655.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d DiGiulian, Tony. "France 305 mm/40 and 305 mm/45 (12") Model 1893 and 1893/1896 - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
^ ^a ^b "Obusier de 370 mm mle 1915 - WO1Wiki". www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-06-20.
^ Zaloga, Steve (25 February 2016). Railway guns of World War II. Dennis, Peter. Oxford. p. 6. ISBN 9781472810700. OCLC 957326136.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Engelmann, Joachim (1976). German railroad guns in action. Warren, Mich.: Squadron/Signal Publications. pp. 42–49. ISBN 0897470486. OCLC 3167850.

External links[edit]

[:1-1] Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. S. Yorkshire: Seaforth Pub. pp. 210–211. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 751804655.

[:0-2] DiGiulian, Tony. "France 305 mm/40 and 305 mm/45 (12") Model 1893 and 1893/1896 - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com. Retrieved 2018-06-21.

[:2-3] "Obusier de 370 mm mle 1915 - WO1Wiki". www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-06-20.

[:3-4] Zaloga, Steve (25 February 2016). Railway guns of World War II. Dennis, Peter. Oxford. p. 6. ISBN 9781472810700. OCLC 957326136.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[:4-5] Engelmann, Joachim (1976). German railroad guns in action. Warren, Mich.: Squadron/Signal Publications. pp. 42–49. ISBN 0897470486. OCLC 3167850.

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v t e French naval weapons of the First World War
Battleship primary armament	274 mm/40 Modèle 1893/1896 305 mm/45 Modèle 1887 305 mm/40 Modèle 1893/96 305 mm/45 Modèle 1906 340mm/28 Modèle 1881 340 mm/42 Modèle 1887 340 mm/45 Modèle 1912
Battleship secondary armament	47 mm/40 Modèle 1885 47 mm/50 Modèle 1902 57 mm/40 Modèle 1885 75 mm/62 Modèle 1908 75 mm/34 Modèle 1915/1916/1917 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 164 mm/45 Modèle 1887 164 mm/45 Modèle 1893 194 mm/40 Modèle 1893-1896 240mm/50 Modèle 1902 274 mm/45 Modèle 1887/1893
Cruiser primary armament	164 mm/45 Modèle 1887 164 mm/45 Modèle 1893 194 mm/45 Modèle 1887 194 mm/40 Modèle 1893-1896 194 mm/50 Modèle 1902
Cruiser secondary armament	100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 164 mm/45 Modèle 1887 164 mm/45 Modèle 1893
Destroyer and Aviso Primary armament	65 mm/50 Modèle 1891 100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910
Anti-aircraft weapons	8 mm/50 Modèle 1914 57 mm/40 Modèle 1902

v t e French artillery of World War I
Anti-aircraft guns	Canon de 75 antiaérien mle 1913-1917
Coastal artillery	Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891 Canon de 19 C modèle 1870/93 Canon de 19 C modèle 1875 Canon de 24 C modèle 1876 Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889
Field artillery	Canon de 75 modèle 1897 Canon de 75 modèle 1912 Schneider Canon de 75 modèle 1914 Schneider De Bange 90 mm cannon Obusier de 120 mm C modèle 1890 Obusier de 120 mm mle 15TR
Infantry guns	Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP
Medium and heavy artillery	Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider Canon de 155 court modèle 1904 Rimailho Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878 Canon de 145 L modele 1916 Saint-Chamond Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1890 Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 St. Chamond Canon de 155 L modèle 1877/14 Schneider Canon de 155 L Modele 1917 Schneider Canon de 155 L modèle 1918 Schneider Canon de 155 mm GPF De Bange 155 mm cannon Canon de 220 L mle 1917 Mortier de 220 modèle 1915/1916 Schneider
Mortars	Cellerier Mortar Mortier de 58 T N°1 Mortier de 58 T N°1 bis Mortier de 58 mm type 2 Mortier de 75 modèle 1915 Schneider Mortier de 150 mm T Mle 1917 Fabry Mortier de 240 mm Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1885 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889
Mountain artillery	Canon de 65 M modele 1906 75 mm Schneider-Danglis 06/09 Canon Court de 105 M modele 1909 Schneider
Railway artillery	Canon de 120 L mle 1878 sur affût-truc Peigné-Canet-Schneider mle 1897 Canon de 140 sur affut-truc mle 1884 Obusier de 155 C mle 1881 sur affût-truc Peigné-Canet-Schneider mle 1897 Materiel de 155 sur affut-truc Schneider Canon de 164 modèle 1893/96 TAZ Canon de 19 C modèle 1875 Canon de 19 modèle 1870/93 TAZ Obusier de 200 "Pérou" sur affût-truck TAZ Schneider 24 cm Canon G modèle 1916 Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Canon de 240 modèle 93/96 TAZ Canon de 274 modèle 93/96 Berceau Canon de 274 modèle 87/93 Glissement Canon de 305 modèle 93/96 TAZ Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à berceau Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/81 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/84 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/93 à glissement Canon de 340 modèle 1893 à glissement Canon de 340 modèle 1912 à berceau Canon de 340 modèle 1912 à glissement Obusier de 370 modèle 1915 à berceau Canon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement Obusier de 400 Modèle 1915/1916 Obusier de 520 modèle 1916
Siege artillery	Obusier de 120 mm C modèle 1890 Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878 Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1890 Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Canon de 240 TR Mle 1903 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1885 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889 Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider Mortier de 293 Danois sur affut-truck modèle 1914 Mortier de 370 modèle 1914 Filloux
Self propelled artillery	Canon de 194 GPF Canon de 220mm L Mle1917 Schneider (FAHM) Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond
Armoured vehicle guns	Puteaux 37 mm SA 18 Canon de 75 modèle 1897

v t e French artillery of World War II
Anti-aircraft guns	Mitrailleuse de 25 mm CA mle 39 Canon de 75 antiaérien mle 1913-1917 Canon de 75 CA modèle 1940 Schneider
Anti-tank guns	25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun 25 mm APX modèle 1937 AC 37 anti-tank gun AC 47 anti-tank gun 47 mm APX anti-tank gun
Coastal artillery	Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891 Canon de 19 C modèle 1870/93 Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889
Field artillery	Canon de 75 modèle 1897
Infantry guns	Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP
Medium and Heavy artillery	Canon de 105 court mle 1934 Schneider Canon de 105 court mle 1935 B Canon de 105 L mle 1936 Schneider Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider Canon de 145/155 L modele 1916 Saint-Chamond Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider Canon de 155 L modèle 1877/14 Schneider Canon de 155 L Modele 1917 Schneider Canon de 155 L modèle 1918 Schneider Canon de 155mm GPF Canon de 194 GPF Canon de 220 L mle 1917 Mortier de 220 modèle 1915/1916 Schneider Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider-St Chamond
Mortars	Mortier de 150 mm T Mle 1917 Fabry
Mountain artillery	Canon de 65 M modele 1906 Canon de 75 M modele 1919 Schneider Canon de 75 M modele 1928 Canon Court de 105 M modele 1909 Schneider Canon Court de 105 M modèle 1919 Schneider
Railroad artillery	Canon de 164 modèle 1893/96 TAZ Canon de 19 modèle 1870/93 TAZ Canon de 240 modèle 93/96 TAZ Canon de 305 modèle 1906/10 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/84 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/93 à glissement Canon de 320 modèle 1917 à glissement Canon de 340 modèle 1893 à glissement Canon de 340 modèle 1912 à berceau Canon de 340 modèle 1912 à glissement Obusier de 370 modèle 1915 Canon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement Obusier de 400 Modèle 1915/1916 Obusier de 520 modèle 1916
Siege artillery	Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider Mortier de 293 Danois sur affut-truck modèle 1914 Mortier de 370 modèle 1914 Filloux
Tank guns	37 mm SA 18 37 mm SA mle 1938 47mm SA mle 1935 75 mm ABS mle 1929