Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1893 naval gun

Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1893
Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1893
	WWI French gunboats Chaloupe-canonnière fluviale type A were armed with a 138-mm gun Mle 1891
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1887—1945?
Used by	France
Wars	World War I, World War II
Production history
Variants	Modèle 1887; Modèle 1888; Modèle 1891
Specifications
Mass	4,080 kg (8,990 lb)
Barrel length	6.234 m (20 ft 5.4 in)
Shell	separate-loading, cased charge
Shell weight	30–35 kg (66–77 lb)
Caliber	138.6 mm (5.46 in)
Breech	interrupted screw
Elevation	Varied by ship, but about -10° to +25°
Traverse	depending on mount
Rate of fire	about 4 rpm
Muzzle velocity	725–770 m/s (2,380–2,530 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	15,000 m (16,000 yd) at 25°

The Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1893 was a medium-calibre naval gun of the French Navy used during World War I and World War II. It was carried by a number of ships built during the 1890s including the Charlemagne-class pre-dreadnought battleships. Guns from scrapped warships were later mounted on auxiliary ships during the 1930s.[1]

Another view of an Chaloupe-canonnière fluviale type A gunboat.

Design

The 45-calibre Mle 1893 was the culmination of a family of guns first produced in 1884. The design progressed from the 30-caliber Mle 1884 and Mle 1891 guns, to the 44-caliber Mle 1888 and Mle 1891 guns and lastly the 45-caliber Mle 1887, Mle 1891 and Mle 1893 guns. The 44-caliber and 45-caliber guns had nearly identical ballistic performance and used the same ammunition.[2] The Mle 1893 used the typical built-up construction of its time. It had a screw breech and used separate-loading ammunition. In the battleships it was installed in armored casemates, using central pivot mounts, but no details are available.[3]

Railway artillery

A number of mle 1884 guns were modified to become railway artillery under the designation Canon de 140 sur affut-truc mle 1884 during 1914. The conversion entailed mounting the gun carriage on a simple flatbed rail wagon built from steel I beams and timbers with five variable gauge axles that allowed the guns to transition from standard gauge 144 cm (56.5 in) to narrow gauge 61 cm (24 in) allowing the guns to be brought closer to the front.[4]

The recoil system for the mle 1884 consisted of a U shaped gun cradle which held the trunnioned barrel and a slightly inclined firing platform with a hydro-gravity recoil system. When the gun fired the hydraulic buffers slowed the recoil of the cradle which slid up a set of inclined rails on the firing platform and then returned the gun to battery by the combined action of the buffers and gravity. Elevation was largely the same but there was no traverse so in order to aim the gun had to be drawn across a section of curved track or placed on a turntable. [4]

In order to anchor the gun, there was an attachment at the front of the carriage for a tie bar which attached to an earth anchor and there was an ammunition hoist at the rear of the carriage. There were also four wooden beams with one between each axle which were lowered lay across the tracks by screw jacks to take weight off of the axles.[4]

Ammunition

The 7.257-kilogram (16.00 lb) propellant charge for the Mle 1893 was contained in a cartridge case.[2]

Shell type	Weight	Muzzle velocity	Range
Armor-piercing, capped	35 kg (77 lb)[2]	730 m/s (2,400 ft/s)[2]	15,000 m (16,000 yd)[2]
Common shell	30 kg (66 lb)[2]	770 m/s (2,500 ft/s)[2]	N/A
Semi-armor-piercing, capped	35 kg (77 lb)[2]	730 m/s (2,400 ft/s)[2]	N/A

Notes

Campbell, p. 300
Friedman, p. 224
"French 138.6 mm/45 (5.46") Models 1884, 1888, 1891 and 1893". 28 March 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
Hogg, Ian (1973). Rail gun. Batchelor, John. New York: Scribner. p. 15. ISBN 0684133423. OCLC 760898.

References

Campbell, John (2002). Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.

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[1] Campbell, p. 300

[f4-2] Friedman, p. 224

[n-3] "French 138.6 mm/45 (5.46") Models 1884, 1888, 1891 and 1893". 28 March 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.

[:4-4] Hogg, Ian (1973). Rail gun. Batchelor, John. New York: Scribner. p. 15. ISBN 0684133423. OCLC 760898.

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

French naval weapons of the Second World War
Battleship main armament	305 mm/45 Modèle 1906 330 mm/50 Modèle 1931 340 mm/45 Modèle 1912 380 mm/45 Modèle 1935
Cruiser main armament	138 mm/40 Modèle 1923 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930 155 mm/50 Modèle 1920 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924 203 mm/55 Modèle 1931
Destroyer and Aviso main armament	65 mm Modèle 1891 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 100 mm/45 Modèle 1933 130 mm/40 Modèle 1919 130 mm/40 Modèle 1924 130 mm/45 Modèle 1935 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 138 mm/40 Modèle 1927 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 138 mm/50 Modèle 1929
Secondary armament	57 mm/40 Modèle 1885 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1930 100 mm/55 Modèle 1945 130 mm/45 Modèle 1932 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930
Submarine guns	75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 100 mm/45 Modèle 1917 100 mm/45 Modèle 1925 100 mm/34 Modèle 1936 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924
Anti-aircraft weapons	7.5 mm/80 Modèle 1931 8 mm/50 Modèle 1914 13.2 mm/76 Modèle 1929 25 mm/60 Modèle 1938 25 mm/60 Modèle 1940 37 mm/50 Modèle 1925 37 mm/70 Modèle 1935 57 mm/40 Modèle 1902 75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/34 Modèle 1933
Torpedoes	400 mm Modèle 1926V 550 mm Modèle 1919D 550 mm Modèle 1923DT 550 mm Modèle 1924M 550 mm Modèle 1924V