Mallet's Mortar
Encyclopedia
Mallet's Mortar was a British siege mortar built for, but never used in, the Crimean War
The mortar was design by Robert Mallet
. It was constructed in sections so that it could be transported.
Robert Mallet first made his design public in 1854. There was little response from the authorities until Mallet wrote to the then Prime Minister Lord Palmerston in March 1855. Palmerston was taken with the idea and instructed Board of Ordnance to arrange for the construction of two mortars of Mallet's design.
Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
won the contract at a price of £4,300 per mortar. The company's bankruptcy resulted in the work being divided among three firms which managed to deliver the mortars in May 1857.
Testing began on 19 October 1857 with further testing on 18 December 1857, 21 July 1858 and 28 of July 1858. Each test was brought to an end by damage to the mortar. A total of 19 rounds were fired with a rate of about 4 shells an hour being achieved.
Shell weight was between 2352 and 2940 lb (1,066.8 and 1,333.6 kg). In testing with an 80 pound charge it fired the lighter shell
a distance of 2759 yards with a flight time of 23 seconds.
Both mortars are in the collections of the Royal Armouries
, the UK's national museum of arms and armour.
The gun used for testing has been preserved at Repository Road opposite the Royal Artillery
army base in Woolwich
while the unfired gun is on display at the Royal Armouries
Fort Nelson
near Portsmouth
.
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
The mortar was design by Robert Mallet
Robert Mallet
Robert Mallet FRS , Irish geophysicist, civil engineer, and inventor who distinguished himself in research on earthquakes and is sometimes called the father of seismology.-Early life:...
. It was constructed in sections so that it could be transported.
Robert Mallet first made his design public in 1854. There was little response from the authorities until Mallet wrote to the then Prime Minister Lord Palmerston in March 1855. Palmerston was taken with the idea and instructed Board of Ordnance to arrange for the construction of two mortars of Mallet's design.
Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf on the west side and at Canning Town on the east side...
won the contract at a price of £4,300 per mortar. The company's bankruptcy resulted in the work being divided among three firms which managed to deliver the mortars in May 1857.
Testing began on 19 October 1857 with further testing on 18 December 1857, 21 July 1858 and 28 of July 1858. Each test was brought to an end by damage to the mortar. A total of 19 rounds were fired with a rate of about 4 shells an hour being achieved.
Shell weight was between 2352 and 2940 lb (1,066.8 and 1,333.6 kg). In testing with an 80 pound charge it fired the lighter shell
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
a distance of 2759 yards with a flight time of 23 seconds.
Both mortars are in the collections of the Royal Armouries
Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's National Museum of Arms and Armour. It is the United Kingdom's oldest museum, and one of the oldest museums in the world. It is also one of the largest collections of arms and armour in the world, comprising the UK's National Collection of Arms and...
, the UK's national museum of arms and armour.
The gun used for testing has been preserved at Repository Road opposite the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
army base in Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
while the unfired gun is on display at the Royal Armouries
Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's National Museum of Arms and Armour. It is the United Kingdom's oldest museum, and one of the oldest museums in the world. It is also one of the largest collections of arms and armour in the world, comprising the UK's National Collection of Arms and...
Fort Nelson
Fort Nelson, Portsmouth
Fort Nelson, in the civil parish of Boarhunt in the English county of Hampshire, is one of five defensive forts built on the summit of Portsdown Hill in the 1860s, overlooking the important naval base of Portsmouth. It is now part of the Royal Armouries, housing their collection of...
near Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.