RBL 20 pounder Armstrong gun
Encyclopedia
The Armstrong Breech Loading 20 pounder gun, later known as RBL 20 pounder, was an early modern 3.75 inch rifled breech-loading light gun of 1859.
. There were different versions for Land and Sea service.
This was introduced in 1859. It is 2½ feet shorter than the Land version giving it a bore of only 54 inches (14.43 calibres), and hence a short stubby appearance. Its short barrel only allowed it to attain a muzzle velocity of 1,000 ft/second.
The 15 cwt gun, identifiable by the raised coil in front of the vent slot, was intended for broadside use on sloop-class ships. The more lightly constructed 13 cwt gun was known as a pinnace gun and was intended for boat use.
History
The gun was effectively a larger version of the successful RBL 12 pounder 8 cwt Armstrong gunRBL 12 pounder 8 cwt Armstrong gun
The Armstrong Breech Loading 12 pounder 8 cwt, later known as RBL 12 pounder 8 cwt, was an early modern 3-inch rifled breech-loading field gun of 1859.-Design:The gun incorporated some advanced features for its day...
. There were different versions for Land and Sea service.
RBL 20 pounder of 13 cwt and 15 cwt for Sea Service
The 15 cwt gun, identifiable by the raised coil in front of the vent slot, was intended for broadside use on sloop-class ships. The more lightly constructed 13 cwt gun was known as a pinnace gun and was intended for boat use.
RBL 20 pounder of 16 cwt for Land Service
This was introduced in 1860. It has a bore of 84 inches (22.36 calibres) and hence has the appearance of a typical field gun.Surviving examples
- An unrestored 13 cwt pinnace gun at Hong Kong Museum of Coastal DefenceHong Kong Museum of Coastal DefenceThe Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence is a museum in Hong Kong, located in a former coastal defence fort overlooking the Lei Yue Mun channel, near Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island. The fort was built by the British in 1887, intended to defend the eastern approaches to Victoria Harbour.The total...
- A 16 cwt gun on board HMS WarriorHMS Warrior (1860)HMS Warrior was the first iron-hulled, armour-plated warship, built for the Royal Navy in response to the first ironclad warship, the French Gloire, launched a year earlier....
at Portsmouth, UK - A 13 cwt gun dated 1859 at the Artillery Museum, North Head, Sydney, Australia