Somerset cannon
The Somerset cannon was a British cannon designed within the Admiralty and manufactured by Armstrong's.
Its genesis was the unexpected failure of the Armstrong breech-loading rifles recently developed and installed on Royal Navy ships. The Somerset was a 6.5 ton 9.2 in (23 cm) calibre smoothbore muzzle-loader, firing a 100 lb (45 kg) shot. A steel shot from a Somerset cannon could penetrate 5.5 in (14 cm) of armour at 800 yd (0.73 km).[1]
Providing a mounting which could reliably be worked at sea proved difficult for a piece of this size. Traditional truck carriages were inadequate; historical research revealed that a carriage which was suitable had been suggested by Captain Sir Thomas Hardy (Nelson's Flag Captain) many years before. In this system the gun-carriage remained stationary, and the recoil of the gun was absorbed by a system of sliding friction blocks attached to the carriage and to the gun.
The gun was issued for service, and was mounted in HM Ships Achilles,[1] Research, Favorite and Enterprise, but its performance was so poor, largely due to difficulties with the carriage in absorbing the recoil, that it was withdrawn from service.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Konstam, Angus (20 September 2018). British Ironclads 1860–75: HMS Warrior and the Royal Navy's 'Black Battlefleet'. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-4728-2688-6.