• Source: Ordnance BL 12-pounder 7 cwt

The Ordnance BL 12-pounder 7cwt was the British Army's field gun which succeeded the RML 13-pounder 8 cwt in 1885.




History


The gun was initially adopted by both the Royal Field Artillery and Royal Horse Artillery, and was in full service by 1885. It marked a return to breech-loading guns, after the British Army had reverted to muzzle-loaders in the late 1860s following the failure of the Armstrong screw breech guns.
Problems arose when it was used by the Horse Artillery in the great Indian cavalry manoeuvres of 1891. The carriage was found to be too complicated and dust caused the metal surfaces of the axle traversing device to seize. It also proved too heavy to manoeuvre for horse artillery, which was intended to support cavalry in battle.
The 12-pounder 6 cwt gun was thus developed in 1892, when the new more powerful cordite replaced gunpowder, as a lighter alternative. It had a barrel 18 inches (460 mm) shorter, on a lighter and simpler carriage, and it entered service with the Royal Horse Artillery in 1894.
The introduction of Cordite also led to the decision that the 12-pounder was capable of firing a heavier shell up to 15 lb (6.8 kg). A 14-pound shell was adopted and the gun became a "15-pounder" from 1895. At that point the 12-pounder 7 cwt became redundant.




Combat use


The gun was normally towed by 6 horses, in 3 pairs.




See also


Field artillery
List of field guns




Surviving examples


Hobbs Artillery Park, Irwin Barracks, Karrakatta, Western Australia




Notes






References






Bibliography


Text Book of Gunnery, 1902. LONDON : PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE Archived 2012-07-12 at archive.today
Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914–1919. Field Army Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2004
Major Darrell D. Hall, "Field Artillery of the British Army 1860–1960. Part I, 1860 – 1900" in The South African Military History Society. Military History Journal – Vol 2 No 4, December 1972




External links



Handbook for the 12-PR. B.L. gun mark I, Land service, 1891 at State Library of Victoria
Drill for the 12.5 – pr. B. L. gun on travelling field carriage. Melbourne. 1901 ? at State Library of Victoria
Diagram of 12pr B.L.7cwt Field Gun Mark I from Victorian Forts and Artillery website
Diagram of 12pr B.L.7cwt Field Gun Mark II from Victorian Forts and Artillery website

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Daftar howitzer
• Ordnance BL 12-pounder 7 cwt
• 12-pounder gun
• BL 60-pounder gun
• BL 12-pounder 6 cwt gun
• QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun
• BL 15-pounder gun
• QF 18-pounder gun
• QF 6-pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss
• Glossary of British ordnance terms
• QF 12-pounder 18 cwt naval gun