Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun
The Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 was a heavy naval gun used as the main armament of a number of French pre-dreadnoughts during World War I. It equipped the Charlemagne, République and Liberté-class battleships as well as the unique battleships Iéna and Suffren. It was also used as railway artillery in World War I.
Also recorded as Canon de 305 mm Modele 1893/96 gun
Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun
Agence Rol · Gallica · Public domain
- Field
- naval artillery and rifled breech loader.
- Region
- France.
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Documentary summary
The Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 was a heavy naval gun used as the main armament of a number of French pre-dreadnoughts during World War I. It equipped the Charlemagne, République and Liberté-class battleships as well as the unique battleships Iéna and Suffren. It was also used as railway artillery in World War I.
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wikidata · Q5033291 · wikipedia · Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun
In this article
World War I railway gun
World War I railway gun
During World War I surplus Modèle 1893/1896 guns were mounted on both rotating centre-pintle, cradle recoil, and sliding-carriage mountings on railway carriages to provide mobile firepower on the Western Front. They fired shells weighing from 321–351 kilograms (708–774 lb) to a maximum range of 31,130 metres (34,040 yd). The railroad mounts had a maximum elevation of 40° which accounts for the extra range over the naval guns.
Ammunition
Ammunition
APC (Armor Piercing Capped) - 340 kg (750 lb) CI (Cast iron) - 292 kg (644 lb) SAPC (Semi-Armor Piercing Capped) - 340 kg (750 lb)
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
Armstrong Whitworth 12 inch /40 naval gun British equivalent naval gun BL 12-inch railway gun British equivalent railway gun Russian 12 inch 40 caliber naval gun Russian equivalent naval gun
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 2 entries
1893
Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun is classified as a naval artillery or rifled breech loader.
1893
Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun is associated with France.
Description
The 12-inch/40 calibre Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun was a typical built-up French heavy gun of its period. It used a Welin interrupted-screw breech and bagged propellant with a de Bange obturator to get a good gas seal during firing. It was mounted in twin-gun turrets which had a couple of unusual features. First, most of the turret's operating machinery was housed inside the turret, with only an armored tube to protect the ammunition hoists. This made little difference in the overall weight of the turret, but did raise the machinery higher in the ship than the turrets of other nations, which did have implications for stability. Secondly, they used a hydraulic pivot to lift the turret when it rotated; this was lowered onto a seating ring when the turret was in the proper position to fire. Each turret had a nominal 300° of traverse, although each ship had its own specific limitations.
Related Guns
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Cited by Wikipedia
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Canon de 274 modèle 1893/1896Terminology
- Canon de 274 modèle 87/93 GlissementTerminology
- Canon de 274 modèle 93/96 BerceauTerminology
- Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1887Terminology
- Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à berceauTerminology
- Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à glissementTerminology
- Canon de 305 modèle 1906/10 à glissementTerminology
- Canon de 305 modèle 93/96 TAZTerminology
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