12 5 inch RML - Background Images

Some images and drawings used in the preparation of the 12.5 inch Rifled Muzzle loading gun video. I took these photos at Fort Nelson and Fort Nothe. Photos of the Nothe Drawings were made at the National Archives, Kew.

[@nanab256]

imagine amount of smoke after shot using over 70kg of black powder

[@tenofprime]

Seeing the images of the real world guns and work spaces is an interesting and fun compliment to the 3D model. Helps drive home the scale of these guns.

[@felixthecat265]

Guns of this era were short and fat because of the very fast burning rate of the black powder charges. Attempts were made to slow the burning rate by making lumpy "pebble" and pressed "Prism" powders but they were only partially successful. The best results were achieved by using Brown or "cocoa" powder made by substituting charred straw for charcoal in the mix. Eventually these propellants were replaced by smokeless propellants such as Cordite. The burning rate of this could be controlled by the size and shape of the propellant stick allowing the pressure to be reduced and the burn longer. This allowed the design of the longer, thinner gun barrels we know today...

[@伊井大]

Thanks for all your great videos, I don't know how the chain gun works so I hope one day you will make a video for us. 🎌

[@chriskortan1530]

Somehow I have never seen a rope mantlet before ! It makes some sense to help protect the gun crew but also looks like it would get in the way of reloading.

[@felixthecat265]

Rope mantlets are still used in Ammunition plants to shield hazardous processes. They are very good at killing blast and capturing fragments.

[@user-uf4bn6zu1h]

Amazing

[@gmodrules123456789]

I wonder how effective these weapons would’ve been up against steel warships with breechloading guns

[@tacituskilgore5372]

Guess whos back Back again

[@JostVanWair]

You mentioned that the RBL guns on the Colossus were obsolete by the time they were commissioned due to their long and cumbersome loading process i believe. Did they finally find a way to load those old guns without a massive ramrod that was a part of the ship itself?

[@vbbsmyt]

@JostVanWair: The next class of warships that followed on from Colossus, the 'Admirals' had their guns mounted fore-and-aft in the 'modern' design. In addition, telescopic rams had been developed. The guns, mounted in barbettes (ie. with no covering gunhouse), had to be trained ahead (or astern) and then elevated to the loading angle (13 degrees) to align with the rams. Breech blocks still had to be withdrawn and moved sideways in the same way as Colossus guns. By moving the guns out of the armoured citadel, the guns could be mounted above the magazines and shell rooms, so allowing lifts. It took another 10-20 years to develop loading systems that could reload with the guns remaining trained at the target. The development of early breech mechanisms is an interesting story - perhaps I might create an animation... Rob

[@JostVanWair]

​​@@vbbsmytnteresting, thank you. I noticed that the Centurion class battleships were the first British battleships with guns that could be reloaded from any angle.

[@JostVanWair]

​@@vbbsmytOh yes, what do you mean "telescopic rams"; did the ramrods extend out? I haven't been able to find a visualisation of this.

[@vbbsmyt]

@@JostVanWair Yes, the rams were made of concentric tubes and extended out like a telescope. This made them shorter and easier to fit on a ship. HMS Edinburgh, the sister ship of Colossus, was fitted with telescopic rams. The technology to create seals that would withstand the hydraulic pressure probably developed from steam engines. I know I have seen a diagram of these, but cannot find it in my library, sorry. However, the development of naval breech loading mechanisms is a fascinating subject and one I hope to find time to tackle.

[@JostVanWair]

@@vbbsmyt Hmmm.. interesting. I find it odd that HMS Thunderer, which came several years before the Colossus, had telescopic rams too (or so I have read) while Colossus herself didn't. Many thanks.

[@frankmg4250]

the rope matlets were used for catching shrapnel?

[@tenofprime]

Or perhaps to protect the operators from the blast pressure and flash as much as possible for when the gun fires.

[@gaston01000]

A XIX century BFG lol Next time: Winchester 1887, please