Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1910 naval gun

Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1910
Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1910
	A Modèle 1910 coastal defense gun at Cat Ba Island Vietnam.
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1916—45
Used by	French Navy
Wars	World War I, World War II
Production history
Designed	1910—13
Specifications
Mass	5,320 kilograms (11,730 lb)
Barrel length	about 7.623 metres (25.01 ft)
Shell	130x900mm R, separate-loading, cased charge
Shell weight	39.5 kilograms (87 lb)
Caliber	138.6 millimetres (5.46 in)
Breech	interrupted screw
Elevation	-7° to +25°
Traverse	depending on mount
Rate of fire	5-6 rpm
Muzzle velocity	790 metres per second (2,600 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	16,100 metres (17,600 yd) at 25°

The Canon de 138 mm Modèle 1910 was a medium calibre naval gun of the French Navy used during World War I and World War II. It was carried by the dreadnoughts of the Courbet and Bretagne classes as their secondary armament and planned for use in the Normandie-class battleships. It was used as the primary armament for the Arras-class sloops and planned for the La Motte-Picquet-class cruisers that was cancelled in 1915. It was also used in coast defense batteries during both World Wars.

Design

The 55 caliber Mle 1910 used the typical built-up construction of its time. It had a screw breech and used separate-loading ammunition. In the battleships it was installed in armored casemates, using central pivot mounts, but no details are available. Presumably a variant of this mount was used for the sloops. Initially the casemate mount had a range of elevation from -10° to +15°, but this was later changed to -7° to +25°.^[2] The casemate mount could traverse a total of 160°.^[3]

Coast defense duties

Twenty Mle 1910 guns were used by the Germans as coast defense guns along the French Mediterranean coast, although it is unclear if these guns were simply taken over by the Germans or if they were emplaced by them.^[4]

In 1942 14 guns removed from the battleships Courbet and Paris were installed in coast defence batteries at Dawlish, Hayle, Padstow, Par, Sidmouth, Port Talbot and Whitehaven in the UK. These guns were returned to France in September 1945.

Field artillery

The Mle 1910 was also converted to field artillery use. Both Saint-Chamond (Mle 1891 - twelve guns) and Schneider (Mle 1910 - fifteen guns) produced land carriages in early 1916 and mid 1917 respectively. ^[5] Although these guns generally met the range requirements of the French Army the carriages were heavy, clumsy and slow firing.^[6] Saint-Chamond also constructed twelve Canon de 145mm Mle 1910 sur affût Saint-Chamond in 1916 using bored out 14 cm Mle L/55 barrels.^[7] During World War I fourteen spare guns from the Bretagne class were sent to the front at Verdun where they were captured during a German attack in February 1916.^[8] The guns kept their original center pivot mounts like in the picture and were placed on concrete slabs.^[9]

Ammunition

The 10.4 kilograms (23 lb) propellant charge for the Mle 1910 was contained in a cartridge case that would be used for all succeeding French guns of this caliber. Of course the actual amount of powder would vary with each gun, but it standardized the chamber size for all 138.6 mm (5.46 in) French guns.^[3]

Shell type	Weight	Muzzle velocity	Range
semi-armor-piercing	39.5 kg (87 lb)	790 m/s (2,600 ft/s)	16.1 km (17,600 yd)
high-explosive	31.5 kg (69 lb)	840 m/s (2,800 ft/s)	15.1 km (16,500 yd)

Gallery

A Modèle 1910 coastal defense gun at Cat Ba Island Vietnam.
A camouflaged 138 G at La Raperie near Terny-Sorny (Aisne). During World War I.
A Canon de 138 mle 1910 near Vacherauville France 1915.

Notes

^ PIEL, Jean françois (20 December 2018), Cat Ba - Viet-Nam, retrieved 31 December 2019
^ Campbell, p. 299
^ ^a ^b "French 138.6 mm/55 (5.46") Model 1910". 16 May 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
^ Rolf, Rudi (1998). Der Atlantikwall: Bauten der deutschen Küstenbefestigungen 1940-1945. Osnabrück: Biblio. p. 387. ISBN 3-7648-2469-7.
^ "Règlement Provisoire de Manoeuvre de l'Artillerie Lourde - Disposition Spéciales aux Batteries Armée de Canon de 14 c/m Modèle 1910 sur affût Schneider" (PDF). BnF Gallica. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
^ Touzin, Pierre and Vauvillers, François "Les Canons de la Victoire 1914-1918 Tome 1", Histoire & Collections, Paris, 2006, p.50
^ Touzin, Pierre and Vauvillers, François "Les Canons de la Victoire 1914-1918 Tome 1", Histoire & Collections, Paris, 2006, p.51
^ Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. S. Yorkshire: Seaforth Pub. p. 225. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 751804655.
^ "Canon de 14cm Mle 1910 de Marine sur affût de bord". www.passioncompassion1418.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.

References

Campbell, John (2002). Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.

[1] PIEL, Jean françois (20 December 2018), Cat Ba - Viet-Nam, retrieved 31 December 2019

[2] Campbell, p. 299

[n-3] "French 138.6 mm/55 (5.46") Model 1910". 16 May 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2009.

[4] Rolf, Rudi (1998). Der Atlantikwall: Bauten der deutschen Küstenbefestigungen 1940-1945. Osnabrück: Biblio. p. 387. ISBN 3-7648-2469-7.

[5] "Règlement Provisoire de Manoeuvre de l'Artillerie Lourde - Disposition Spéciales aux Batteries Armée de Canon de 14 c/m Modèle 1910 sur affût Schneider" (PDF). BnF Gallica. Retrieved 29 October 2017.

[6] Touzin, Pierre and Vauvillers, François "Les Canons de la Victoire 1914-1918 Tome 1", Histoire & Collections, Paris, 2006, p.50

[7] Touzin, Pierre and Vauvillers, François "Les Canons de la Victoire 1914-1918 Tome 1", Histoire & Collections, Paris, 2006, p.51

[8] Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. S. Yorkshire: Seaforth Pub. p. 225. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 751804655.

[9] "Canon de 14cm Mle 1910 de Marine sur affût de bord". www.passioncompassion1418.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.

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v t e French naval weapons of the First World War
Battleship primary armament	274 mm/40 Modèle 1893/1896 305 mm/45 Modèle 1887 305 mm/40 Modèle 1893/96 305 mm/45 Modèle 1906 340mm/28 Modèle 1881 340 mm/42 Modèle 1887 340 mm/45 Modèle 1912
Battleship secondary armament	47 mm/40 Modèle 1885 47 mm/50 Modèle 1902 57 mm/40 Modèle 1885 75 mm/62 Modèle 1908 75 mm/34 Modèle 1915/1916/1917 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 164 mm/45 Modèle 1887 164 mm/45 Modèle 1893 194 mm/40 Modèle 1893–1896 240mm/50 Modèle 1902 274 mm/45 Modèle 1887/1893
Cruiser primary armament	164 mm/45 Modèle 1887 164 mm/45 Modèle 1893 194 mm/45 Modèle 1887 194 mm/40 Modèle 1893–1896 194 mm/50 Modèle 1902
Cruiser secondary armament	100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 164 mm/45 Modèle 1887 164 mm/45 Modèle 1893
Destroyer and Aviso Primary armament	65 mm/50 Modèle 1891 100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910
Anti-aircraft weapons	8 mm/50 Modèle 1914 57 mm/40 Modèle 1902

v t e French naval weapons of the Second World War
Battleship main armament	305 mm/45 Modèle 1906 330 mm/50 Modèle 1931 340 mm/45 Modèle 1912 380 mm/45 Modèle 1935
Cruiser main armament	138 mm/40 Modèle 1923 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930 155 mm/50 Modèle 1920 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924 203 mm/55 Modèle 1931
Destroyer and Aviso main armament	65 mm Modèle 1891 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 100 mm/45 Modèle 1933 130 mm/40 Modèle 1919 130 mm/40 Modèle 1924 130 mm/45 Modèle 1935 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 138 mm/40 Modèle 1927 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 138 mm/50 Modèle 1929
Secondary armament	57 mm/40 Modèle 1885 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1930 100 mm/55 Modèle 1945 130 mm/45 Modèle 1932 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930
Submarine guns	75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 100 mm/45 Modèle 1917 100 mm/45 Modèle 1925 100 mm/34 Modèle 1936 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924
Anti-aircraft weapons	7.5 mm/80 Modèle 1931 8 mm/50 Modèle 1914 13.2 mm/76 Modèle 1929 25 mm/60 Modèle 1938 25 mm/60 Modèle 1940 37 mm/50 Modèle 1925 37 mm/70 Modèle 1935 57 mm/40 Modèle 1902 75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/34 Modèle 1933
Torpedoes	400 mm Modèle 1926V 550 mm Modèle 1919D 550 mm Modèle 1923DT 550 mm Modèle 1924M 550 mm Modèle 1924V