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Naval gun

RML 64-pounder 64 cwt gun
Fortification mounted MK III gun firing at Fort Glanville Conservation Park, South Australia
Type	Naval gun Fortification gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1865–190?
Used by	British Empire
Production history
Designer	Woolwich Arsenal
Designed	1864
Manufacturer	Woolwich Arsenal Elswick Ordnance Company
Variants	Mk I, II, III
Specifications
Mass	64-long-hundredweight (3,300 kg)
Length	9.83 in (25.0 cm)
Barrel length	97.5 in (248 cm) bore

Shell	64 pounds (29 kg)
Calibre	6.3 inches (160 mm)
Action	RML
Breech	Muzzle-loading
Muzzle velocity	Wrought-iron tube : 1,252 feet per second (382 m/s) Mk III steel tube : 1,390 feet per second (420 m/s)
Effective firing range	5,000 yards (4,600 m)

The RML 64-pounder 64 cwt gun is a Rifled, Muzzle Loading (RML) naval, field or fortification artillery gun manufactured in England in the 19th century, which fired a projectile weighing approximately 64 pounds (29 kg). "64 cwt" refers to the gun's weight rounded up to differentiate it from other "64-pounder" guns.

Description

The calibre of 6.3 in (16 cm) was chosen to enable it to fire remaining stocks of spherical shells originally made for the obsolete 32 pounder guns if necessary.

Mark I (adopted in 1864) and Mark II (adopted 1866) guns, and Mark III guns made from 1867 – April 1871 had wrought-iron inner "A" tubes surrounded by wrought-iron coils.

Mark III guns made after April 1871 were built with toughened mild steel "A" tubes, and earlier Mark III guns were re-tubed with steel and were classified as a siege gun in land service. Remaining guns with iron tubes were used for sea service.

Rifling of all guns consisted of 3 grooves, with a uniform twist of 1 turn in 40 calibres (i.e. 1 turn in 252 in (640 cm)).

Ammunition

The gun's standard shell was "common shell", for firing on troops in cover, ships and buildings, weighed 57.4 pounds (26.0 kg) when empty with a bursting charge of 7.1 pounds (3.2 kg). Shrapnel shells could also be fired; a 66.6 pounds (30.2 kg) shell with a 9-ounce (260 g) bursting charge propelling 234 metal balls.

Surviving Examples of Guns

Mark I, Mark II number 164 and Mark III guns at Fort George, near Inverness, Scotland, UK
Mark III gun number 17, on board HMS Gannet, Chatham Dockyard, UK
Mark III gun number 294, dated 1867, Nothe Fort, Weymouth, UK
Mark III gun at Fort Brockhurst, Gosport, UK
Two Mark III guns, including no. 318 dated 1867 at Pendennis Castle, Cornwall, UK
Mark III guns number 462 and 463 at Fort Glanville, Adelaide, South Australia
Mark III gun number 739, dated 1878, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Mark III gun number 742 dated 1878 - ex HMQS Otter (Queensland colonial navy) example displayed in Queens Park Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Two Mark III guns, including No 729 dated 1878, at Fort Lytton Historic Military Precinct, Brisbane, Australia
Lei Yue Mun Fort's Central Battery, Hong Kong
6 guns at Fort Siloso, Singapore including Mark III gun Number 767, dated 1874
RML 64-pr 64 cwt Mk 3 at Albert Park, Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Surviving Examples of Ammunition

RML 64pdr shell that has been fired, and RML 64 fuse at Fort Lytton Historic Military Precinct, Brisbane, Australia
RML 64pdr Mark I shell (no fuse) is held in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra

Notes and references

"The Gun Rifled Ordnance". Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
^ A Guide to Fort Glanville, South Australia. Semaphore Park, South Australia: The Fort Glanville historical association. 2000.
1,252 feet/second firing a 64-pound projectile with 8 lb (3.6 kg) R.L.G. gunpowder is quoted for wrought-iron tubed guns in "Treatise on Construction and Manufacture of Service Ordnance, 1879", page 363. 1,390 ft/s (420 m/s) firing a 65-pound projectile using 10 lb (4.5 kg) R.L.G.4 gunpowder is quoted for Mk III steel tube gun in Table XII in "Text Book of Gunnery 1902".
^ Treatise on Construction and Manufacture of Service Ordnance, 1879, pages 292, 261-265
"The 64pr. 64 cwt gun Mark III". Palmerston Forts Society, Fareham Hampshire U.K. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
The two 1878 guns are still fired regularly "Gun-firing Re-enactment | Fort Lytton Historic Military Precinct". fortlytton.org.au. Retrieved 13 August 2016.

Bibliography

External links

YouTube video showing re-enactment of loading and firing with blank cartridge at Fort Lytton, Queensland
Handbook for the 64 – pr. R.M.L. gun of 64 cwt., marks I-III land service 1888, 1893, 1900, 1902 at State Library of Victoria
Diagram of gun on 6-foot parapet platform mounting at Victorian Forts website
1916 "The Brisbane Courier" newspaper clipping showing the 64 pounder muzzle loader siege gun, bearing the date 1881, that was on the beach, at Manly (Queensland, Australia) for many years. It may now be one of the surviving guns at Fort Lytton. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/1588925 Here are links to other photos of the same gun https://library-brisbane.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/23652/0 https://library-brisbane.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/23748/0 https://library-brisbane.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/23373/0
A live round was found in the garden of a couple living in Pembrokeshire, UK and detonated by the local Bomb Squad. Here is a link to the news report: Milford Haven: Garden ornament turns out to be live bomb https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-67602627

British Empire small arms & ordnance of the Victorian era

Sidearms

Muskets and rifles

Artillery

Field Artillery	SBML 9 pounder 13 cwt RBL 9 pounder RBL 12-pounder RBL 20-pounder RML 9-pounder 8 cwt RML 13-pounder 8 cwt RML 16-pounder 12 cwt BL 12-pounder 7 cwt BL 12-pounder 6 cwt gun QF 12-pounder 8 cwt BL 15-pounder gun QF 1-pounder pom-pom
Mountain artillery	RML 7-pounder mountain gun RML 2.5-inch mountain gun
Howitzers, medium, and heavy artillery	RML 6.3-inch howitzer RML 6.6-inch howitzer BL 5-inch howitzer BL 5.4-inch howitzer
Siege & garrison artillery	4.1-inch 'Long Cecil' SBBL 32-pounder SBML 24-pounder SBML 8-inch 65 cwt RBL 40-pounder RBL 7-inch RML 25-pounder 18 cwt RML 40-pounder gun RML 64-pounder 64 cwt gun RML 64-pounder 58 cwt RML 64-pounder 71 cwt gun RML 80-pounder RML 6.6-inch gun RML 8-inch howitzer BL 5-inch gun Mk I – V BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer BL 9.45-inch howitzer
Coastal artillery	QF 3-pounder Nordenfelt QF 4.7-inch BL 6-inch Mk III, IV, VI BL 6-inch Mk V RBL 7-inch RML 7-inch RML 8-inch BL 8-inch Mk VII RML 9-inch BL 9.2-inch Mk IV & VI BL 10-inch Mk I BL 12-inch Mk I, VI, VII RML 12.5-inch RML 16-inch RML 17.72-inch

Mortars

War rockets

Congreve 6-pounder
Congreve 12-pounder
Congreve 24-pounder
Boxer
Hales 9-pounder
Hales 24-pounder

Machine guns

v t e British Empire naval weapons of the Victorian era
Smoothbore muzzle-loading cannons	18-pounder 24-pounder 32-pounder 55 cwt 32-pounder gun 68-pounder Somerset cannon
Smoothbore muzzle-loading shell guns	8-inch 10-inch 86 cwt
Mortars	10-inch Blomefield 13-inch Blomefield
Howitzers	12-pounder Millar 24-pounder Millar
Rifled breechloaders (Armstrong)	RBL 9 pounder RBL 20-pounder RBL 40-pounder RBL 7-inch 110-pounder
Rifled muzzle-loaders (Lancaster)	68-pounder Lancaster gun
Rifled muzzle-loaders (converted)	RML 64-pounder 71 cwt
Rifled muzzle-loaders (Woolwich)	RML 9-pounder 8 cwt RML 64-pounder 64 cwt RML 7-inch RML 8-inch RML 9-inch RML 10-inch RML 11-inch RML 12-inch 25-ton RML 12-inch 35-ton RML 12.5-inch RML 16-inch
Breech-loaders (new pattern)	BL 4-inch BL 5-inch BL 6-inch 80-pounder BL 6-inch Mk II – VI BL 8-inch BL 9.2-inch Mk I – VII BL 9.2-inch Mk VIII BL 10-inch BL 12-inch Mk I – VII BL 12-inch Mk VIII BL 13.5-inch BL 16.25-inch
Quick-firing guns	QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss QF 6-pounder Nordenfelt QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk I QF 4-inch QF 4.7-inch QF 6-inch
Light weapons	Gatling gun Gardner gun Nordenfelt gun 1-inch Nordenfelt gun
Torpedoes	Whitehead torpedo

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