- Author
- A.N. Other and NHSA Webmaster
- Subjects
- Naval technology
- Tags
-
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- September 1981 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
After firing, the breech was swung open and the chamber sponged out to remove any burning embers left by the silk bag or the charge itself. A new tube then had to be fitted to the firing lock. In later years an air blast was used to clear the breech, but for most of the open mouthed guns the sponge was the main clearing device.
With the introduction of new types of powder it was found that the barrels could be lengthened, as compared with the old muzzle loaders. The final adoption of cordite gave the gunner a propellant that was really effective. Excellent ranges could be obtained, as the charge burned more slowly enabling the required pressures to be built up. The old black powder was a very rapid burning charge, but the later type of propellant allowed full control to be exerted, giving an increase in the velocity at which the shell left the muzzle with a corresponding increase in range.
Whilst the old single motion breech was quite effective, it required a very long lever to operate it. The lever was normally hinged on the right side of the breech with the handle on the left, the lever being in most cases wider than the gun. An improvement was made with the adoption of the Ashbury breech. In this type a short lever was fitted at the side of the breech and operated in a vertical plane, as against the horizontal lever with the single motion breech. A quick pull backwards on the Ashbury breech lever did the same work as the long side pull on the single motion breech. The new type was much quicker in operation.
As a final point it is worthwhile examining the titles given to guns. We find them known as either BL (breech loading) or QF (quick firing) guns. This is a bit misleading, as both types load through the breech, and in the case of quite a few quick firers, they were actually slower in operation than the corresponding BL of the same calibre. These designations are used to indicate that the gun used either a bagged charge in the case of a BL gun, or a brass cartridge case in the case of the QF gun. The US Navy simplified the designations by referring to either a case gun or a bag gun.
From its introduction into the British service in 1880, the BL System has been used in guns of calibre from 2 inch to 18 inch, and until recently the Royal Australian Artillery were still using a 5.5 inch BL gun. That the system saw such lengthy service is indication enough of its efficiency. In the Royal Australian Navy the old BL gun with its interrupted screw breech has been gone for many years, any piece remaining being a museum piece.