BL 14 inch Railway Gun
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| Ordnance BL 14 inch gun Mk III on truck, railway | |
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 King George V inspects Boche Buster, Marœuil 8 August 1918 |
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| Type | Heavy gun |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1918 - 1926 |
| Used by | United Kingdom |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Elswick Ordnance Company |
| Number built | 2 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 83 1/4 ton (barrel & Breech); 248 ton total. |
| Barrel length | Bore 630 inches (16.002 m) (45 cal) |
| Crew | 30[1] |
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| Shell | HE 1,586 pounds (719.40 kg) 4 c.r.h. (later 1,400 pounds (635.03 kg) 8 c.r.h.) |
| Calibre | 14-inch (355.6 mm) |
| Recoil | hydro - pneumatic, 34 inches (864 mm) |
| Carriage | railway truck, 15 axles |
| Elevation | 0° - 40° |
| Traverse | 2° L & R |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,450 feet per second (747 m/s) (1586 lb shell); 2,600 feet per second (792 m/s) (1400 lb shell) |
| Maximum range | 34,600 yards (31,640 m) (1586 lb shell); 38,000 yards (34,750 m) (1400 lb shell) |
Ordnance BL 14 inch gun on truck, railway were 2 British 14 inch Mk III naval guns mounted on railway carriages, used on the Western Front in 1918.
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[edit] Design and development
The guns were built by Armstrongs (Elswick Ordnance Company) and were originally intended to be mounted as a pair in a twin turret on the Japanese battleship Yamashiro but the order was not completed. Hence the breech of the left gun, which became known as "Scene Shifter", opened to the left which was unusual for a British army gun, while that of the right gun, "Boche Buster", opened to the right.[2] Work on mounting them on railway carriages began in 1916 but was not completed until 1918.
14 inch was not a standard British service calibre and hence the guns were difficult to keep in service. The guns were declared obsolete in 1926 and scrapped. In 1940 the carriages were re-used : Scene Shifter's for mounting a 13.5 inch gun and Boche Buster's for an 18-inch (460 mm) howitzer, for home defence in Britain.[3]
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[edit] Combat service
The guns arrived with their carriages in France on 26 May 1918, but incomplete, and were not in action until 8th August. The 2 guns were operated by 471 Siege Battery from May 1918, and were known as "HM Gun Boche Buster", operating near Arras with First Army, and "HM Gun Scene Shifter", operating near Bethune with Fifth Army. They were used for long-range interdiction fire on key German targets such as railway junctions. King George V personally oversaw the firing of the first shell by Boche Buster from near Marœuil, 10 km NW of Arras, on 8th August in a fireplan to hit German reinforcements being sent south to oppose the British Amiens offensive. This shell heavily damaged a railway junction at Douai and became known as "The King's Shot".[4]
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[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914-1919. Heavy Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2005.
- Jeff Dorman, "The King's Shot" in Battle, December 1975
- General Sir Martin Farndale, "History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Western Front 1914-18". London: Royal Artillery Institution, 1986.
- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Tony DiGiulian, British 14"/45 (35.6 cm) Marks I and III
