Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891

The Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891 was a French naval gun developed in the late 1800's that armed a variety of warships before World War I and during World War II. In addition to its naval role it was also deployed as coastal artillery.

History

The Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891 was French naval gun designed by the French designer Gustave Canet and produced at Schneider et Cie of Le Creusot in 1889. Five models were produced: Modèle 1891, Modèle 1892, Modèle 1893, Modèle 1895 and Modèle 1897. At some point in the guns development there was a switch from Separate loading QF ammunition to Fixed QF ammunition.^[2] However the dimensions of the guns and their performance stayed largely the same.^[1]

Construction

The Modèle 1891 was constructed of an A tube, with a Canet screw breech which screwed onto the A tube. There was also a jacket and three layers of reinforcing hoops which all screwed into the breech.^[1]

Coastal Artillery

In addition to their naval role this family of guns was also used as coastal artillery by France and Poland. In French service there were two main models the Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1889 T97 and Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1897 T97.^[3]

Poland also had two Modèle 1891 guns in service as coastal artillery under the designation Canet 100 mm wz. 1891.^[4] The two Polish guns were purchased in March 1924 with a French loan to rearm the Polish army. They were intended to arm two ex-Russian Filin-class gunboats^[5] purchased from Finland the ORP General Haller and ORP Komendant Pilsudski. However it was found that the guns were too heavy for the ships and two Russian made Canet 75mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892 were fitted instead.^[6]

In 1932 the two guns formed the 13th coastal artillery battery was created at Oksywie to defend the approaches to the Port of Gdynia. In September 1939 the captain of the battery was Capt. Art. Antoni Ratajczyk and his deputy was Mar. Stanislaw Brychcy. One of the guns was knocked out of action on the first day of fighting, while second gun fired over a hundred rounds before being captured.^[7]

Naval Use

Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891 guns armed a variety of ships such as armored cruisers, coastal defense ships, destroyers, gunboats, minesweepers, pre-dreadnought battleships, protected cruisers and seaplane tenders of the French, Bulgarian,^[8] Haitian, Polish, Portuguese,^[9] Romanian^[10] and Turkish^[11] navies.

Armored Cruisers

• Gloire-class - The five ships of this class had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of six, casemated, 100 mm guns, in single mounts, amidships.^[12]
• Gueydon-class - The three ships of this class had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of four, 100 mm guns, in single mounts, on the forecastle deck.^[13]

Coastal Defense Ships

• Bouvines-class - The two ships of this class had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of eight, 100 mm guns. Four were mounted in individual casemates. The other four were on single pivot mounts with gun shields on the shelter deck directly above the four casemated guns on the corners of the superstructure.^[14]

Destroyers

• Aventurier-class - The four ships of this class had a primary armament consisting of four, 100 mm guns. One was on the forecastle, one between the funnels, and two on the quarterdeck, in front and behind the searchlight platform.^[15]
• Bisson-class - The six ships of this class had a primary armament consisting of two, 100 mm guns, on single mounts, fore and aft.^[16]
• Bouclier-class - The twelve ships of this class had a primary armament consisting of two, 100 mm guns, on single mounts, fore and aft.^[17]
• Enseigne Roux-class - The two ships of this class had a primary armament consisting of two, 100 mm guns, on single mounts, fore and aft.^[18]

Gunboats

• Crête-à-Pierrot - This ship had a tertiary armament consisting of four, 100 mm guns, on single mounts.^[19]
• Surprise-class - The three ships of this class had a primary armament consisting of two, shielded, 100 mm guns, on single mounts, fore and aft.^[20]

Minesweepers

• Chamois-class - The five ships of this class commissioned before World War II had a primary armament consisting of one, shielded, 100 mm gun, on a forward mount, due to shortages of the intended 100/45 M1933 guns.

Pre-dreadnought Battleships

• Bouvet - This ship had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of eight, 100 mm guns, in single mounts, amidships.^[21]
• Charlemagne-class - The three ships of this class had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of eight, shielded, 100 mm guns, in single mounts on the superstructure.^[22]
• Iéna - This ship had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of eight, shielded, 100 mm guns, in single mounts on the shelter deck.^[23]
• Masséna - This ship had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of eight, 100 mm guns, in single mounts, amidships.^[24]
• Suffren - This ship had an anti-torpedo boat armament consisting of eight, shielded, 100 mm guns, in single mounts, on the shelter deck and on the superstructure.^[25]

Protected Cruisers

• Destrées-class - The two ships of this class had a secondary armament consisting of four, shielded, 100 mm guns, in sponsons, amidships.^[26]
• Dupleix-class - The three ships of this class had a secondary armament consisting of four, 100 mm guns, in single mounts, on the forecastle deck.^[27]
• Linois-class - The three ships of this class had a secondary armament consisting of two, 100 mm guns, in single mounts.^[28]

Seaplane Tender

• Foudre - This ship had a primary armament consisting of eight, 100 mm guns, in single mounts.^[29]

Ammunition

Ammunition was 100x869R fixed QF type. A complete cartridge weighed 24 kg (53 lb) and projectiles weighed 14–16 kg (31–35 lb).^[30]

The gun was able to fire:

• Armor Piercing
• Common

References

• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7. 

Notes

External links

• http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNFR_39-45_m1892.php
• http://navalhistory.flixco.info/H/211042x53535/8330/a0.htm
• http://www.fortiffsere.fr/artillerie/index_fichiers/Page2813.htm
• http://www.bartelski.pl/pmw/PMW/bases/index_03.html
• http://www.1939.pl/uzbrojenie/polskie/artyleria/bn_100mm_cannet/index.html
• http://www.dws-xip.pl/wojna/bron/polska/p37.html
• http://historia.trojmiasto.pl/Kilka-ciezkich-dni-baterii-Canet-n49004.html

Artillery of France

Middle Ages Calibres de France (1552) Keller (1666) de Vallière system (1732) Gribeauval system (1776) Year XI system (1803) Paixhans gun (1823) Valée system (1828) Canon de l’Empereur (1853) La Hitte system (1858) de Reffye system (1870) Lahitolle system (1873) de Bange system (1875) Canet gun (1880) Canon de 75 (1897) Canon de Schneider (1905) Canon de St. Chamond (1915) Canon de GPF (1917) Canon de Bourges (1935) Obusier de Modèle 50 (1950) Tr-F1 (1990)

French weapons of the 19th century
Small arms	Delvigne rifle (1826) Thouvenin Carabine à tige (1846) Lefaucheux M1858 revolver Minié rifle (1849) Tabatière rifle (1864) Chassepot rifle (1866) Gras rifle (1874) Lebel rifle (1886) Modèle 1892 revolver
Machine guns	Reffye mitrailleuse (1866) Hotchkiss "Canon-Revolver" (1872) Mitrailleuse Gatling modèle APX 1895 (1895) Mle 1897 Hotchkiss Machine gun (1897)
Cannons	Year XI system (1803) Paixhans gun (1823) Valée system (1828) Canon obusier de 12 (1853) La Hitte system (1858) Reffye 85 mm (1870) Reffye 75 mm (1873) Lahitolle 95 mm (1873) de Bange 80 mm (1877) de Bange 90 mm (1877) Canet 320 mm (1880) Canon de 75 (1897)
Warships	Steam battleship Napoléon (1850) Ironclad floating battery Lave (1854) Ironclad Gloire (1858) Mechanical powered submarine Plongeur (1863) Steel battleship Redoutable (1876) Armoured cruiser Dupuy de Lôme (1890) Electrical submarine Gymnote (1888)
Ammunition	Lepage fulminate (1807-10) Pauly-Prélat integrated cartridge (1808) Prélat percussion cap (1818) Lefaucheux cartridge (1836) Tamisier ball (1841) Minié ball (1847) 8 mm Lebel smokeless powder cartridge (1886)
Systems	Lepage percussion system (1807) Marié-Davy naval periscope (1854) De Bange breech obturator (1872) Du Temple high-circulation steam engine (1876) Krebs naval electric gyrocompass (1880) Smokeless powder Poudre B (1886)
Operational usage	Napoleonic Wars French Intervention in Spain French conquest of Algeria Crimean War Second Italian War of Independence French Intervention in Mexico French weapons in the American Civil War Franco-Prussian War Tonkin Campaign Sino-French War