340mm/45 Modèle 1912 gun

340mm/45 Modèle 1912 gun
340mm/45 Modèle 1912 gun
	The main guns of the battleship Provence
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	France
Wars	First World War; Second World War
Production history
Variants	Model 1912M; Type C
Specifications
Weight	66 t (65 long tons; 73 short tons)
Barrel length	15.4 m (51 ft) L/45[1]
Shell	Separate-loading, bagged charge and projectiles
Shell weight	382–575 kg (842–1,268 lb)[2]
Calibre	340 mm (13 in)
Breech	Welin breech block
Elevation	Naval: -5° to +15°; Coastal: 0 to +50°
Traverse	Fore and aft: -150° to +150°; Q turret: +30 to +150 L/R[2]
Rate of fire	2 rpm
Muzzle velocity	800 m/s (2,600 ft/s)[1]
Maximum firing range	Naval: 25–29 km (16–18 mi) at +23°; Coastal: 38.7 km (24 mi) at +45°[2]

The 340mm/45 Modèle 1912 gun (13.4") was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy. While the calibres of the naval guns of the French Navy were usually very close to those of their British counterparts,^{[lower-alpha 1]} the calibre of 340 mm is specific to the French Navy.

The built-up gun was designed to be carried by the Normandie and Lyon classes in quadruple gun turrets, but no ship of these types was completed as a battleship. They were carried by the Bretagne-class battleships in twin turrets.

Railway gun

340 mm Modèle 1912 gun on railway mounting.

Due to the cancellation or conversion of most of the ships these guns were made for, the relatively large number of spare guns available facilitated their use as railway guns in both World Wars. Two batteries of 340 mm guns, with an authorized strength of one gun per battery, were operated by the 53rd Coast Artillery, U. S. Army, in World War I.^[3] As with most French railway guns, after the Fall of France in World War II some of these weapons were used by the German army.

Coast Defence Gun

One of prewar French armoured turrets, equipped with Provence's guns

During Operation Dragoon, the Free French battleship Lorraine was one of the units engaged with 'Big Willie', ex-French turret battery controlling the approaches to Toulon. 'Big Willie' was armed with the guns taken from the French battleship Provence, as a replacement for the original guns, sabotaged by its French crews, making this an unusual instance of both sides of an engagement using the 340mm/45 Modèle 1912 gun.

Notes and references

↑ The 380mm is close to the British 15 inch, the 340mm to the 13.5 inch and the 305mm to the 12 inch.

1 2 Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War Onedirectory. S. Yorkshire: Seaforth Pub. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 751804655.
1 2 3 DiGiulian, Tony. "France 34 cm/45 (13.4") Model 1912 and Model 1912M - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
↑ 53rd Coast Artillery in World War I

External links

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[Brit_guns-3] The 380mm is close to the British 15 inch, the 340mm to the 13.5 inch and the 305mm to the 12 inch.

[:1-1] 1 2 Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War Onedirectory. S. Yorkshire: Seaforth Pub. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 751804655.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 DiGiulian, Tony. "France 34 cm/45 (13.4") Model 1912 and Model 1912M - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com. Retrieved 2018-09-15.

[4] 53rd Coast Artillery in World War I

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	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	47 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 47 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

340mm/45 Modèle 1912 gun

Railway gun

Coast Defence Gun

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

Notes and references

External links

340mm/45 Modèle 1912 gun
The main guns of the battleship Provence
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	France
Wars	First World War Second World War
Production history
Variants	Model 1912M Type C
Specifications
Weight	66 t (65 long tons; 73 short tons)
Barrel length	15.4 m (51 ft) L/45^[1]

Shell	Separate-loading, bagged charge and projectiles
Shell weight	382–575 kg (842–1,268 lb)^[2]
Calibre	340 mm (13 in)
Breech	Welin breech block
Elevation	Naval: -5° to +15° Coastal: 0 to +50°
Traverse	Fore and aft: -150° to +150° Q turret: +30 to +150 L/R^[2]
Rate of fire	2 rpm
Muzzle velocity	800 m/s (2,600 ft/s)^[1]
Maximum firing range	Naval: 25–29 km (16–18 mi) at +23° Coastal: 38.7 km (24 mi) at +45°^[2]