120mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892

In 1891 a Russian naval delegation was shown three guns designed by the French designer Canet. One was a 75/50 gun, one was a 120/45 gun, and the last was a 152/45 gun. All three guns used fixed QF ammunition which produced a rate of fire of 15 rpm for the 75/50 gun, 12 rpm for the 120/45 gun and 10 rpm for the 152/45 gun. The Russians were impressed and in 1892 they negotiated a production license for all three guns.[1]

There were two main series of the 120/45 guns produced. The first series of 76 guns were built between 1897-1905 at the Obhukov factory.[1] During the Russo-Japanese war a number of barrels of the 152/45 guns burst in action and a strengthened series of 152/45 and 120/45 guns were ordered. 34 of the second series of strengthened guns were built between 1905-1915 at the Obhukov factory. Between 1914-1916 production switched to the Perm factory and a further 18 strengthened guns were produced there.[1]

120/45 guns armed a variety of ships such as armored cruisers, auxiliary cruisers, coastal defense ships, destroyers, gunboats, minesweepers, pre-dreadnought battleships, protected cruisers, seaplane tenders and unprotected cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy built between 1890-1916.[3]

Armored Cruisers

• Dmitriy Donskoi-class - The secondary armament of Dmitrii Donskoi consisted of ten, 120/45 guns, in single mounts after an 1895 refit.[4] The secondary armament of Vladimir Monomakh consisted of six, 120/45 guns, in single mounts after an 1897 refit.[5]
• Rurik - The tertiary armament of this ship consisted of six, 120/45 guns, in single mounts.[6]

Auxiliary Cruisers

• Angara - The primary armament of this ship consisted of six, shielded, 120/45 guns.
• Dnepr - The primary armament of this ship consisted of seven, shielded, 120/45 guns.
• Don - The primary armament of this ship consisted of two, shielded, 120/45 guns.
• Lena - The primary armament of this ship consisted of six, shielded, 120/45 guns.
• Kuban - The primary armament of this ship consisted of two, shielded, 120/45 guns.
• Oryol - The primary armament of this ship consisted of two, shielded, 120/45 guns.[7]
• Rion - The primary armament of this ship consisted of eight, shielded, 120/45 guns.
• Terek - The primary armament of this ship consisted of two, shielded, 120/45 guns.
• Ural - The primary armament of this ship consisted of two, shielded, 120/45 guns.[8]

Coastal defense ships

• Admiral Ushakov-class - The secondary armament of this class of three ships consisted of four, 120/45 guns, in casemates amidships.[9]

Destroyers

• Lieutenant Shestakov-class - The primary armament of this class of four ships consisted of one, forward, shielded, 120/45 gun.[10]

Gunboats

• Gilyak - The primary armament of this ship consisted of one, forward, shielded, 120/45 gun.[11]
• Gilyak-class - The primary armament of this class of four ships consisted of two, shielded, 120/45 guns, in single mounts, fore and aft.[12]
• Korietz-class - Four ships of this class the Donets, Kubanets, Terets and Uralets had a tertiary armament of one, 120/45 gun, after 1905-1921 refits.[13]
• Vogul-class - The primary armament of this ship consisted of two, shielded, 120/45 guns, in single mounts, fore and aft.[14]

Minesweepers

• Sofiya - This ships primary armament consisted of one, 120/45 gun, in a forward single mount.[15]
• Amur-class - This class of two ships primary armament consisted of five 120/45 guns, in single mounts.[16]

Pre-dreadnought Battleships

• Andrei Pervozvanny-class - This class of two ships tertiary armament consisted of twelve, casemated, 120/45 guns, in single mounts. Four guns were in the bow, four in the stern and four amidships.[17]
• Sissoi Veliky - This ships tertiary armament consisted of four, 120/45 guns, in single mounts after a 1904 refit.[18]
• Tri Sviatitelia - This ships tertiary armament consisted of four, 120/45 guns, in single mounts.[19]
• Navarin - This ships tertiary armament consisted of four, 120/45 guns, in single mounts after a 1904 refit.[20]

Protected Cruisers

• Boyarin - The primary armament of this ship consisted of six, shielded, 120/45 guns, in single mounts. One each at the bow and stern and four in sponsons amidships.[21]
• Izumrud-class - This class of two ships primary armament consisted of six, 120/45 guns, in single mounts.[22]
• Novik - The primary armament of this ship consisted of six, 120/45 guns, in single mounts.[23]

Seaplane Tenders

• Imperator Aleksandr I - The primary armament of this ship consisted of six, 120/45 guns, in single mounts.
• Imperator Nikolay I - The primary armament of this ship consisted of six, 120/45 guns, in single mounts.[24]

Unprotected Cruisers

• Almaz - The primary armament of this ship consisted of seven, 120/45 guns, in single mounts after a 1915 refit.[25]

Ammunition was of fixed QF type. A complete round weighed 20.4 kg (45 lb).[1]

The gun was able to fire:

• Armor Piercing
• Chemical
• Common
• High Explosive
• Illumination
• Incendiary
• SAP
• Shrapnel

• 
  Casemated 120mm guns aboard the battleship Andrei Pervozvanny, August 1914.
• 
  120mm 45 caliber Canet coastal gun on Kuivasaari Island. This gun was in Finnish coastal artillery school until 1993.
• 
  This gun has been modified from the original 1892 model, including rotating the gun 180 degrees so that the recoil system is on top of the barrel to increase elevation.

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

• http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNRussian_47-45_m1892.php
• http://navalhistory.flixco.info/H/210339x54503/8330/a0.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cr_almaz.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cr_boyarin.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cr_dmitriy_donskoy.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cr_novik.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cr_riurik.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cr_vladimir_monomakh.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cr_zhemchug.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_bb_admiral_ushakov.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_bb_navarin.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_bb_sisoy_velikiy.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_bb_tri_svyatitelya.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_bb_andrey_pervozvannyy.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_of_gilyak.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_of_gilyak07.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_of_vogul.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_of_kubanets.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cm_04_amc.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cm_amc1.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_ms_amur2.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cm_ms_i.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_cm_wwi_av.htm
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/russia/ru_dd_leytenant_shestakov.htm