Notes on Artillery in the Crimea

British guns used in the Crimea were as follows:

FIELD ARTILLERY
Weight of Shell
Caliber
Overall Weight Behind Gun Teams
Maximum Range
6 pounder 3.6" 27 cwt 600 yards
9 pounder 4.2" 38 cwt 800 yards
12 pound howitzer 4.5" 29 cwt 1000 yards
24 pound howitzer 5.7" 38 cwt 1025 yards

Types of ammunition used: shot. common shell, shrapnel (up to maximum range), case shot, and carcasses (incendiaries with range up to about 350 yards).

CONGREVE ROCKETS

Weight of Shell
Maximum Range
6 pounder 600 yards
12 pounder 1000 yards

POSITION ARTILLERY
Weight of Shell
Caliber
Overall Weight Behind Gun Teams
Maximum Range
12 pounder 4.6" 44 cwt 1000 yards
18 pounder 5.2" 65 cwt 2000 yards
32 pound howitzer 6.3" 46 cwt 1400 yards
8 inch howitzer 8" 54 cwt 1700 yards

SIEGE ARTILLERY
Weight of Shell
Maximum Range
8" and 10" guns and howitzers 2000 yards
32 pounder 2900 yards
68 pounder 2600 yards
Lancaster Gun  

MORTARS
Weight of Shell
Maximum Range
8" 1720 yards
10" 2530 yards
13" 2700 yards

Mortars were fired at a fixed elevation of 45 degrees, the range being varied by altering the charge.  Once the range was found, they could be fired repeatedly without being relaid.  For this reason, they were mainly kept for night firing, while the day bombardment was carried out by the "horizontal fire" of the guns.


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