Naval artillery is a set of artillery weapons installed on warships and intended for use against coastal (ground), sea (surface) and air targets. Naval artillery can be classified according to a number of characteristics.

Classification of naval artillery

Classification by purpose

Universal naval artillery mount A190

Most often in the literature there is a classification of naval artillery by purpose. After all, even with the same caliber, guns on different ships can perform a completely different role. For example, Soviet destroyers used 130 mm guns as their main caliber guns.

At the same time, on battleships such guns cannot be main guns and most often serve as anti-mine guns, auxiliary guns, or even anti-aircraft artillery. Because of this, all weapons are divided into:

• Main caliber- the main firepower of most ships, used to fire at surface and ground targets. With the advent of missile weapons, main caliber artillery lost its relevance.

• Universal artillery- has the widest range of applications, used for sea, coastal and air targets. With the proliferation of missile weapons, it was the universal one that became the main naval artillery. In connection with such changes in the armament of ships, the main targets of universal artillery are airborne, and the secondary targets are sea and coastal targets.

• Flak- naval artillery used exclusively against air targets. Previously, depending on the caliber, it was divided into 3 groups: large-caliber (100 mm or more), medium-caliber (57 - 88 mm) and small-caliber (less than 57 mm). But in modern conditions, guns with a caliber of more than 152 mm are not produced; medium-caliber air defense guns are used as universal artillery. Thus, anti-aircraft artillery on modern ships consists of 20-30 mm rapid-fire machine guns. Some countries use guns with a caliber of up to 40 mm.

• Rocket artillery- installation of unguided missile weapons.

105 mm anti-aircraft gun SKC/33

Classification by caliber

The classification of artillery by caliber also changed over time. It is worth noting that until 1922, naval guns with a caliber from 193 to 238 mm were classified as intermediate calibers.

Classification of naval artillery in the period from 1860 to 1946:

• Large caliber- 240 mm or more.
• Medium caliber- from 100 to 190 mm
• Small caliber- less than 100 mm.

Classification of naval artillery after 1946:

• Large caliber- 180 mm or more.
• Medium caliber- from 100 to 179 mm
• Small caliber- less than 100 mm.

Classification by type of accommodation

Naval artillery has many placement options. They mainly depend on the goals set and the scope of use of artillery. By type, artillery installations are divided into:

• Tower type installations- the guns are placed in armored turrets, which provides protection for the personnel of the guns and mechanisms from enemy shells, chemical weapons and air bombs. Each tower consists of a fighting compartment (protected top part tower) and the turret compartment (the hidden part of the tower installation, which includes elevators and artillery magazines). Turret installations are divided into single-gun and multi-gun (two-, three-, four-gun). Each concept has its own advantages and disadvantages.

• Deck type installations- unlike turret-type installations, they do not have a turret compartment, and the gun and service systems are separate. Unlike tower units, such installations have completely isolated magazines and ammunition supply paths.

• Deck-tower installations- have part of the armor protection, which provides better protection compared to deck installations. Also, the gun, guidance and loading mechanisms are one whole, and all other systems are located separately. The turret compartment consists of a lifting mechanism (elevator). The armor protection of such installations most often consists of open-ended bulletproof and anti-fragmentation armor, which is a rotating part of the installation.

Classification by method of shooting

• Automatic installations- such artillery installations loading, aiming, shooting and reloading are carried out automatically without human intervention.

• Semi-automatic installations- some operations in the shooting process are performed by people, and the rest are automated. Most often, the artillery crew performs loading of guns, aiming and reloading.

• Non-automatic installations- all actions are performed directly by the artillery crew, manually or using certain mechanisms (most often feeding and loading mechanisms) powered by humans.

Classification by loading method

• With unitary loading- a unitary cartridge is a projectile, a propellant charge and an ignition agent combined into a whole. Loading is carried out in one step, which makes it possible to achieve a higher rate of fire compared to separate-case or cartridge loading.

Capshot loading shot

• With separate sleeve loading- with this method of loading, the projectile consists of several unintegrated parts - the projectile, the propellant charge and the igniter. Thanks to the ability to change the weight of the combat charge, you can adjust it to specific tasks and conditions. This loading method does not ensure the tightness of the combat charge, which can have a bad effect on its qualities and reduces the speed of the guns compared to unitary loading. Separate-case loading also includes cap loading. Unlike separate-case loading, this method does not use cartridge cases, which makes their production simpler and cheaper. But loading is carried out in three steps, which significantly reduces the rate of fire compared to unitary and separate-case loading. Also, the presence of a separate means of ignition and the absence of a sleeve significantly complicates the design of the bolt and loading techniques. For this reason, shots of this type are used exclusively in large-caliber guns.

Artillery caliber as a term appeared in Europe in 1546, when Hartmann from Nuremberg created a prismatic tetrahedral ruler. This device is called the Hartmann scale. Units of measurement (inches) were marked on one face, and the actual dimensions (based on weight in pounds) of iron, lead and stone cores, respectively, were marked on the other three.

Examples (approximately):

• 1 face - the mark of a lead core weighing 1 pound - corresponds to 1.5 inches;
• 2nd face - iron core weighing 1 pound - s 2.5;
• 3 face - a stone core weighing 1 pound - from 3.

Knowing the size or weight of the projectile, it was possible to manufacture ammunition and complete the charge in advance. This system existed in the world for about three centuries. In Russia, unified standards did not exist until the reforms of Peter I. Army arquebuses and cannons had separate characteristics for the weight of the projectile, in Russian national units. There were guns from 1/8 hryvnia to a pound. At the beginning of the 18th century, on behalf of Peter I, a domestic caliber system was developed under the leadership of Feldzeichmeister-General Count Bruce. The Hartmann scale was taken as a basis. This system divided the guns according to the artillery weight of the projectile (cast iron core). The unit of measurement became the artillery pound - a cast iron core with a diameter of 2 inches and weighing 115 spools (approximately 490 grams). It didn’t matter what types of projectiles the gun fired—bombs, buckshot, or anything else. Only the theoretical artillery weight that a gun could fire given its size was taken into account. Tables were developed correlating artillery weight (caliber) with the diameter of the bore. Artillerymen were responsible for operating calibers and diameters. In the “Naval Charter” (St. Petersburg, 1720), in chapter seven “About the artillery officer, or constappel”, in paragraph 2 it is written: “You must measure the cannonballs to see if their diameters are similar to the calibers of the guns and arrange them on the ship according to your places." This system was introduced by royal decree in 1707 and lasted for more than a century and a half.

• 3-pounder gun, 3-pounder gun - official names;
• artillery weight 3 pounds - the main characteristic of the gun;
• size 2.8 inches - bore diameter, an auxiliary characteristic of the gun.

In practice, it was a small cannon that fired cannonballs weighing about 1.5 kg and had a caliber (in our understanding) of about 70 mm. D. E. Kozlovsky in his book gives a translation of Russian artillery weight into metric calibers:

• 3 lbs - 76 mm,
• 4 lbs - 88 mm,
• 6 lbs - 96 mm,
• 12 lbs - 120 mm,
• 18 lbs - 137 mm,
• 24 lbs - 152 mm,
• 60 lbs - 195 mm.

Explosive shells (bombs) occupied a special place in this system. Their weight was measured in poods (1 pood - 40 trade pounds - equal to approximately 16.3 kg). This is due to the fact that the bombs were hollow, with explosives inside, that is, made of materials of different densities. During their production, it was much more convenient to operate with generally accepted weight units.

D. Kozlovsky gives the following relationships:

• 1/4 pood - 120 mm,
• 1/2 - 152,
• 1 pood - 196,
• 2 - 245.v
• 3 - 273,
• 5 - 333.

A special weapon was intended for bombs - a bombard, or mortar. Her performance characteristics, combat missions and calibration system allow us to talk about a special type of artillery. In practice, small bombards often fired ordinary cannonballs, and then the same gun had different calibers - a general one of 12 pounds and a special one of 10 pounds.

The introduction of calibers, among other things, became a good material incentive for soldiers and officers. Thus, in the “Naval Charter”, printed in St. Petersburg in 1720, in the chapter “On rewarding” the amounts of reward payments for guns taken from the enemy are given:

• 30 pound - 300 rubles,
• 24 - 250,
• 18 - 210,
• 12 - 170,
• 8 - 130,
• 6 - 90,
• 4 and 3 - 50,
• 2 and below - 15.

In the second half of the 19th century, with the introduction of rifled artillery, the scale was adjusted due to changes in the characteristics of the projectile, but the principle remained the same.

We decided to start this article in a non-traditional way. Simply because they considered it appropriate to talk about one of the little-known episodes of the war on the Karelian Isthmus. Due, probably, to the absence of more or less turning-point battles in this area, we generally talk little about the Karelian Front. So, a story about the work of Captain Ivan Vedemenko, in the future - Hero of the Soviet Union.

Captain Vedemenko commanded the Karelian Sculptors battery. It was this name that the 203-mm special-power howitzers B-4 received during the Soviet-Finnish war. They deserved it. These howitzers perfectly “dismantled for parts” Finnish bunkers. What remained after shelling the bunkers with heavy shells looked truly bizarre. Pieces of concrete with reinforcement sticking out in all directions. So, the howitzer’s soldier’s name is well deserved and honorable.

But we'll talk about another time. About June 1944. It was at this time that our army began an offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. During the offensive, the assault group reached the impregnable Finnish bunker "Millionaire". Unapproachable in the literal sense of the word. The thickness of the walls of the bunker was such that it was impossible to destroy it even with heavy aviation bombs - 2 meters of reinforced concrete!

The walls of the bunker went 3 floors into the ground. The top of the bunker, in addition to reinforced concrete, was protected by an armored dome. The flanks were covered by smaller bunkers. A bunker was built as the main defense center of the area.

The battery of Captain Vedemenko came to the aid of the assault group of Nikolai Bogaev (group commander). Two B-4 howitzers were placed 12 km from the bunker in closed positions.

The commanders located their OP at a short distance from the bunker. Almost on a minefield (the bunker was surrounded by several rows of minefields and wire fences). Morning has come. Battalion commander Vedemenko began shooting.

The first shell tore off the embankment of the bunker, exposing a concrete wall. The second shell ricocheted off the wall. The third one ended up in the corner of the bunker. This was enough for the battalion commander to make the necessary adjustments and begin shelling the structure. By the way, it is worth noting one circumstance.

The proximity of the OP not only made it possible for the battery commander to adjust each shot, but also provided an “unforgettable experience” for everyone who was at the OP. Shells weighing 100 kg, with a corresponding roar, flew towards the bunker at a low altitude above our commanders and soldiers.

Let’s just say that the participants in the events could understand from their own experience what “direct support of heavy artillery” means.

It was only possible to break through the wall on about the 30th shell. Through binoculars, reinforcement bars became visible. A total of 140 shells were used, of which 136 hit the target. “Karelian sculptors” created their next work, and “Millionaire” actually turned into an architectural monument.

And now we move directly to the “architects” and “sculptors”, the B-4 special power howitzers.

The story about these unique weapons should start from afar. In November 1920, under the Artillery Committee, which was headed by the former lieutenant general of the tsarist army Robert Avgustovich Durlyakher, also known as Rostislav Avgustovich Durlyakhov, an Artillery Design Bureau was created under the leadership of Franz Frantsevich Linder. We have already talked about this man in one of the previous articles.

In accordance with the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR to re-equip high-power and special-power artillery with new domestic material, Linder Design Bureau on December 11, 1926 received the task to develop a project for a 203-mm long-reach howitzer within a 46-month period. Naturally, the project was headed by the head of the design bureau.

However, on September 14, 1927, F. F. Linder died. The project was transferred to the Bolshevik plant (formerly the Obukhov plant). A. G. Gavrilov was entrusted with managing the project.

The design of the howitzer was completed on January 16, 1928. Moreover, the designers presented two projects at once. The gun bodies and ballistics were the same in both versions. The difference was the presence of a muzzle brake. When discussing options, preference was given to a howitzer without a muzzle brake.

The reason for this choice, as with the choice of other high-power weapons, was the unmasking factor. The muzzle brake created a column of dust visible for kilometers. The enemy could easily detect the battery with the help of aircraft and even visual observation.

The first prototype of the B-4 howitzer was manufactured at the beginning of 1931. It was this gun that was used at NIAP in July-August 1931 during firing to select charges for the B-4.

After lengthy field and military tests in 1933, the howitzer was adopted by the Red Army under the designation “203-mm howitzer model 1931.”

The howitzer was intended to destroy particularly strong concrete, reinforced concrete and armored structures, to combat large-caliber enemy artillery or covered with strong structures, and to suppress distant targets.

A special feature of the howitzer is its carriage with caterpillar tracks. The successful design of this carriage, which provided the howitzer with sufficiently high maneuverability and allowed firing from the ground without the use of special platforms, became unified for a whole family of high-power guns. The use of this unified carriage also made it possible to speed up the development and introduction into production of new high-power guns.

The upper carriage of the B-4 howitzer was a riveted steel structure. Using a pin socket, the upper machine was put on the combat pin of the lower machine and turned on it when operated by a rotating mechanism. The firing sector provided in this case was small and amounted to only ±4°.

To aim the gun at a larger angle in the horizontal plane, it was necessary to turn the entire gun in the appropriate direction. The lifting mechanism had one gear sector. attached to the cradle. With its help, the gun could be aimed in a vertical plane in the angle range from 0° to +60°. To quickly bring the barrel to the loading angle, the gun had a special mechanism.

B-4 howitzers had two types of barrels: fastened without a liner and with a liner, as well as monoblock barrels with a liner. The liner could be replaced in the field. Regardless of the type of barrel, its length was 25 calibers, the length of the rifled part was 19.6 calibers. 64 grooves of constant steepness were made in the barrel bore. The bolt was a piston type, and both two-stroke and three-stroke bolts were used. The weight of the barrel with the bolt was 5200 kg.

The howitzer could fire a variety of high-explosive and concrete-piercing shells, including shells supplied from Great Britain to Russia during the First World War. The use of full and 11 variable charges was envisaged. At the same time, the mass of the full charge was 15.0-15.5 kg of gunpowder, and the 11th - 3.24 kg.

When fired with a full charge, the F-625D, G-620 and G-620Sh projectiles had an initial speed of 607 m/s and ensured the destruction of targets located at a distance of up to 17,890 m. Thanks to the large elevation angle (up to 60°) and variable charges, giving 12 different initial projectile velocities provided the ability to choose optimal trajectories for hitting a variety of targets. Loading was carried out using a manually operated crane. The rate of fire was 1 shot per 2 minutes.

For transportation, the howitzer was disassembled into two parts: the barrel, removed from the carriage and placed on a special cart, and the tracked carriage connected to the front - the carriage. The howitzer could also be transported unassembled over short distances. (This method of transportation was sometimes used during combat operations to deploy howitzers for direct fire on enemy reinforced concrete defenses.)

For transportation, tracked tractors of the Kommunar type were used; the maximum permissible speed on the highway was 15 km/h. At the same time, the caterpillar drive made it possible to increase the off-road maneuverability of the guns. Sufficiently heavy guns easily crossed even swampy areas.

By the way, the successful carriage design was also used for other artillery systems. In particular, for intermediate samples of the 152-mm Br-19 gun and for the 280-mm Br-5 mortar.

Naturally, the question arises about the differences in howitzer design. Why and how did they appear? The difference in the design of specific guns was obvious. At the same time, these were B-4 howitzers.

In our opinion, there were two reasons. The first and main thing is the small production capacity of Soviet factories and the lack of ability to implement projects. Simply put, the equipment of the factories did not allow them to produce the required products. And the second reason is the presence directly in production of a whole galaxy of outstanding designers who could adapt projects to the capabilities of a particular plant.

In the case of B-4, this is exactly what happened. Serial production of howitzers began at the Bolshevik plant in 1932. At the same time, the task was set to start production at the Barrikady plant. Both factories could not mass-produce howitzers according to the project. Local designers finalized the designs to suit production capabilities.

"Bolshevik" presented the first production howitzer for delivery in 1933. But I couldn’t submit it to the state commission until the end of the year. "Barricades" fired two howitzers in the first half of 1934. Then the plant, using its last strength, was able to produce 15 more guns (1934). Production was stopped. The only manufacturer was Bolshevik.

The designers of the Bolshevik modified the howitzer. A new version received a longer barrel with improved ballistics. The new gun received a new index - B-4 BM (high power). The guns produced before the modernization began to be called B-4 MM (low power). The difference between BM and MM was 3 calibers (609 mm).

If you carefully examine the B-4 of these two factories, you get the strong impression that these are two different weapons. Perhaps our opinion is controversial, but different howitzers entered service with the Red Army under the same designation. However, for soldiers and officers of artillery units this was not particularly important. The guns were identical in most respects.

But “Bolshevik” could not boast of success in the production of the B-4. In 1937, howitzers began to be assembled at the Barricades again. Moreover, another plant was involved in production - Novokramatorsky. Thus, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the production of howitzers was launched at three factories. And the total number of guns that entered the artillery units was 849 pieces (of both modifications).

The B-4 howitzer received its baptism of fire on the Soviet-Finnish front during the Winter War with Finland. On March 1, 1940, there were 142 B-4 howitzers there. At the beginning of the article we mentioned the soldier's name for this weapon. "Karelian sculptor". There were 4 howitzers lost or disabled during this war. The figure is more than worthy.

B-4 howitzers were only in the high-power howitzer artillery regiments of the RVGK. According to the regiment's staff (as of February 19, 1941), it had four divisions of three batteries. Each battery consisted of 2 howitzers. One howitzer was considered a platoon. In total, the regiment had 24 howitzers, 112 tractors, and 242 cars. 12 motorcycles and 2304 personnel (including 174 officers). By June 22, 1941, the RVGK had 33 regiments with B-4 howitzers. That is, there are only 792 howitzers in the state.

The Great Patriotic B-4 actually began only in 1942. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that in 1941 we lost 75 howitzers. Of those that could not be sent to the eastern regions.

At the beginning of the war, several B-4 howitzers were captured by the Germans. Thus, in the city of Dubno, the 529th high-power howitzer artillery regiment was captured by the Germans. Due to the lack of tractors, our troops abandoned 27 203-mm B-4 howitzers in good condition. The captured howitzers received the German designation 20.3 cm HaubiUe 503 (g). They were in service with several heavy artillery divisions of the Wehrmacht RKG.

Most of the guns were destroyed during the war, but according to German sources, even in 1944 eastern front 8 more of these guns were operational.

The losses of B-4 howitzers in 1941 were compensated for by increased production. The factories produced 105 guns! However, their delivery to the front was suspended due to the impossibility of using them during the retreat. The Red Army was accumulating strength.

By May 1, 1945, 30 brigades and 4 separate high-power artillery regiments of the RVGK had 760 203-mm howitzers of the 1932 model.

Performance characteristics of the heavy 203-mm howitzer model 1931 B-4:
Caliber – 203 mm;
Total length – 5087 mm;
Weight – 17700 kg (in combat-ready position);

Vertical guidance angle – from 0° to +60°;
Horizontal guidance angle – 8°;
Initial projectile speed – 557 (607) m/s;
Maximum firing range – 18025 m;

Projectile weight – 100 kg;
Ammunition - 8 shots;
Calculation - 15 people.

Trays on the carriage for shells

On the eve of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of our victory on the Kursk Bulge, I would like to tell you another combat episode from the combat biography of the legendary howitzer. In the area of ​​Ponyri station, scouts discovered a German self-propelled gun "Ferdinand". The commander decided to destroy the Germans with his own artillery.

However, the power of the guns was not enough to guarantee destruction even in the event of a hit. B-4 came to the rescue. The well-prepared howitzer crew expertly aimed the gun and with one shot, actually hitting the Ferdinand's wheelhouse with a shell, smashed the enemy's vehicle to pieces.

By the way, this battle is considered one of the most original ways of using howitzers in war to this day. In war, a lot of original things happen. The main thing is the effectiveness of such originality. 100 kilograms of originality on the head of German self-propelled guns...

And one more episode. From the Battle of Berlin. B-4s took part in street battles! Probably the most epic footage of the capture of Berlin was filmed with their participation. 38 guns on the streets of Berlin!

One of the guns was installed 100 meters from the enemy at the intersection of Linden Strasse and Ritter Strasse. The infantry could not advance. The Germans prepared the house for defense. The guns could not destroy machine gun nests and artillery firing positions. Our losses were great. It was necessary to take risks. Artillerymen take risks.

The B-4 crew, in fact direct fire, destroyed the house with 6 shots. Accordingly, together with the German garrison. Turning the gun, the battery commander simultaneously destroyed three more stone buildings prepared for defense. Thus providing the infantry with the opportunity to advance.

By the way, interesting fact, which we once wrote about. In Berlin there was only one building that withstood the blows of the B-4. This is the famous air defense tower in the Flakturm am Zoo area. Our howitzers were only able to destroy the corner of the tower. The garrison actually defended itself until the announcement of capitulation.

After the end of the war, the howitzer was removed from service. Alas, the advantage of the caterpillar track played a disservice in peacetime.

But that's not the end of the story. Just an episode. The weapon was put into service again! But now the designers were given the task of modernizing it. It was necessary to increase the speed of transportation of the gun.

In 1954, such modernization was carried out at the Barrikady plant. The B-4 howitzer became wheeled. The wheeled travel significantly increased the towing speed of the gun, overall maneuverability, and reduced the time of transfer from the traveling position to the combat position due to the elimination of separate transportation of the carriage and barrel. The gun received a new name - B-4M.

There was no serial production of this weapon. In fact, existing howitzers were being modernized. We were unable to find out the exact number of such weapons.

But the fact that in 1964 a nuclear weapon was created specifically for the B-4 speaks volumes. Be that as it may, the B-4s were in service until the early 80s. Almost half a century of service!

Agree, this is an indicator of the value of the weapon. A gun that rightfully takes its place among the best examples of artillery engineering and design.

During all the years of the war, he never managed to get close to the American battleships within range of his monstrous artillery, and he died without ever seeing the enemy under the attacks of carrier-based aircraft from invisible aircraft carriers. In her last battle, the Yamato shot down five and damaged twenty American aircraft - a paltry price for the most expensive ship in the world. This was the last point in the history of sea giants - dreadnoughts were not built anywhere else in the world.

Superdreadnoughts

This final chapter in the history of superships began on October 23, 1911, when British Prime Minister McKenna appointed 36-year-old Sir Winston Churchill as Minister of the Navy. A few weeks later, Churchill made a policy statement in Glasgow: “The English fleet is a necessity for us, and if we approach the German fleet from a certain point of view, then for the Germans it is basically a luxury.

The very existence of England is directly linked to our naval power. It is the guarantee of our existence. For the Germans, naval power means expansion.” Churchill, concerned about the qualitative superiority of German naval artillery, proposed increasing the caliber of battleship guns to 381 mm. “I immediately decided to go one step higher,” Churchill recalled in his memoirs, “and during the regatta I hinted at this to Lord Fisher. No less than 15 inches for battleships and battlecruisers of the new program."

And so, on October 21, 1912, the world’s first super-dreadnought, Queen Elizabeth, was laid down with a displacement of 33,000 tons and a speed of 24 knots. The armament consisted of eight 381 mm MK.1 cannons in four turrets. To imagine the full power of the new artillery, note that the mass of a 15-inch (381 mm) projectile was 885 kg - 2.3 times more than that of a 12-inch! The military plant in Elswick produced an experimental 15-inch gun with a 42-caliber barrel in just 4 months. The test results exceeded all expectations. Firing accuracy even at maximum range(at the training ground - 32 km; for ship installations, due to the smaller elevation angle of the barrels, the range did not exceed 21.4 km) was simply excellent.

The German battleship Bismarck, equipped with eight 381 mm guns, was defeated in a battle with British warships in May 1941. Two torpedoes hit the battleship, damaging the propellers, breaking the steering gear and jamming the rudders. On May 27, the Bismarck sank in the waters of the North Atlantic.

Like the Dreadnought, the Queen Elizabeth could hit any battleship in the world and calmly escape if necessary. Five ships of the Queen Elizabeth class entered service during the war, in January 1915 - February 1916. A year later, five more Rivage-class battleships with similar weapons entered service. The Germans responded with some delay by building four of their own super-dreadnoughts, the lead of which, Baden, with a displacement of 28,500 tons and a speed of 22 knots, was laid down in 1913. The main caliber artillery was represented by eight 380 mm cannons with a firing range of 37.3 km.

Limitation of naval weapons

In the early 1920s, the “winners” England and the United States decided to limit the naval arms race. On February 6, 1922, delegates from the USA, England, Japan, France and Italy signed a treaty “on the limitation of naval armaments”, according to which the following ratios of the size of the battle fleet were established: USA: England: Japan: France: Italy - 5: 5: 3 : 1.75: 1.75. As a result, England received the right to have twenty battleships with a total displacement of 558,950 tons, the USA - eighteen battleships (525,850 tons), Japan - ten battleships (301,320 tons), France - ten battleships (221,170 tons), Italy - ten battleships (182 800 t). The powers that signed the agreement pledged not to buy or build battleships with a displacement of more than 35 thousand tons and not to arm them with guns with a caliber of more than 16 inches (406 mm). The total tonnage of battleships that could be replaced should not have exceeded: for the USA and England - 525,000 tons, for Japan - 315,000 tons, for France and Italy - 175,000 tons each. Thus, England was forced deviate from its principle of having a fleet equal to the combined fleet of the two strongest naval powers.

Meanwhile, the British had another naval idea: lightly armored but fast ships the size of a dreadnought. They were called quite funny - “large light cruisers.” Three such vessels, Coreydzhis, Glorious and Furies, with a displacement of 23,000 tons and a speed of 31-32 knots, were laid down in March-June 1915. The first two ships were armed with four 381 mm cannons in two turrets, while the Furies were armed with two 457 mm and four 140 mm. Monstrous 457-mm cannons with a barrel weight of 150 tons fired one and a half ton shells at a range of 27.4 km. However, the “large light cruisers” proved too vulnerable to enemy fire, and at the end of the First World War they were converted into aircraft carriers.

For the filming of the Japanese film “Yamato for Men,” a life-size model of the battleship was created (length 263 m, width 40 m).

Three guns

Among other states, the United States was the first to raise the caliber of the guns of its dreadnoughts - from 305 mm to 356 mm. In 1911, the New York and Texas were laid down, which entered service in the spring of 1914. Their displacement was 28,400 tons, their speed was 21 knots, and they were armed with ten 356 mm and twenty-one 127 mm guns. It is curious that the Americans were the first to use three-gun main caliber turrets. Then the USA built two more ships with the same weapons. But the dreadnought Pennsylvania, laid down on October 27, 1913, with a displacement of 32,600 tons, already had twelve 356-mm guns. In total, seven battleships with twelve 356 mm guns were commissioned in the United States.

On April 24, 1917, the new super-dreadnought Maryland was laid down with eight 406 mm guns in four turrets. A series of four such ships entered service in 1917-1923, a little later they were joined by six huge Lexington-class battlecruisers with similar weapons. At the same time, in 1920, six super-dreadnoughts of the South Dakota class were laid down, carrying twelve 406-mm guns. In Japan, the first 356 mm guns appeared on four Kongo-class battleships in 1913-1915. And in 1917, the battleship Nagato came into service with eight 410 mm guns.

Government ships

On June 30, 1909, four dreadnoughts were laid down at state-owned factories in St. Petersburg: Petropavlovsk and Sevastopol at Baltiysky, and Gangut and Poltava at Admiralteysky, with twelve 305-mm main caliber guns. A lot has been written about these ships in our literature, and I will limit myself to only a very brief remark that the artillery on them was poorly positioned, and the armor also left much to be desired. At the time of laying, the firepower of Russian ships was not inferior to British dreadnoughts, but by the beginning of 1915, by the time they were commissioned, they were significantly inferior to battleships with 343 mm and 381 mm guns. Therefore, the Naval Ministry decided to increase the caliber of the guns, and on December 19, 1913, four Borodino-class battlecruisers with a total displacement of 36,646 tons, armed with twelve 356-mm guns each, were laid down at the state-owned shipyards of St. Petersburg.

Winston Churchill congratulates the crew of the cruiser Exeter on their return to their homeland, standing on a chair under 6-inch guns.

At the same time, the design of new battleships was underway. At the beginning of 1914, the Deputy Chief of the Naval General Staff for shipbuilding, Captain 1st Rank Nenyukov, provided the Minister of the Navy Grigorovich with “Basic tasks for battleships of the Baltic Sea.” According to the General Staff, the guns of battleships at a distance of 100 cables (18,520 m) were supposed to pierce normally armor equal in thickness to the caliber of the gun. Having examined the characteristics of modern 14-, 15- and 16-inch guns, General Staff staff came to the conclusion that “subject to almost the same ballistic data, the advantage remains with 16-inch guns.”

At the beginning of 1914, the Artillery Department of the Main Directorate of Shipbuilding designed a 406/45 mm gun, similar in design to 305 mm and 356 mm guns. In April 1914, the Obukhov plant was given an order to produce an experimental 406-mm cannon by the end of 1915. In parallel, a 406/45-mm gun of a slightly different design was ordered from Vickers for £27,000, in particular, with two internal tubes. The ballistic data for the project were as follows: projectile weight 1128 kg, charge weight 332 kg, initial speed 758 m/s.

The 460-mm guns of the super-battleship Yamato were used in combat conditions only once: on October 25, 1944, off the island of Samar (Philippines).

The first test of an experimental 406-mm cannon manufactured by Vickers was carried out on August 22, 1917 at the company's training ground near the town of Axmills. In January 1914, the Naval Ministry issued tactical and technical specifications for the design of a battleship for the Baltic Sea. It was to have twelve 406 mm guns in three or four gun turrets, as well as twenty-four 130 mm guns. The battleship's speed was supposed to be 25 knots, and its cruising range was 5,000 miles. The thickness of the main armor belt along the waterline is 280 mm.

If such a battleship could be built, it would be superior in artillery to any battleship in the world built before 1946, except for the Japanese Yamato-class battleships with 460 mm artillery. However, in 1917, a revolution broke out in Russia, and the projects of Russian super-dreadnoughts remained on paper.

Expensive toys

Ironically, the super-expensive super-battleships barely managed to fight. The only classic battleship battle of the First World War - the Battle of Jutland, in which four super-battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class took part - Barham, Worspite, Valient and Malaya - ended not in favor of the British (fourteen ships with a total tonnage 111,000 tons and 6,784 sailors and officers killed against eleven German ships (62,000 tons) and 3,058 personnel), despite the fact that the German battleships were inferior in caliber to the English (the largest German caliber in that battle was 305 mm versus 381 mm from the English).

In World War II, the role of super battleships was completely comical - only two Japanese took part in the fighting - Yamato and Musashi. The 460-mm Yamato guns were used in combat conditions only once: on October 25, 1944, off the island of Samar (Philippines). Several shells penetrated the American convoy aircraft carriers, but did not explode, since the fuses were designed for the armor of battleships. Most of the time, countries that owned super-battleships hid their super-expensive toys in protected roadsteads, but most of them were still sunk by enemy aircraft. Until now, only two super-battleships remain in service - the American Iowa and Wisconsin (nine 406-mm guns each), which are used more as a psychological weapon than as a real weapon.

Caliber is the diameter of the bore of an artillery gun, as well as a pistol, machine gun and hunting rifle. Every person who is in one way or another connected with military affairs is familiar with this term, knows what it is, and knows, of course, that aircraft cannons and machine guns have the same calibers, and those on sea vessels have different ones. Well, what calibers exist in military affairs in general and how many are there in total? The answer to this question will not be as simple as it seems, first of all, because there are a lot of calibers. Well, just a lot, and not always they were determined by some special considerations - that’s how it is! And since all this “riot of calibers” is directly related to the development military equipment, then we decided to tell you about it. At the same time, start with guns, because rifle calibers are their own separate issue.

So, the calibers of the guns... But what could be the minimum caliber in order to say for sure: this is a gun, and this is a machine gun? Experts argued about this for a long time and decided this: everything smaller than a 15 mm is a machine gun, but everything larger is a cannon! Since the most common caliber of aircraft guns during the Second World War was 20 mm, it follows that the smallest caliber gun will have a bore diameter of 20 mm, although there are exceptions. The most famous is the Japanese anti-tank rifle, created in the early 30s of the twentieth century. exactly this caliber. It was the heaviest anti-tank rifle in the world, but since it was still a “gun”, it could be carried by two people. A large caliber means greater armor penetration, but in general it did not justify itself, since the speed of its armor-piercing bullet was not very high, and this is a very important indicator for this type of weapon!

M61 Vulcan

But a lot of automatic aircraft cannons of 20-mm caliber are known, and the most famous of them is the Vulcan automatic cannon, developed in the USA for arming airplanes and helicopters, as well as anti-aircraft artillery systems on armored personnel carriers and ships. In the second Terminator film you can see how such systems operate, although in reality a person cannot withstand the recoil of such weapons.
And not only cannons, but even a machine gun! “You have 20,” our military decided, having become acquainted with German aircraft guns during the Great Patriotic War, “but we will have 23 mm!” And such a gun with a heavier, and therefore more destructive projectile, VYa brand, was created and installed on many of our aircraft, including IL-2 attack aircraft. And in other countries, aviation and anti-aircraft guns with calibers of 25 and 27 mm were developed, until, finally, the 30 mm caliber supplanted all others. However, it is known that larger-caliber guns were also installed on airplanes: 35, 37, 40, 45, 50, 55 and even 75 mm, which turned them into real “flying artillery.” However for aircraft they all turned out to be too heavy, which is why today the military settled on the 30 mm caliber...

But on land and at sea, 23, 25, 35 and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, as well as 40 mm, were very popular and remain so today, only the 25 mm today is found mainly on American infantry fighting vehicles " Bradley." We find 35-mm anti-aircraft guns on the German “Gepard” and the Japanese “Type 87” ZSU. The 45-mm caliber was very popular in the Red Army, where anti-tank guns - “forty-fives” were its main means of fighting German tanks almost the whole Great Patriotic War. But other armies in the world did not know such a caliber, except that Italy had such a mortar. But there, from Sweden to Japan, anti-tank guns of 37.40 and 47 mm were common, as well as 57 mm - a caliber that appeared in our country already during the war. Calibers of 50, 51 and 55 mm are known, but they are not widely used. The 50 and 51 mm calibers are among the modern light mortars used by foreign armies. The 60 mm is also a “mortar” caliber, but the 64 mm is a completely serious artillery system - the caliber of the first rapid-fire guns in Russia designed by Baranovsky, which had a recoil brake and a knurler! 65 mm is the caliber of light Spanish howitzers, and 68 mm is the caliber of Austrian mountain guns of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. 73-mm “Grom” cannons were installed on the first Soviet infantry fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles, but this caliber somehow did not take root with us. But many people know about the Russian “three-inch” from the Putilov plant.

Baranovsky rapid-fire cannon

However, the 75mm caliber, which is not much different from it, is more famous all over the world. The first French rapid-fire gun of Puteaux and Duport, model 1897, had this type, and our 76.2-mm gun is its direct successor. But why “three inches” is understandable. In Russia, as in many other countries in the 19th century. Weapon calibers were then measured in inches, not millimeters. One inch is 25.4 mm, which means three inches will be exactly 76.2 mm!

The German gun - the enemy of our three-inch gun on the battlefields of the First World War - had a 77-mm caliber, and in general the 75 and 76.2 calibers are the most common calibers in the world. It was precisely these guns that were produced as mountain, trench, tank, field and anti-aircraft guns, although exceptions are known. For example, the English mountain gun had a 70-mm caliber, and the Japanese Type 92 infantry gun, which was actively used during the Second World War, had the same caliber. Interestingly, it is still in service in China and Vietnam, primarily because it is ideal for short soldiers! By the way, for the same reason, the weight of the shells of this gun was 3.8 kg for the Japanese, but for the British it was 4.5! It is interesting that the same British had one more measurement for their guns, but not in inches, but, according to tradition, in pounds based on the weight of the projectile. However, it turned out that this is not very convenient and sometimes leads to confusion. Thus, the English three-inch BL Mk2 gun, used in the English army during the Boer War, was called a 15-pounder, but a gun of exactly the same caliber during the First World War was called a 13-pounder, and only because it had a lighter projectile! By the way, in Germany, gun calibers were traditionally measured not in millimeters or inches, but in centimeters and, accordingly, were designated in them.

81 and 82 mm are traditional mortar calibers. Moreover, the 81 mm was adopted abroad, but the 82 mm was adopted here. It is believed that this was done so that their mines could be fired from our mortars, but ours could not be fired from their mortars! Of course, in combat conditions this is beneficial, although the shooting accuracy when using “not our own” mines decreased somewhat.

Then there are medium calibers such as 85,87,6,88,90 and 94 mm, which are very common both in field troops and in tanks. The 85-mm is a Soviet anti-aircraft gun and the gun of the T-34/85 tank, the 87.6-mm is an English 25-pound howitzer-gun Mk2, which fired from a base plate, which allowed it to rotate 360 ​​degrees, and the 88-mm The caliber was the famous German eight-eight anti-aircraft gun. This was also the caliber of the guns of the Tiger tanks and the Ferdinand self-propelled guns. The 3.7-inch or 94-mm gun was an anti-aircraft gun for the British air defense in 1937-1950, with a range of 10 kilometers. But the 90-mm gun was on the American Pershing tank, which appeared at the very end of the Second World War.

Calibers 100, 102, 105, 107 mm were very popular in both the army and navy. A 106-mm recoilless rifle is also known, but guns with a caliber of 105 and 107 mm were also recoilless. As for rifled guns, they were installed on ships (as the main caliber on light cruisers and destroyers and auxiliary on large ones) and on tanks. Moreover, 105-mm tank guns became the response of foreign tank builders to the 100-mm caliber of tank guns adopted in our country. When the 105-mm caliber “got popular” there, our tanks were equipped with 115-caliber guns, and then 125-mm ones! But the English field howitzers had a caliber of 114-mm guns, and they were also installed on the so-called “artillery boats”! It’s interesting that for some reason such a howitzer was in the storeroom of the historical museum in Kazan. Or is it no longer worth it?

The 120 mm is a typical mortar caliber, but the same guns were installed on ships (in particular, in the USSR they were used on monitors and gunboats) and on heavy foreign tanks. But 122-mm howitzers existed only in Russia. Caliber 127 mm - had universal guns on US warships and heavy English guns, used both by the British army and in the artillery of the Red Army. 130 mm - caliber of Soviet naval, coastal and tank guns. 135,140,150,152 mm are the calibers of cruiser guns. Moreover, the 152-mm - “six-inch” - has long been considered the most widespread and was also installed on battleships, while the 140-mm is the caliber of promising tank guns, currently being developed to replace the aging 120-mm guns.

mortar MT-13

At the same time, 152 and 155 mm are the calibers of heavy howitzers and guns in the ground forces, including self-propelled ones. 160 mm is the caliber of our Soviet (as well as Israeli and Chinese) MT-13 mortar, as well as some naval guns on cruisers and battleships. But our ships did not have such guns. The 175 mm, on the contrary, was never used at sea, but the Americans used it in their heavy self-propelled artillery system M107. 180, 190 and 195 mm are again the calibers of naval guns mounted on cruisers, but 203 mm is the famous “Washington caliber” of heavy cruisers. However, some heavy ground weapons of the ground forces had (and still have) them, designed to suppress and destroy the enemy at a long distance or destroy particularly strong fortifications. For example, this is our “Peony”. 210 mm is also the caliber of high-power ground guns, which were in service with the Red Army and the Wehrmacht at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

"Peony". 210 mm

The naval and coastal guns had a bore diameter of 229, 234, 240, and 254 mm. In particular, our Tulip mortar has a caliber of 240 mm. But the 270 and 280 mm calibers also belonged to land mortars and long-range guns of battleships and battleships. “Twelve inches” - 305 mm - the most common main caliber on battleships and battleships, but also in coastal and railway artillery, and, in addition, it was also the caliber of heavy howitzers of the reserve of the High Command and individual artillery divisions of special power.

However, soon after its appearance on ships, the twelve-inch caliber ceased to satisfy naval gunners, and from 1875 they began to install more and more powerful guns on ships. At first 320, 330, 340, 343, 356, 381 mm - that’s how they gradually became larger and larger, while the shells for them became heavier and more deadly. At the same time, the American land siege mortar, first installed on a railway platform in 1865, had a caliber of 330 mm, but many railway guns had a caliber of 356 mm. The shell of such a gun could weigh 747 kg and fly out of the barrel at a speed of 731 m/sec!

The lifting mechanism of the French heavy 240-mm gun of the Saint-Chamon concern, model 84/17, captured by the Germans

The railway gun also had a 400-mm caliber - a French heavy cannon from the Saint-Chamond company of the 1916 model. Its firing range was 16 km. The weight of the projectile was 900 kg. 406, 412 and 420 mm are the calibers of monster naval guns with barrels weighing more than 100 tons! An experimental 406-mm cannon is still standing at the training ground near St. Petersburg, and our post-war self-propelled gun “Kondensator” had the same caliber. 412-mm guns were mounted on the English battleship Benbow. 420 mm - guns of the French battleship "Cayman" (1875), and the German heavy field mortar "Big Bertha", which fired shells weighing 810 kg. It is also the caliber of the Soviet post-war Oka self-propelled mortar. 450 mm guns were the main caliber of the Italian battleships Duilio and Dandolo. Finally, the largest in weight were the 457-mm guns of the Japanese battleship Yamato (and the Musashi of the same type), of which there were nine: a kind of record and now not broken by any other country in the world. But these are not the largest weapons. The guns of American monitors of the period had an even larger caliber equal to 508 mm Civil War in USA. Moreover, they sent cannonballs weighing 500 kg at the target. They were lifted with a special crane installed inside the tower, by the ears cast on their body, and rolled inside along a special tray inserted into the barrel. The impact force of such cores was truly monstrous, but they were made of cast iron, therefore, when they hit fairly strong armor, they often simply split, which is why they were abandoned in favor of projectiles with a pointed head.

Self-propelled gun "Condenser"

On land, there were also plenty of larger caliber guns. For example, back in 1489, a 495-mm Mons Mag cannon was made in Flanders, with a screw-on charging chamber, but the mortar of the Knights of Rhodes, also preserved to this day, was even larger - 584 mm! No less powerful guns were available in the 15th century. and the opponents of the then Christians were the Turks, who fought with Constantinople, as well as with the Knights of Malta. Thus, during its siege in 1453, the Hungarian foundry maker Urban cast a 610-mm copper bombard that fired stone cannonballs weighing 328 kg. In 1480, during the siege of the island of Rhodes, the Turks used bombards with a caliber of 890 mm. In response to this, the Rhodes knights managed to cast the Pumhard mortar of exactly the same caliber, which threw its stone cannonballs steeply upward, which was more convenient for the Europeans, while the Turks had to shoot from the bottom up. This also includes our legendary “Tsar Cannon,” which had an initial barrel diameter of 900 mm, and a final barrel diameter, near the very narrow charging chamber, of 825 mm!

"Mons Meg"

"Tsar Cannon"

But the largest cannon (not a bombard!) was cast by order of the Indian Raja Gopola in 1670. In caliber, it is, however, inferior to the Tsar Cannon, but superior to it in weight and barrel length! The German self-propelled gun "Karl" originally had a 600 mm caliber, but after the first barrels became unusable, they were replaced with new 540 mm ones. The famous “supergun” “Dora” had a caliber of 800 mm and was a giant railway transporter with its own bakery and bathhouse, not to mention air defense systems. But the largest ground gun turned out to be not it, but the American “Little David” installation with a caliber of 914 mm. Initially, it was used for experimental throwing of aerial bombs; during their tests, it replaced a bomber aircraft. At the end of the war, they tried to use it to destroy Japanese ground fortifications, but the war ended before this idea actually worked.

"Little David" caliber 914 mm

However, this weapon is not the largest in terms of bore diameter! The mortar of the Englishman Robert Mallet of 920 mm caliber, created back in 1857, is rightfully considered the largest-caliber. But, by the way, no! After all, in Jules Verne’s novel “Five Hundred Million Begums” a much more monstrous cannon is described, with one shot of which the evil Professor Schulze intended to destroy the entire city of Franceville. And although this is not the best of Jules Verne’s novels, the cannon located in the Bull Tower is described in sufficient detail and knowledgeably. And yet, this is still fiction, but “Little David” can be seen with your own eyes on the open area of ​​the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the USA.

It is interesting that during the Second World War, so-called bicaliber guns appeared, that is, guns with conical channel trunk At the entrance to it there was one caliber, but at the exit there was another - smaller! They used the “Gerlich principle”: when a conical barrel compresses the bullet to a slightly smaller diameter. At the same time, the gas pressure at its bottom increases, and the initial speed and energy increase. A typical representative of such weapon systems was the German 28/20 mm (28 mm at the entrance to the cone, and 20 mm at the muzzle) anti-tank gun. With the gun itself weighing 229 kg, its armor-piercing projectile had a speed of 1400 m/sec, which was an order of magnitude higher than what other similar guns produced at that time. But this achievement came at a high price for the Germans. Tapered barrels were difficult to produce and wore out much faster. The shells for them are also much more complex, but they hold less explosives than regular caliber ones. That is why in the end they had to abandon them, although a certain number of them even participated in the battles.

2.8 cm schwere Panzerbüchse 41

Most likely, this is far from full list, however, it is sufficient for output. What is the conclusion? Only the fact that almost any “hole in a pipe” can be made shootable, if only you have the desire! After all, the same Japanese, for example, even made cannons from tree trunks even in 1905 and fired from them, although, of course, not with cannonballs, but with incendiary shells from pieces of bamboo trunks.