1-inch Nordenfelt gun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 1-inch Nordenfelt gun |
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Four-barrel version
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| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1880–1890s |
| Used by | Many navies |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Helge Palmcrantz |
| Manufacturer | Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 447 pounds (203 kg) |
| Barrel length | 35.48 inches (901 mm) |
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| Shell | 7.25 ounces (0.206 kg) solid steel bullet with brass jacket |
| Calibre | 1-inch (25.40 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,464 feet per second (446 m/s) |
The 1-inch Nordenfelt gun was an early type of fast-shooting gun. It was made to protect large warships from new, small, and very quick torpedo boats. These boats started appearing in the late 1870s and were a big threat. The Nordenfelt gun was used mainly from the 1880s to the 1890s.
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How the Nordenfelt Gun Worked
This gun was a bigger version of the successful Nordenfelt "machine gun." That earlier gun used rifle-sized bullets and was operated by a hand-crank. Helge Palmcrantz designed it. The goal was to combine the fast firing speed with a bullet strong enough to stop attacking torpedo boats.
The gun fired a solid steel bullet. This bullet had a hard tip and a brass cover. There was a rule back then, called the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868. It said that exploding shells weighing less than 400 grams could not be used in wars between the countries that signed the rule. This is why the Nordenfelt gun used solid bullets.
The Nordenfelt gun came in versions with one, two, or four barrels. Ammunition dropped into the gun from a container above the firing part. This container had separate sections for each barrel.
The gunner would load and fire the barrels by moving a lever on the right side of the gun. Pulling the lever back removed the empty bullet casings. Pushing it forward loaded new bullets into all barrels. The final part of the forward push fired all the barrels, one after another, very quickly.
This meant the gun fired bullets in short bursts, like a volley gun. This was different from guns like the Gatling gun or later Maxim gun. Those guns fired bullets in a steady, continuous stream.
The gunner's job was to operate the loading and firing lever. Another person, the gun captain, aimed the gun. They used handwheels to move the gun up, down, and side to side.
What Kind of Bullets Did It Use?
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British Mk VI round (left) and a blank round (right)
Where Can You See One Today?
You can find examples of the 1-inch Nordenfelt gun in different places:
- A four-barreled gun at the United States Army Ordnance Museum, Maryland, USA.
- A four-barreled gun in The Gardens, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia.
- A two-barreled gun in The Gardens, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia.
- A two-barreled gun at Queens Park, Maryborough, Queensland, Australia.
- A two-barreled gun at the Australian War Memorial museum, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
- A four-barreled gun at the Tower of London.
- A five-barreled gun at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
- A two-barreled 1-inch gun at the QEII Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru, New Zealand.
- A four-barreled 25mm gun at the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum in Horten.
See also
- List of naval guns
