70-pounder Whitworth naval gun
Encyclopedia
The 70-pounder Whitworth naval gun was designed by Joseph Whitworth
during the 1860s. It was a rifled muzzle loader and used his hexagonal rifled bore design.
on the blockade-runner Princess Royal on 29 January 1863. Two were sent to Morris Island
, Charleston, South Carolina
to bombard Fort Sumter
during the summer of 1863. One gun had a premature detonation that killed four of its crew when trying to ram a projectile home. One gun was disabled after 111 shots when its inner tube moved back far enough to block the vent
.
A number of 70-pounders were bought by the Brazilian Navy
and used to arm some of its ironclads during the War of the Triple Alliance
in the late 1860s.
Joseph Whitworth
Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads...
during the 1860s. It was a rifled muzzle loader and used his hexagonal rifled bore design.
Service
Four guns were captured by the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
on the blockade-runner Princess Royal on 29 January 1863. Two were sent to Morris Island
Morris Island
Morris Island is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War.-History:...
, Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
to bombard Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
during the summer of 1863. One gun had a premature detonation that killed four of its crew when trying to ram a projectile home. One gun was disabled after 111 shots when its inner tube moved back far enough to block the vent
Touch hole
A touch hole is a small hole, through which the propellant charge of a cannon or muzzleloading gun is ignited. In small arms, the flash from a charge of priming held in the flash pan is enough to ignite the charge within...
.
A number of 70-pounders were bought by the Brazilian Navy
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
and used to arm some of its ironclads during the War of the Triple Alliance
Triple Alliance
Triple Alliance may refer to:* Aztec Triple Alliance - Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan; better known as the Aztec Empire* Triple Alliance - England, France and the Dutch Republic...
in the late 1860s.