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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 474)
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France

Canon de 14cm Mle 1910 de Marine sur affût de bord

Heavy power artillery

Contributor :
Cyril Cary     
Jean-Luc Kaluzko     
Frédéric Radet     
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Location :
France
Herméville en Woëvre (55)

Coordinates : Lat : 49.17870 / Long : 5.59270
General comments on this surviving gun :


Identical items in the same location : 1
Items covered by this file : 1

The barrel was placed in an original concrete position by a enthusiast team, after a long trip from Gâvres, in Brittany

Carriage detail

Breech markings : '14 Mle 1910 - H 1913 n° 8'. This is the barrel that was placed in the Saint Julien redoubt in 1916.


Historic and technical information
Denomination :     14cm Mle 1910 Origin :       ( Fonderie de Ruelle)             ( Schneider )             ( Saint Chamond )

Historic context :

Since the end of the Marne Battle and progressively with the front stabilization, the French Headquarters decided to give to the army very heavy, powerful and long range artillery weapons, in order to be able to counter-fire the very good German heavy guns (including the impressive 13cm K09 L/35 with their long range) and the logistic lines at the rear of the front. While brand new weapons were being designed and built, France mobilized Navy and coastal artillery barrels, quite useless thanks to the power of the alliance with Great Britain on the seas.

As a part of this plan, the 'canon de 14cm Mle 1910 de Marine sur affût de bord' ('sur affût de bord' = on ship carriage), whose terrestrial use had been already tested just before the war, was taken from the 'Bretagne' class dreadnoughts in September 1914. Its long 55 calibres tube could give it ranges up to 18000 m with powerful 32 kg shells.

18 such barrels were adapted in terrestrial use, keeping their Navy gun steel shielding. 14 of them were sent to Verdun from the end of 1914 and placed on concrete fix positions. 7 were captured during the February 1916 German offensive after having participated to the French defense. Barrels of 16cm de Marine Mle 1887, 1891, 1893 and Canet were adapted the same way in the same period and until 1918.

The 14cm Mle 1910 gun was also mounted on a Schneider field carriage (15 guns built), used on the front only during the summer 1917.

Technical data :

  • Complete description : 14cm Mle 1910 Marine gun on ship mounting
  • Design year : 1914
  • Calibre : 138.60 mm
  • Weight in firing position : 14000 kg (including 5320 kg for the tube and the breech), without the platform
  • Weight for transportation : (static position weapon)
  • Tube length in calibres : 55.00
  • Grooves : 42 constant angle 5 degrees to the right
  • Projectile weight : 36 kg (Mle 1910 en acier) - 32 kg (type D Mle 1915 en fonte aciérée)
  • Initial speed : 830 m/s
  • Fire rate : 1 shot / minute
  • Range : 12900 m (Mle 1910 shell) - 18000 m (Mle 1915 shell)
  • Elevation range : 0 à +36 degrees
  • Direction range : 360 degrees range


Sources