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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 1279)
Version française

Great Britain

BLC 15-Pdr field gun

Light artillery

Contributor :
(Wikimedia commons) NJR ZA      http://commons.wikimedia.org/
     
     
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Location :
South Africa
Graaff-Reinet
Kollege Road
Coordinates : Lat : -32.26244 / Long : 24.54030
General comments on this surviving gun :


Identical items in the same location : 2
Items covered by this file : 2

Side view of one of the two guns. We can see the old barrel and the new recoil recuperation system on the top

Front view with the forged U-shape craddle and the tube suspenders

Rera view with the new breech and the new carriage with a spade


Historic and technical information
Denomination :     BLC 15-Pdr field gun Origin :       ( Royal Arsenal)          

Historic context :

Starting in 1904, the Ordnance BL 15-Pdr, standard gun of the British field artillery only since 1892 but already technologically obsolete, began to be replaced by the modern QF 18-Pdr field gun.

At the exception of the old model guns kept untouched in some training units or on some remote fronts, 526 of them were converted into Quick Firing field guns from 1907. This conversion gave birth to the gun named 'BLC 15 pounder' ('BLC' = 'Breech Loading Converted').

The word 'conversion' is not representative of the huge quantity of big modifications that were given to the old gun. Here are the most important only :

  • the tube was disassembled and its trunnions removed
  • the original 3-movements breech block was replaced by a new single movement one,
  • the tube was suspended into a inverted U-shape section craddle in forged steel and equipped with a hydro-spring recoil recuperation placed over the barrel,
  • a brand new carriage with a spade was used
  • the axle seats were removed to give their place to a shield
586 such guns were built this way and used in the British territorial forces field artillery unit and in the infantry divisions of the Canadian army on the western front as soon as in 1914. They were progressively replaced by the modern QF 18-Pdr from 1916, but remained in service in Europe as anti-tank weapons, in the Middle East and in South West Africa. Numerous guns were also sent to the Italian armies.

Technical data :

  • Complete description : Ordnance Breech Loading Converted 15 pounder field gun (or 15 pounder 7 cwt)
  • Design year : 1907
  • Calibre : 76.20 mm (3 in)
  • Weight in firing position : 1441 kg (3,177 lb)
  • Weight for transportation :
  • Tube length in calibres : 28.00
  • Grooves : 0 unknown
  • Projectile weight : 6.35 kg (14 lb) shrapnel
  • Initial speed : 485 m/s (1590 ft/s)
  • Fire rate :
  • Range : 5260 m (5,750 yd)
  • Elevation range : -9 to +16 degrees
  • Direction range : 4 degrees total range


Sources
  • British Artillery 1914-19, Field Army Artillery           Dale Clarke                   Osprey Publishing   2004  
  • Wikipedia http://fr.wikipedia.org/