France
274 mm/40 (10.8") Model 1893/1896
Updated 03 March 2012
Secondary weapons on a few pre-dreadnoughts and rearmed some older ships.  Used as Railway guns during World War I.

Construction was a complicated built-up design, similar to other French heavy guns.  The two model types differed in constructional details but were generally the same.

Actual bore size was 27.44 cm (10.80 inches).
WNFR_12-40_m1893_Jaureguiberry_pic.jpg

Pre-dreadnought Jaureguiberry with 274 mm/40 guns in single amidships mountings
Ministère de la Défense Photograph
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Gun Characteristics
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Designation 274 mm/40 (10.4") Model 1893/1896
Ship Class Used On Henri IV and Jaureguiberry
Rearmed Caïman, Indomptable and Requin
Date Of Design 1893
Date In Service 1898
Gun Weight 22,930 lbs. (35,400 kg)
Gun Length oa 452.6 in (11.497 m)
Bore Length about 485 in (12.330 m)
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves N/A
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire about 3 rounds per minute
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Ammunition
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Type Bag
Projectile Types and Weights
(see Notes 1, 2 and 3)		 APC - 579 lbs. (262.6 kg)
HE A - 575 lbs. (261 kg)
HE B - 564 lbs. (256 kg)
HE C - 524 lbs. (237.5 kg)
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length N/A
Propellant Charge 187 lbs. (84.8 kg)
Muzzle Velocity
(see Note 3)		 APC - 2,674 fps (815 mps)
HE A - 2,625 fps (800 mps)
HE B - 2,674 fps (815 mps)
HE C - 2,756 fps (840 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A
Notes:

1) The "A/B/C" suffixes for HE rounds are my way to differentiate between projectiles, they were not official designations.

2) Some of these rounds may have been only for the railway guns.

3) I believe the reference "Les Materiels de l'armée de Terre Française 1940, pt2" contains typographical errors for both shell weights and muzzle velocities, which I have corrected in this table.

4) Propellant was in two bags.
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Range
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Elevation With 575 lbs. (261 kg) HE A
N/A 23,730 yards (21,700 m)
Elevation With 564 lbs. (256) HE B
N/A 29,530 yards (27,000 m)
Elevation With 524 lbs. (237.5 kg) HE C
N/A 29,640 yards (27,100 m)
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Mount / Turret Data
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Designation One-gun turrets
Weight N/A
Elevation N/A
Rate of Elevation N/A
Train about +150 / -150 degrees
Rate of Train N/A
Gun Recoil N/A
Loading Angle N/A
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Data from
"Les Materiels de l'armée de Terre Française 1940, pt2" by Stephane Ferrard
"The Big Gun:  Battleship Main Armament 1860-1945" by Peter Hodges
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Ministère de la défense
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Special help from Alex Baumans
Page History

22 July 2007 - Benchmark
03 March 2012 - Updated to latest template