Spain
24 cm/42 (9.45") Guillen Model 1896
Updated 26 January 2009
By the middle of the 1890s, the Spanish Naval Ministry was investigating a replacement for the obsolete 28 cm Hontoria gun, which was at the time the standard weapon for most of their larger ships.  Brigadier de Artilleria de la Armada Don Enrique Guillen, with the help of the French armament firm of Schneider, designed a more modern weapon based on previous Hontoria and Canet designs.  The mountings for these weapons used electric motors for most functions.

The Italian-built Cristobal Colon was to be armed with these guns, but she was sunk during the Spanish-American War before they could be installed.

Although more were planned, a total of six guns were actually built and delivered.  Two were made by Schneider in France and the other four at the Carraca Arsenal factory in Spain.

Some of these guns were later used as coastal artillery, as can be seen in the photographs below.

Constructed of A tube, half length sleeve and four jackets covered with another layer of jackets over the full length of the barrel.  Actual overall length was 42.5 calibers.
WNSpain_945-42_m1896_coast_pic.jpg

24 cm Guillen gun as coastal artillery
Photograph copyrighted by Javier Villarroya del Real
WNSpain_945-42_m1896_breech_pic.jpg

Three-motion breech mechanism of above weapon

Breech engraving reads as follows:

24 cm GUILLEN M 1896
SCHNEIDER & C AU CREUSOT
No. 3133
1898

No 2 PESO 23726

Where:
24 cm GUILLEN M 1896 = 24 cm Guillen Model 1896
SCHNEIDER & C AU CREUSOT = Built at the Schneider and Company works at Le Creusot, France
No. 3133 = Serial number 3133
1898 = Built in 1898
No 2 PESO 23726 = Number 2 gun, Gun weight of 23,726 kg (52,307 lbs.)

Photograph copyrighted by Javier Villarroya del Real
WNSpain_945-42_m1896_Christobal_Colon_pic.jpg

Empty gun turret on Armored Cruiser Cristobal Colon around 1898
Note anti-torpedo boat guns in background
U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NR&L(O) 17299
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Gun Characteristics
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Designation 24 cm/42 (9.45") Guillen Model 1896
Ship Class Used On Cardenal Cisneros, Principe de Asturias, Cataluna, Emperador Filippe II, Cristobal Colon
Date Of Design about 1894
Date In Service 1900
Gun Weight 22.5 tons (23 mt) not including breech mechanism
Gun Length oa 401.6 in (10.200 m)
Bore Length about 373 in (9.480 m)
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves N/A
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire about 1 round per minute
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Ammunition
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Type Bag
Projectile Types and Weights AP - 445.3 lbs. (202 kg)
Common - 440.9 lbs (200 kg)
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length N/A
Propellant Charge 165 lbs. (75 kg) CSP2
Muzzle Velocity 2,997 fps (700 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A
Note:  Propellant was in two bags.
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Range
With 330.7 lbs. (150 kg) AP
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Elevation Range
Striking Velocity
Angle of Fall
2.5 degrees 4,590 yards (4,200 m)
1,690 fps (515 mps)
3.35
5.0 degrees 7,330 yards (6,700 m)
1,296 fps (395 mps)
7.98
7.5 degrees 9,300 yards (8,500 m)
1,115 fps (340 mps)
13.15
10.0 degrees 9,140 yards (10,000 m)
1,033 fps (315 mps)
18.30
15.0 degrees 13,450 yards (12,300 m)
984 fps (300 mps)
27.68
20.0 degrees 15,310 yards (14,000 m)
968 fps (295 mps)
35.65
Note:  This table is a result of calculations, not actual firing trials.
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Armor Penetration with 330.7 lbs. (150 kg) AP against Krupp Armor
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Range
Side Armor
Deck Armor
4,590 yards (4,200 m)
9.8 in (248 mm)
0.2 in (4 mm)
7,330 yards (6,700 m)
6.6 in (168 mm)
0.4 in (10 mm)
9,300 yards (8,500 m)
5.2 in (133 mm)
0.7 in (17 mm)
9,140 yards (10,000 mps)
4.5 in (115 mm)
0.9 in (24 mm)
13,450 yards (12,300 m)
3.8 in (96 mm)
1.5 in (38 mm)
15,310 yards (14,000 m)
3.3 in (84 mm)
2.0 in (52 mm)
Note:  These values are from calculations using Jacob-de-Marr’s armor penetration formula.
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Mount / Turret Data
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Designation Emperador Filippe II (2):  Twin barbette
Cristobal Colon (2):  Single barbettes
Weight N/A
Elevation about -5 / +20 degrees
Elevation Rate N/A
Train about -125 / +125 degrees
Train Rate N/A
Gun recoil N/A
Loading Angle N/A
Note:  Mountings were designed by Canet.
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Data from
“Ships of the Spanish Navy” by Juan Luis Coello-Lillo and Agustin Rodriguez-Gonzalez
"Pocketbook of Fighting Navies" by B. Weyer
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Special help from Javier Villarroya del Real and Nicholas W. Mitiuckov
Page History

24 November 2008 - Benchmark
26 January 2009 - Fixed typographical error