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Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon

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Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon THE HOTCHKISS REVOLVING CANNON THE HOTCHKISS REVOLTING CANNON. A DESCEIPTION OF THE SYSTEM. ITS EMPLOYMENT IN THE FIELD, IN FORTIFICATIONS, ETC. AND FOE NAVAL SERVICE. WITH TABLES GIVING RESULTS OBTAINED IN EXPERIMENTS MADE WITH IT. BY ALFRED KOERNER. WITH FIFTEEN PLATES. PARIS: PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION. 1879. [ ll rights reserved. ] PARIS PRINTING OFFICE OF T SYMOXDS RUE ROCHECHOUART CONTENTS. PAGE Preface .............. 7 Introductory Historical Note on the Hotchkiss Eeyolying Cannon . 9 CHAPTEE I. The Gun. — General Description of the System. — Construction in Detail.—(a) The Group of Barrels, (b) The Frame, (c) The Breech, (d) The Mechanism.— Operation of the Mechanism. — Peculiar and Distinct Characteristics of the Mechanism.—List of Parts composing the Eeyolying Cannon.—Directions for Dismounting and Ee-assembling the Eeyolying Cannon . .11 CHAPTEE II. The Ammunition.—The Common Shell.—Steel Shot.— Canister Shot.—The Metallic Cartridge-Case.—Hotchkiss Percussion Fuze.—Desmarest Fuze . .18 CHAPTEE III. The Eeyolying Cannon for Field Service, for Fortifications, etc.—Its Constructive Peculiarities, Ballistical Features, etc—Principal Weights and Dimensions.—Field Carriage for Eeyolying Cannon.—The Limber.— The Ammunition-Waggon.— Principal Weights and Dimensions of Carriage, Limber and Ammunition-Waggon. —Eanges of 37mm Eeyolying Cannon (Light and Heayy Models).—Bursting of the Projectiles.—Directions for Working the Eeyolying Cannon in Field or similar Service. ............. 23 CHAPTEE IV. Eesults obtained in Experiments made with the Eeyolying Cannon.—Eesults of Firing at Sandy Hook, U.S.A.—Comparison of the Eesults of Hotchkiss Eeyolying Cannon with those obtained from other guns.—Conclusions.— General Eemarks on the System .............. 32 6 CHAPTER V. Note on the Tactical use of the Revolving Cannon.—1. For Field Servicer Against Infantry. 2. Against Cavalry. 3. Against Artillery.—4 Attack and Defence of Fortified Positions.—5. Coast Defence.—6. Diverse Purposes.—Conclusions . 40 CHAPTER VI. The Light 37mm Revolving Cannon for Naval Service.—Description and Special Con­ structive Features.—Principal "Weights and Dimensions of Gun and Ammunition. —Range, Deflection, Deviation, etc.—Penetrative Effects of the Projectiles against different objects.—Table of Perforative Effect of Shell.—Accuracy of Fire in Service Afloat against rapidly-moving objects. — Comparison of the Rapidity of Fire of the Revolving Cannon with that of Mitrailleuses . 45 CHAPTER VII. Revolving Cannon for certain particular purposes.—HotchMss Mitrailleuse.—The 40ram Gun for Flanking the Ditches of Modern Fortifications.—The 47mm Revolving Cannon for Naval Service.—The 53ram Revolving Cannon . , . .55 List of Plates 60 PREFACE. Machine-guns, in some form ol" other, have become of late years an integral part of the armaments of most nations. The disappointment, however, which was experienced during the Franco-German war of 1870- 71 as to the value of the class of machine-guns generally known as mitrailleuses, i,en rapid firing guns, which discharge small bullets or mi- traille, has brought this weapon in disrepute, and more particularly so as their use has been entirely or partially abandoned by some Nations who have had the most experience with them. The nature of this kind of arm has led to a multitude of more or less ingenious and complicated mechanical inventions, in which the ballis- tical features have often been totally disregarded. This, of course, is partly the reason why mitrailleuses are looked upon with disfavour by many mili­ tary authorities. There is, however, no reason to doubt but that a mitrail­ leuse is an arm considerably inferior to a cannon; for field service it is an impediment, for naval service it is useless against the lightest protec­ tion which is carried by launches, or torpedo-boats; and for the use in boats, which are in constant motion, no accuracy can be got out of it. The aforesaid considerations point out the necessity of an arm of greater power and having the indispensable advantages of explosive-shell fire. The Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon, which is herein described, repre­ sents a machine-gun combining to the best extent the requirements of both field and naval service. It is not exactly a new invention, as it was first brought out in 1871; since then it has been subjected to exhaustive trials and the severest tests by several governments, and its adoption into the French service, as well as that of several other countries, has con­ firmed the ideas of its inventor, and has made it an object of much interest. The Revolving Cannon may now be considered as a complete and thoroughly developed system, and a practical weapon for service. 8 A small pamphlet describing this gun was published in 1874 ; but in a work of this nature, devoted to a subject which is in course of con­ tinual improvements and developement, the data requires to be constantly corrected and extensive additions made thereto, so that a frequent revision becomes necessary. A part of the before-mentioned pamphlet has been embodied into the present book,, but it can scarcely be called a new edition of the former. The author hopes that this description of the Hotchkiss system may be of some interest to military and naval authorities, as this arm certainly deserves their serious consideration, and will doubtless bear its full share in the determination of future wars. A. K. Paris, March, 1879. THE HOTCMISS REVOLVING CANNON INTRODUCTORY HISTORICAL NOTE ON THE HOTCHKISS REVOLVING CANNON. It was during the Franco-German war, *in 1870-71, that Mr. B. B. Hotchkiss, on seeing the inefficiency of the French mitrailleuse, first con­ ceived the idea of constructing a simple machine-gun, able to produce a continuous hail of small cast-iron explosive shells at very long ranges, and which should have no recoil to interfere with the continual operation of the gun or the accuracy of its fire. Besides the well-recognised cases in which machine-guns may be em­ ployed with great advantage, this gun should be adapted for the attack of troops in loose order, and must therefore permit of easy and rapid adjust­ ment, so as to be able to readily follow all minor movements of the enemy. It was in the same year that the first gun of this kind, made at Vienna, was fired in the presence of the Austrian Artillery Committee ; and though it was thereby proved to be excellent as to general principle, it left much to be desired from a ballistical point of view. In addition to some of these guns being purchased as samples by the Russian and Italian Governments, a battery of them was ordered by the French "Government of National Defense;" but the delivery could not be completed in time for them to be used during the war.- In 1872 further experiments were made at Vienna, after the mechanism of the gun had been so far improved that the loading could be performed automatically, which was hitherto not the case. The following year was spent by the inventor in improving the gun, both mechanically and ballistically, and not until the summer of 1873 were any but private experimental trials made. 2 10 In July, 1873, the French Marine Department, wishing to thoroughly test the qualities of this arm, ordered trials to be made with it at Gavre ; and the Minister of Marine, after the results of this trial, in order to assist the inventor in augmenting the power of his arm, courteously caused a series of experiments to be made to test the value of the different improve­ ments which had been introduced in consequence of the experiences at this trial in July, 1873. The results afterwards obtained thoroughly confirmed the expectations which were placed in the efficacy of the arm, but for the moment no steps were taken to introduce it into the service. In 1875 the Revolving Cannon was adopted for service in the Brazilian Army, and in the same year a torpedo vessel, of the Argentine Navy, was armed with them; subsequently these guns have been purchased by the Chinese, United States and Qther governments. In 1876 the French Navy required a gun specially adapted for the protection of their ships against torpedo attacks, to repulse boarders, and for boat service. The French, or Montigny mitrailleuse and the Gatling gun,—already in their posession,—-as also the Palmkrantz mitrailleuse, were not found suitable for the purpose, and Mr. Hotchkiss was entrusted by the Director of Naval Artillery with the construction of a gun based upon the principle of his Revolving Cannon. After very extensive and practical trials, the Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon (naval model) was adopted for the armament of ships and boats, and in 1877 and 1878 several hundred of these guns were ordered by the French Navy at the Hotchkiss Ordnance Works. The adoption of this gun into the French Navy was soon followed by Turkey, Holland and Greece, and other governments have ordered guns for trial. CHAPTER I. THE GUN. GENEKAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM.—CONSTRUCTION IN DETAIL (a). THE GEOUP OF BARRELS (b). THE FRAME (c). THE BREECH (d). THE MECHA­ NISM.—OPERATION OF THE MECHANISM.-PECULIAR AND DISTINCT CHARAC­ TERISTICS OF THE MECHANISM.-LIST OF PARTS COMPOSING THE REVOLVING CANNON.—DIRECTIONS FOR DISMOUNTING AND RE-ASSEMBLING THE REVOLVING CANNON. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM. The Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon cannot be classed with mitrailleuses in the ordinary sense of the term, as explosive shells are fired with the former, and it has a range equal to that of modern field artillery. The Revolving Cannon is a compound machine-gun, in which it has been sought to combine the advantages of long range shell-fire, with the ra­ pidity of action of the mitrailleuse, to produce therefore the powerful effects of artillery fire with a gun having no recoil and other valuable features of the mitrailleuse.
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