QUEEN ELIZABETH'S GUNS.

Northern Advocate, 8 May 1915, Page 6

QUEEN ELIZABETH'S GUNS.

The binding of the allied expedition- , ary force at the Dardanelles was made ; possible by the work of the British • Elect, headed by the Queen Elizibeth. \ Although the gnus of the Queen Elizi- j beth arc the most powerful ever < mounted in a ship of war. they are not as frequently stated, the largest. The old Inflexible, launched in 1870, and '■ummandod by Captain .1. A. Pishor at the bombardment of Alexandria, was armed with four Ifiin weapons, but these, of course, were muzzle-loaders living- projectiles of .ISOOIb, the guns themselves weighing SO tons apiece. In LSBS was launched the Bonbow, and in ISS7 the Victoria and Sans Pareil, to which trio belongs the distinction of mounting the largest and heaviest, gun so far put imjo a British warship. This was the 16.25 in weapon, weighing 110'/- tons, and firing a shell 1001b heavier than that of the 16in M.L., and, naturally, with considerably greater effect, the. muzzle energy of the later and breech-loading weapon being almost exactly double that of the earlier gun. The Sans Pareil and 'Victoria had two of these guns in a single turret forward, but the Benbow had one in an open barbette forward and aft.