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The Gun |
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In 1830 James Marsh invented the percussion tube and in 1832 the first ship HMS Castor had her guns modified for them. They were not approved for the Army until 1845, when Woolwich commenced their manufacture - for coast artillery only. They became obsolete in 1866.
In 1862 Sir Frederick Abel invented an electric tube for use in coast artillery. Approved for issue in 1866 it was known as 'tube electric high tension' and worked on the same principle as the modern spark plug. Ignition was by spark via a gap between two wires buried in a special priming composition, not by an incandescent wire bridge. Power came from a portable generator.
This now completes the history of smooth-bore ordnance and ammunition.
WL Ruffell |
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Page last updated: December 7, 1998