Canon de 194 mm Modèle 1887

The Canon de 194 mm Modèle 1887 was a turret mounted medium-caliber naval gun used as the main armament of a number of armored cruisers of the French Navy during World War I.

Canon de 194 mm Modèle 1887
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	France
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designed	1887
Specifications
Mass	10,770 kg (23,740 lb)
Length	8.076 m (26 ft 6 in)
Barrel length	7.76 m (25 ft 6 in) 45 caliber^[1]
Shell	separate-loading, bagged charge and projectiles
Shell weight	75–90 kg (165–198 lb)
Caliber	194 mm (7.6 in)
Elevation	Dupuy de Lôme: -5°/ +15° Amiral Charner: -6° / +14.2°
Traverse	Bow/Stern: -150° / +150°^[2]
Rate of fire	1 rpm
Muzzle velocity	770–800 m/s (2,500–2,600 ft/s)^[1]
Effective firing range	11.5 km (7 mi)

Design

The Mle 1887 guns were typical built-up guns of the period with a rifled steel liner and several layers of steel reinforcing hoops. The guns used an interrupted screw breech and the new smokeless powder of the period.^[1]

Naval service

Ships that carried the Mle 1887 include:

• Dupuy de Lôme - This armored cruiser had a main armament of two Mle 1887 guns in single turrets fore and aft.
• Amiral Charner-class cruisers - This class of four armored cruisers had a main armament of two Mle 1887 guns in single turrets fore and aft.

Ammunition

The Mle 1893-1896 used separate-loading ammunition with two bagged charges weighing 18.8 kg (41 lb).

Shell type	Weight
Armor-piercing, capped	90 kg (200 lb)
Common shell	75 kg (165 lb)
Semi-armor-piercing, capped	89.5 kg (197 lb)^[1]

Notes

1. Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. S. Yorkshire: Seaforth Pub. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7. OCLC 751804655.
2. DiGiulian, Tony (20 May 2020). "19 cm/45 (7.64") Model 1887". Naval Weapons.

References

• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.