12.5 inch Rifled Muzzle Loading Gun, 1885

The 12.5 inch Muzzle Loading Gun Mark I of 1885 fired a shell weighing 820 pounds (372 kg) to a range of 6,000 yards (5,586 M). It weighed 38 tons (38,610 Kg) and was generally used as a coastal defence cannon mounted in forts. The gun could fire 3 types of shell - a Palliser armour piercing shell against armoured warships, a common explosive shell for unarmored ships and a shrapnel shell to be used against small craft and assault forces. The animation is based upon installation of 7 12.5 inch RML guns at Fort Nothe, Weymouth (UK), which protected Portland harbour. The fort, built between 1860 and 1872, was upgraded to mount these large guns in 1893-4. The underground magazines and shell rooms were also enlarged. Firing rate would be about 3-4 minutes per gun. While the guns are spaced around the fort, usually three guns could aim on the same bearing. Ready use shells on the gun floor could speed up reloading times, and there were 4 ammunition hoists that could supply cartridges. Th