| Historical Specifics: |
The 80 pounder RML gun was used in a number of forts throughout NSW. It is not possible to identify where this gun may have been used as the serial number is corroded. Only the final number ‘4’ can be read. In the 1901 report two guns, 94 and 104, were at South Head and one may be this gun. Later this gun may have been used at the School of Artillery at Victoria Barracks for instructional purposes. In 1970 the barrel was found buried by workmen laying water pipes near the front gate to Victoria Barracks. The gun was restored by the Sydney Area Workshops in 1970. This gun was originally manufactured as a 68pounder SBML gun by the Royal Gun Factory in 1861 and converted to 80 pounder RML in 1872. Weight of gun 5-1-3-0
The Armstrong RML guns introduced in the late 1850s to replace the smooth bore muzzle loading guns were to prove very unpopular as the result of a number of accidents caused by failure in the new breech. The muzzle loading gun was preferred however it was now accepted that the rifled gun firing a conical shell was the best way to defeat the new armoured ships now entering service.
There was neither the production capacity nor the funds to replace all existing SBML guns immediately but in 1863 Captain Palliser introduced a method of lining smooth bore cast iron guns with coiled wrought iron rifled tubes. This provided an inexpensive means of converting medium calibre smooth bore muzzle loading guns to rifled muzzle loading guns. The 68 pounder smooth bore were converted to 80 pounder rifled muzzle loading.
In 1872, with the departure of the Imperial troops NSW was presented with 25 converted 80 pounders. Although they are commonly known as RML (Rifled Muzzle Loading) guns, at the time of their conversion they were known as Muzzle Loading Rifled (MLR) to differentiate them from guns manufactured as RML. |
