Cannone da 190/45

The Cannone da 190/45 was a family of Italian naval guns that were the secondary armament of two classes of armored cruisers of the Regia Marina and Hellenic Navy built before World War I. The cruisers that they were aboard saw action in both world wars. It is also believed that spare guns may have been used as coastal artillery during World War II.[2]

Cannone da 190/45
Rear port-side turret aboard Georgios Averof
Type	Naval gun Coastal artillery
Place of origin	UK
Service history
In service	1909–1956
Used by	Italy Greece
Wars	Balkan Wars Italo-Turkish War World War I World War II
Production history
Designer	Vickers Armstrong Whitworth
Designed	Vickers: 1906 Armstrong: 1908
Manufacturer	Vickers Armstrong Whitworth
Produced	1910
Variants	190/45 V Model 1906 190/45 A Model 1908
Specifications
Mass	15 t (17 short tons)
Length	8.9 m (29 ft)
Barrel length	8.6 m (28 ft) 45 caliber
Shell	Separate loading bagged charge and projectile
Shell weight	AP: 91 kg (201 lb)
Caliber	190 mm (7.5 in)
Breech	Welin breech block
Elevation	-7° to +25°
Traverse	-80° to +80°
Rate of fire	2-3 rpm
Muzzle velocity	864 m/s (2,830 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	22 km (14 mi) at +25°[1]

History

There were actually two guns from different manufacturers that were classified as the Cannon da 190/45. One was the Model 1906 produced by Vickers which was based on their Mark "D" gun, while the second was the Model 1908 which was produced by Armstrong and based on their Elswick Pattern "C" gun.[3] The dimensions for both guns were similar and both used the same projectiles and powder charges.[4]

Construction

Construction of the Vickers gun is believed to have been 'A' tube, inner 'A' tube, wire winding for 75% of their length, 'B' tube and jacket.[2] A Welin breech block was used and separate loading bagged charges and projectiles were used.[4] The two classes of armored cruisers that carried these guns were the Pisa-class[5] and the San Giorgio-class.[6]

Ship Details:

• Pisa-class - The three ships of this class were the Pisa and Amalfi for the Regia Marina and the Georgios Averof[7] for the Hellenic Navy. The Pisa and Amalfi had eight 190/45 V Model 1906 guns in four hydraulically powered twin-gun turrets, two on each side of the superstructure amidships, as their secondary armament.[3] The Averof had eight 190/45 A Model 1908 guns in four hydraulically powered twin-gun turrets, two on each side of the superstructure amidships, as its secondary armament.[2]
• San Giorgio-class - The two ships of this class were the San Giorgio and the San Marco for the Regia Marina. The ships mounted eight 190/45 A Model 1908 guns in four electrically powered twin-gun turrets, two on each side of the superstructure amidships, as their secondary armament.[3]

Photo gallery

• 
  The Italian cruiser San Giorgio scuttled at Tobruk 1941
• 
  The Italian cruiser Amalfi in 1908
• 
  The Italian cruiser San Marco in August 1910
• 
  The Italian cruiser Pisa in February 1932.
• 
  "RHNS Georgios Averof" in camo paint, RN Bombay Station, 1942, while serving under UK Royal Navy Command

Notes

1. Friedman, Norman (2011-01-01). Naval weapons of World War One. Seaforth. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 786178793.
2. Campbell, John (2002-01-01). Naval weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0870214594. OCLC 51995246.
3. Friedman, Norman (2011-01-01). Naval weapons of World War One. Seaforth. ISBN 9781848321007. OCLC 786178793.
4. DiGiulian, Tony. "Italy 7.5"/45 (19.1 cm) Model 1908 - NavWeaps". navweaps.com. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
5. "Pisa armoured cruisers (1909) - Regia Marina (Italy)". www.navypedia.org. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
6. "San Giorgio armoured cruisers (1910 - 1911) - Regia Marina (Italy)". www.navypedia.org. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
7. "Averof armoured cruiser (1911) - Hellenic Navy (Greece)". www.navypedia.org. Retrieved 2017-03-26.

References

• Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
• Fraccaroli, Aldo (1974). Italian Warships of World War II. London, England: Ian Allan Publishing. OCLC 834485650.
• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
• Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.