| 75 mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892 | |
|---|---|
 75 mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892 at the Naval MuseumVarna Bulgaria. | |
| Type | Naval gun Coastal artillery Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1892–1945 |
| Used by | Russian Empire Soviet Union Estonia Finland Poland France |
| Wars | Boxer Rebellion Russo-Japanese War World War I Russian Civil War Winter War World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Canet |
| Designed | 1891 |
| Manufacturer | Obukhov Perm |
| Produced | 1892 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 901 kg (1,986 lb) |
| Length | 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) |
| Barrel length | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Shell | Fixed QF ammunition |
| Shell weight | 4.9 kg (11 lb) |
| Caliber | 75 mm (3.0 in) 50 caliber |
| Elevation | Naval: -7° to +20° AA: -7° to +75° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 12–15 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 862 m/s (2,830 ft/s)[1] |
| Maximum firing range | Naval: 7.8 km (4.8 mi) at +20° AA: 4.9 km (16,000 ft) at +60°[2] |
The75 mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892 was a Russiannaval gun developed in the years before theRusso-Japanese War that armed the majority of warships of theImperial Russian Navy during the Russo-Japanese War andWorld War I. The majority of ships built or refit between 1890 and 1922 carried Pattern 1892 guns. During its career the role of the guns evolved from one of anti-torpedo boat defense tocoastal artillery andanti-aircraft use.[2]
In 1891 a Russian naval delegation was shown three guns designed by the French designerCanet. One was a 75 mm/50caliber gun, one a120 mm/45 caliber gun and the last was a152mm/45 caliber gun. All three guns usedfixed QF ammunition which produced a rate of fire of 15 rpm for the 75 mm gun, 12 rpm for the 122 mm gun and 10 rpm for the 152 mm gun. The Russians were impressed and in 1892 they negotiated a production license for all three guns.[1]
75mm/50 caliber Pattern 1892 guns were produced at theObukhov factory and thePerm factory between 1892 and 1922. By 1901 the Obukhov factory had produced 234 guns, with another 268 produced between 1909 and 1917. The Perm factory produced 70 guns between 1900 and 1907, with another 155 produced between 1914 and 1922.[1] The original naval mounts produced between 1892 and 1913 had low angles of elevation −7° to +20°. Mounts produced between 1914 and 1928 were high angle Zenit-Meller mounts −7° to +75° suitable for use as coastal artillery and anti-aircraft guns.[2]
It is estimated that 100 guns were left behind by the Russians in 1917 and used by the Finns. The majority of guns came from Russian coastal artillery installations with a smaller number being captured aboard warships the Russian Navy left behind. In 1924 the Finns still had 95 coastal artillery and anti-aircraft guns in their inventory. In 1941 it was estimated there were still 69 guns in active service with theSoviet Navy.[2] In 1944 Finnish coastal artillery and Navy still had 66 guns, of which 10 guns were serving on ships.[3]
75/50 guns armed a variety of ships such asarmored cruisers,destroyers,dreadnought battleships,gunboats,light cruisers,minelayers,minesweepers,pre-dreadnought battleships,protected cruisers andsubmarines of the Imperial Russian Navy. After the 1917October Revolution the successor states of Estonia, Finland, Poland and the Soviet Union all used this gun. The last Finnish warship to carry 75/50 guns was the minelayerRuotsinsalmi, which was decommissioned in 1975.[4]
Ammunition was offixed QF type. A complete round weighed between 9.6–10.6 kg (21–23 lb).[2]
The gun was able to fire:[1]
