Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893

Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893
The single gun Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893 turret is below and to the left of the main armament on the Suffren
Type	Naval gun Coastal gun Railroad gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1893—1945
Used by	France  Nazi Germany
Wars	First World War
Specifications
Weight	7.04 metric tons (6.93 long tons; 7.76 short tons)
Barrel length	about 7.412 meters (24.32 ft)
Shell	separate-loading, bag charge
Shell weight	50.5–52 kilograms (111–115 lb)
Caliber	164.7 millimeters (6.48 in)
Breech	Welin interrupted-screw breech
Recoil	hydro-pneumatic
Elevation	about -10° to +25°
Traverse	depended on mount
Rate of fire	2-3 rpm
Muzzle velocity	770–775 meters per second (2,530–2,540 ft/s)
Effective firing range	9,000 meters (9,800 yd) at 25°
Maximum firing range	18,000 meters (20,000 yd) at 36°

The Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893 was a medium-caliber naval gun used as the secondary armament of a number of French pre-dreadnoughts and armoured cruisers during World War I. It was used as railway artillery in both World Wars and as coastal artillery in World War II.

The 45 caliber Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893 gun was a typical built-up French heavy gun of its period. It used a Welin interrupted-screw breech and bagged propellant with a de Bange obdurator to get a good gas seal during firing. It was replaced by the Mle 1893/96 gun which used a plastic seal for the obdurator, differed in the construction of the gun, had a slightly longer barrel of 46.6 calibers and the newer gun was able to fire a new HE shell further than that used by the older gun.

The Mle 1893 and 1893/96 guns were mounted in casemated pivot mounts with the ability to depress to -10° and elevate to +25°. The guns fired 52-kilogram (115 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 865 meters per second (2,840 ft/s) to a maximum range of 9,000 meters (9,800 yd). The guns were also installed in single and twin-gun turrets, although data for the turrets is unavailable.

The guns were mounted on the armoured cruisers Ernest Renan, Jules Michelet, Gloire, Suffren and the cruiser Brennus. The casemate version was mounted on the Ernest Renan, Jules Michelet, République, Léon Gambetta, Gloire, Suffren, Gueydon, Iéna, Brennus and Dupuy de Lôme. The twin turret version was used on République, Léon Gambetta and Dupleix.

The French placed a number of spare Mle 1893 guns on four-axle railroad carriages in 1915 to use as mobile heavy artillery. The mount with its gun weighed 60 metric tons (59 long tons; 66 short tons) and was 14.7 meters (48 ft) long. It could traverse a full 360° if its outriggers, two per side, were deployed. Photographic evidence shows that some mounts had built-up cargo compartments at both ends of the mount, which limited the gun's firing arc to approximately 90° on each side. It had a circular platform for the crew that had to be folded up for travel. Some guns were fitted with gun shields. It shared its railroad carriage with the 164 mm Mle 1893/96 M and the Canon de 194 mm 1870/93.