12 cm K.A.

12 cm K.A. Two 12 cm K.A. in 1920.jpg 300 Two 12 cm K.A. in 1920 Netherlands Gun-howitzer, Naval gun YES YES * Army 1873 Navy 1875Tideman 1880 2e afd p. 119 - 1881 * Royal Netherlands Army Royal Netherlands Navy 1873 570+ 3,825 guildersWeitzel 1874 27 942 kgTideman 1880 2e afd p. 119 2.10 mTideman 1880 2e afd p. 119 12 cm in on 3Tideman 1880 2e afd p. 119 293.4 m at 41 mDepartement van Marine 1878 71 The 12 cm K.A. was a Dutch fortress, siege and naval rifled bronze breechloading gun. In the Dutch army it was called nl Kanon Brons getrokken van 12 cm K.A.. In the Dutch navy: nl Kanon van 12 cm A No. 2. It was produced in substantial numbers in the Netherlands. There were also steel and steel bronze versions. Context The name 12 cm K.A. The army most often designated this gun as: 'Kanon van 12 cm K.A.'. It was a short bronze breechloading gun meant for indirect fire. K.A. stood for nl Kort (short) and nl Achterlader (breechloader). That the gun was made of bronze, was not mentioned, because all army short 12 cm breechloaders were made of bronze. The label 'short' stood for the relatively short barrel, but also that the gun was meant for indirect fire. In the army, there were also Long 12 cm guns, designated L. or nl Lang. These also carried a label 'bronze' or 'steel'. The navy also had a steel version of the 12 cm K.A., but kept them apart by using numbers. Procurement In early 1870 the Dutch field artillery was very backward. In March 1871 the Minister for Defense therefore sent two artillery officers to Switzerland to study a new bronze breech loading field gun of 84 mm caliber. These officers bought a gun (the 8.4 cm Feldgeschütz Ord 1871) and 500 shot in Winterthur.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB19:000881114:mpeg21:p00002 Dagblad van Zuidholland Staatsbegrooting voor 1872 10 November 1871 In early 1872 the gun arrived and was successfully tested against the Dutch 8 cm rifled muzzle loader.Reuther 1872 123 Judging by its appearance the 12 cm A No. 2 gun seems to have been modeled on the 8.4 cm gun. Development and production Development of the 12 cm K.A. The 12 cm gun appeared rather unexpectedly. In 1872 the Minister for War was busy modernizing the rifles. For artillery he had a 24 cm gun in production, and he planned to construct 25 15 cm guns in 1873. The only mention of a 12 cm gun, was that it would cost about 3,000 guilders.Van Stirum 1872 209 The House of Representatives then urged the minister to procure breechloader field guns. In July 1873 the minister of Defense then suddenly approved the 12 cm gun short.Van P. 1873 621 Steel Bronze While the ministry was planning the bronze breechloaders, there were heavy doubts about the suitability of bronze for guns of medium caliber. In 1874 the Austrian army then held successful trials with a new gun presented by Franz von Uchatius.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB12:000018109:mpeg21:p00001 Opregte Haarlemsche Courant Oostenrijk-Hongarije 4 November 1874 Uchatius copiedhttps://books.google.com/books?id=n7DmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA133 English Mechanics and the World of Science 1881 an autofrettage (avant la lettre) process from a 1869 American patent without a licensehttps://books.google.com/books?id=oAw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA591 New England Manufacturers and Manufactories: Three Hundred and Fifty of the Leading Manufacturers of New England Van Slyck J. D. 1879 and marketed it as steel bronze (nl staalhard brons). It was an alloy of 92% copper and 8% tin, which was made tougher by chilling and pressing it. Chilling was done by casting the bronze in an iron form which quickly chilled of the bronze. Later the gun was 'pressed' to eliminate the widening that would normally be created by firing the first shots.Van Pesch 1875 214 For the Dutch, concerns about cost and strategic vulnerabilityhttps://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB08:000086644:mpeg21:p002 Brieven over militaire onderwerpen Oostenrijk-Hongarije 11 November 1875 were reason enough to switch to producing steel bronze guns according to this procedure in about 1880, even despite that was obvious that steel bronze guns are inferior compared to cast steel. Production for the army In 1871 the gun foundry Maritz Company in The Hague came under control of the War Office. It would then become known as nl Rijks Geschutgieterij (national gun foundry). This state company would have to produce the bulk of the 12 cm K.A.'s In September 1873 there were plans to produce 20 12 cm K.A. for the army in 1874, while 400 were thought to be required.Brocx 1873 162 In December 1873 it became known that this was due to a capacity problem at the Rijks Geschutgieterij.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB19:000877145:mpeg21:p00002 Dagblad van Zuidholland Staten-Generaal 16 December 1873 In 1874 the army requirements for the 12 cm K.A. were estimated at 465 guns, excluding those for the Stelling van Amsterdam. At the same time 210 long 12 cm guns were deemed to be required. It was planned to produce 150 12 cm K.A. in 1875.Weitzel 1874 II 17 Planning for 1876 was to produce 100 12 cm K.A. at 3,825 guilders a piece.Enderlein 1875 185 On 1 January 1880 there were 379 army 12 cm K.A. available, while 526 were thought to be required.Reuther 1880 129 By late 1879 the Rijks Geschutgieterij had been equipped to produce steel bronze guns. By then, the bronze 12 cm K.A. was not a priority.Reuther 1879 225 Instead an attempt was made to produce a steel bronze 84 mm field gun, which was urgently required. When this failed these guns were bought from Krupp. The Rijks Geschutgieterij then spent the rest of 1880 casting 60 steel bronze 12 cm Long.Reuther 1880 114 Production for the navy thumb|A 12 cm A No. 2 getting finished at Koninklijke Fabriek van Stoom- en andere Werktuigen In 1876 there was a list of newly approved guns for the Dutch navy. It stated that there were / would be three kinds of 12 cm short guns in the navy:https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010486839:mpeg21:p004 Java-bode Nederland 24 July 1876 12 cm A No. 1 was the steel version made by Krupp. It was 2.1 m long overall and weighed 800 kg. 12 cm A No. 2 was cast by the gun foundry at the Rijkswerf Amsterdam, and probably at the Rijks Geschutgieterij in The Hague before that. The guns were finished by the Koninklijke Fabriek van Stoom- en andere werktuigen. It was made of bronze and generally resembled the army gun in dimensions and looks. The breech and inside of the gun resembled No. 1. 12 cm A No. 3 was made by the Rijks Geschutgieterij in The Hague. It was exactly the same as the army 12 cm K.A. It resembled No. 1 in dimensions and grooves, was made of bronze and weighed 910 kg. Until late 1875 the Rijks Geschutgieterij had cast bronze guns for the navy.Departement van Marine 1878 85 The navy then founded its own gun foundry at Rijkswerf Amsterdam, because the Minister for War did not want to produce guns for the navy due to capacity problems. In June 1877 the navy gun foundry started to operate. It cast guns designated as No. 2.Departement van Marine 1879 226 This casts some doubt about whether the Koninklijke Fabriek van Stoom- en andere werktuigen really finished guns founded by Rijks Geschutgieterij, or whether this applied to guns cast in Amsterdam from the start. In total about 43 regular 12 cm K.A. No. 2 were cast by the Rijkswerf, and 58 steel hard 12 cm K.A. No. 2 were cast by the Rijkswerf. The production history of the 12 cm K.A. No. 2 at the Rijkswerf is well known. By 31 December 1877 19 barrels for the 12 cm K.A. No. 2 had been produced.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011085173:mpeg21:p001 Soerabaijasch handelsblad Staten-Generaal 18 February 1879 In 1878 24 guns were cast.Departement van Marine 1879 226 In 1879 no 12 cm guns were cast.Departement van Marine 1880 188 In 1880 17 guns were cast. This time the guns were made of steel bronze.Departement van Marine 1881 134 In 1881 9 guns were cast.Departement van Marine 1882 121 In 1882 13 guns were cast.Departement van Marine 1883 122 In 1883 4 guns were cast, but one of the guns from stock was rejected before getting finished.Departement van Marine 1883b 132 In 1884 7 guns were cast.Departement van Marine 1885 112 In 1885 6 guns were cast.Departement van Marine 1886 124 In 1886 only one 12 cm gun was cast.Departement van Marine 1887 182 In 1889 the two last 12 cm K.A. No. 2 were cast.Departement van Marine 1890 150 Characteristics The 12 cm gun was made of bronze. It had a breech with a Broadwell Ring. The barrel had twelve grooves of 0.15 cm depth.Van P. 1873 621 The gun was 2.10 m long, and weighed 910 kg.Van P. 1873 621 The first carriage had been made from that of the 15 cm howitzer, and weighed 635 kg.Van P. 1873 623 Ammunition The first ammunition consisted of ring shells (grenades) and canister shot. The grenade was covered with lead on the outside. It had three grooves wound with rope, to keep the barrel clean. The explosive charge was 0.59-0.60 kg. The weight of the filled grenade was 13.6 kg. It was ignited by a percussion fuze of Swiss model. The grenade was fired with a charge of 0.5 or 1.1 kg.Van P. 1873 623 The canister shot had a sheet metal hull. It was 21.5 cm long and weighed 11.5 kg. On 11.4 cm from the bottom it had a lead ring to position it in the tube. It contained 41 zinc bullets of 12 cm (prob. meaning circumference), each weighing 0.180 kg, and 9 composite shrapnel bullets of 1/8 each weighing 0.048 kg. The canister shot with a charge of 1.1 kg.Van P. 1873 623 In 1875 a shrapnel shot was designed. It had a side of 8 mm thickness, the bottom was 16 mm thick. It contained 144 lead bullets of 1/18 and 116 wooden bullets. The explosive charge was 90 grams. It weighed 13.6 kg.Van Alles Wat 1876 775 Use Effectiveness thumb|12 cm K.A.'s and RML's in the Second Aceh Expedition Even while the first 12 cm K.A. were produced, it became clear that bronze was less suitable for guns that required a heavier powder charge. Therefore, the government wanted to order a coiled steel 15 cm gun and a coiled steel 12 cm long gun in 1875 for tests.Weitzel 1874 II 18 Army use The 12 cm K.A. would be almost immediately put to use in the 1873 Second Aceh Expedition. In preparation 4 machine guns, 18 bronze RML's of 12 cm, and 8 12 cm K.A. were sent to the Dutch East Indies.Simon 1874 219 During the expedition the 12 cm K.A. played a major role in the conquest of Banda Aceh, where it easily silenced the Aceh artillery.Simon 1874 222 By 1879 the 12 cm K.A. was not so modern anymore. While it was still appreciated, the power of the 12 cm K.A. was classified as rather weak, and only suitably at short range.Scherer 1879 46 Navy use In total the navy had 189 12 cm K.A. of all numbers in stock on 1 July 1886.Departement van Marine 1887 150 Of some ships it is known that they had either the 12 cm A No. 2 or the steel 12 cm A No. 1. In general the 12 cm A No. 2 was used by ships in the Dutch East Indies that were meant for internal security. Ships that were meant to combat foreign enemies, e.g. the Atjeh-class cruisers generally mounted the steel version. Gallery Notes References Brocx 1873 Militaire Spectator, Bijblad Staatsbegrooting voor het dienstjaar 1874 VIIIste hoofdstuk Broese en Comp. Breda https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000624003:00001 161–174 Departement van Marine 1878 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1876-1877 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003543001:00007 Departement van Marine 1879 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1877-1878 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003544001:000077 Departement van Marine 1880 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1878-1879 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003545001:00009 Departement van Marine 1881 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1879-1880 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003546001:00009 Departement van Marine 1882 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1880-1881 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003547001:00009 Departement van Marine 1883 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1881-1882 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003548001:00009 Departement van Marine 1883b Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1882-1883 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003549001:00009 Departement van Marine 1885 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1883-1884 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003550001:00007 Departement van Marine 1886 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1884-1885 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003551001:00007 Departement van Marine 1887 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1885-1886 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003552001:00007 Departement van Marine 1890 Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemagt 1888-1889 De Gebroeders van Cleef https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB16:003555001:00007 Enderlein 1875 Militaire Spectator Bijblad, Jaargang 1875 Begrooting van uitgaven voor de voltooiing van het vestingstelsel, dienst 1876 https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000627002:00001 177–187 Van Alles Wat 1876 Militaire Spectator Berichten aangaande de Nederlandsche Artillerie https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000630002:00001 773–775 Van P. 1873 Militaire Spectator Het Nederlandsch getrokken bronzen achterlaadkanon van 12cm kort https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000624002:00001 621–627 Van Pesch C.L. 1875 Militaire Spectator Het staalharde brons https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000629002:00001 212–226 Reuther 1872 Verslagen, Rapporten en Memorien Omtrent Militaire Onderwerpen V Rapport ... vergelijkend onderzoek omtrent een Zwitsersch achterlaadkanon van 8 cm en een Nederlandsch kanon van 8 cm De gebroeders van Cleef, 's Gravenhage https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNMM02:000306001:00005 123–192 Reuther 1879 Militaire Spectator, Bijblad Staatsbegrooting voor het dienstjaar 1880 Broese en Comp. Breda https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000640002:00001 179–227 Reuther 1880 Militaire Spectator, Bijblad Begrooting van uitgaven ten behoeven van c.a. Broese en Comp. Breda https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000664003:00001 1–179 Scherer F.G.A. 1879 Militaire Spectator Opmerkingen omtrent de uitrusting aan geschut der liniën en sterkten https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000650002:00001 45–52 Simon 1874 Militaire Spectator Iets over de artillerie bij de tweede expeditie tegen Atjeh https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000626002:00001 219–223 Van Stirum 1872 Militaire Spectator, Bijblad Staatsbegrooting voor het dienstjaar 1873 VIIIste hoofdstuk MvT Broese en Comp. Breda https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000625003:00001 208–218 Tideman B.J. 1880 Memoriaal van de Marine Van Heteren Amsterdam https://proxy.archieven.nl/0/7F6BF76519C84FD7B51DF5FF91D869A9 Weitzel 1874 Militaire Spectator, Bijblad Staatsbegrooting voor het dienstjaar 1875 VIIIste hoofdstuk Memorie van Toelichting c.a. Broese en Comp. Breda https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB10:000661001:00005 17–37 Category:Naval guns of the Netherlands Category:Artillery of the Netherlands Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1870s