The rich history of this gun, reconstructed by General Guy François: This 32 cm model 1870-84 cannon, used for many years in Gâvres, has a rich and varied history. Fortunately, it was saved from the scrap heap, but it is regrettable that permission was not granted to keep the breech (even if it had been altered and welded shut to prevent misuse !).
Its history in brief:

Original 32 cm model 1870-84 coastal gun. It has not yet been possible to determine its first assignment, which can only have been a coastal battery in Brest or Cherbourg. Unfortunately, it seems that its “part book” has disappeared or been destroyed.
In 1916, this gun, registered as “R 1888 n° 14” (manufactured in Ruelle in 1888), was mounted on a Schneider sliding truck carriage. This mount was registered as “P 3005” and assigned to the 3rd Group of 32 (equipped with four guns of this caliber).
This gun was used extensively during the Somme offensive from June to November 1916 and then on the Montagne de Reims in April-May 1917.
The group was intended for a mission in Italy in June 1917, but the worn barrels were replaced. The P 3005 mount received the “R 1888 No. 10” barrel instead of the “R 1888 No. 14”.
On an experimental basis, the 32 cm model 1870-84 R 1888 No. 14 gun was rebored in 1918 to a caliber of 340 mm. This model was not reproduced.
In 1919, the gun, rebored to 340 mm, was assigned to the Gâvres proving ground, where it remained until the site was closed. It was still firing at the dawn of the 1990s for various experiments, some of which were highly original and still deserve to be kept away from the malicious eyes of “the enemy who is watching us.”



France	Canon de 32 cm Mle 1870-84 type Marine sur affût à glissement Schneider on 'échantignolles' carriage				Heavy power artillery

Contributor : Alain Bohée Guy François Luc Malchair http://www.fortiff.be/ Lien vers post du blog		Location : France Crozon (29) Pointe des Espagnols Coordinates : Lat : 48.34106 / Long : -4.54390		General comments on this surviving gun : The rich history of this gun, reconstructed by General Guy François: This 32 cm model 1870-84 cannon, used for many years in Gâvres, has a rich and varied history. Fortunately, it was saved from the scrap heap, but it is regrettable that permission was not granted to keep the breech (even if it had been altered and welded shut to prevent misuse !). Its history in brief: Original 32 cm model 1870-84 coastal gun. It has not yet been possible to determine its first assignment, which can only have been a coastal battery in Brest or Cherbourg. Unfortunately, it seems that its “part book” has disappeared or been destroyed. In 1916, this gun, registered as “R 1888 n° 14” (manufactured in Ruelle in 1888), was mounted on a Schneider sliding truck carriage. This mount was registered as “P 3005” and assigned to the 3rd Group of 32 (equipped with four guns of this caliber). This gun was used extensively during the Somme offensive from June to November 1916 and then on the Montagne de Reims in April-May 1917. The group was intended for a mission in Italy in June 1917, but the worn barrels were replaced. The P 3005 mount received the “R 1888 No. 10” barrel instead of the “R 1888 No. 14”. On an experimental basis, the 32 cm model 1870-84 R 1888 No. 14 gun was rebored in 1918 to a caliber of 340 mm. This model was not reproduced. In 1919, the gun, rebored to 340 mm, was assigned to the Gâvres proving ground, where it remained until the site was closed. It was still firing at the dawn of the 1990s for various experiments, some of which were highly original and still deserve to be kept away from the malicious eyes of “the enemy who is watching us.” Identical items in the same location : 1 Items covered by this file : 1


Once rusting away in the reserves at the Gâvres base, this unique piece has been restored on a sample mount to defend the Brest base, the mission for which it was designed before participating in the Great War in the ALVF.		Markings found on the breech at Kersahu: ‘32cm Mle 1870-84 - T. 34 1918 - R.1888 N°14 - 48560 kg’ indicate that this barrel was rebored in 1918 to a caliber of 340mm after wear caused by firing since 1916.		Photo taken by DLB workshops, who carried out this superb renovation. Unfortunately, the cylinder head mechanism is missing.

Historic and technical information
Denomination : 32c Mle 1870-84 de cote type Marine			Origin : ( Fonderie de Ruelle) ( Schneider )
Historic context : The 32c Model 1870/81, 1870/84, and 1870/93 cannons were heavy coastal defense guns whose original design dated back to 1870. Their designation “32c” (32 cm) instead of “320 mm” indicated that the barrel was made of cast iron but with an internal steel lining and frets also made of the same material. Manufactured by the Fonderies de Ruelle, they were used in casemates or in open emplacements to prevent access to naval ports such as Brest and Cherbourg. This equipment, which had become obsolete since the beginning of the First World War, was dismantled from its coastal locations and mounted in 1916-1917-1918 on a sliding truck mount designed by Schneider in 1915 for use in the Heavy Artillery on Railways (ALVF). This assembly, which was also adapted to 274mm Mle 1893-96, 305mm Mle 1893-96, and 340mm Mle 1893 tubes, allowed them to: move on the civilian rail network in one piece despite weighing 163 tons be placed in firing position on a specific reinforced railway track, laid out in a curved loop with a radius of approximately 150 meters, allowing them to vary the angle of aim in the direction of fire and absorb the recoil energy by rolling back 2 to 3 m on the track, a system of six wooden crossbars fixed to the chassis and lowered when the gun was brought into battery, braking by friction on longitudinal beams parallel to the rails placed on a platform on the track (the “sliding”). return the gun to its position on the section of the spike chosen for firing by means of hand winches. These tubes were equipped with two types of screw breeches, Farcot or Manz (the most massive), and could fire one shot every 4 minutes with shells weighing over 300 kg. Their main use was counter-battery fire. Of the 44 Schneider sliding truck mounts initially built (mainly by Schneider subcontractors but assembled with the tubes and tested at Le Creusot), 30 were fitted with 32c Mle 1870/84 tubes, thus becoming the most abundant ALVF equipment in the French army. Some truck mounts had their worn tubes replaced with spare tubes of the same type, or with 32c Mle 1870/81 tubes (with a shorter range) or 32c Mle 1870/93 tubes. Six truck mounts were equipped with 1870/81 barrels from the outset, and eight with 1870/93 barrels. They were used in all major battles from 1916 onwards. This equipment was still in service in 1940, with eight pieces available, each with only five projectiles! The Germans used this captured equipment for their own army.			Technical data : Complete description : *32 cm gun M 1870-84 Marine type on Schneider sliding carriage rail truck* Design year : 1916 Calibre : 320.00 mm Weight in firing position : 45700 kg (avec culasse Farcot); 49200 kg (avec culasse Manz); 163000 kg (on railway sliding carriage) Weight for transportation : 163000 kg (on railway sliding carriage) Tube length in calibres : 30.00 (rifled section) Grooves : 64 Progressive angle 0 to 7 degrees to the left Projectile weight : 392 kg (obus en fonte aciérée ALVF type D Mle 1915 ogivé) / plusieurs autres modèles existent Initial speed : 608 m/s (type D ogival shell) Fire rate : 1 shot / 4 minutes (railway sliding carriage) - 1 shot / 3 minutes (Mle 1916) Range : 21600 m (type D ogival shell) Elevation range : +36 degrees (échantignolles), +22 / +40 degrees (railway sliding carriage) Direction range : 0 degrees field
Sources
Les canons de la Victoire 1914-1918 - Tome III - L' Artillerie de Côte et l'Artillerie de Tranchée Général Guy François Histoire et Collection 2010 Les Canons de la Victoire, 5ème édition du Manuel d'Artillerie Lourde, revue et considérablement augmentée Colonel Alvin Commandant André Henri Charles-Lavauzelle et Cie 1923 Les Materiels de l'Armee Francaise 1940 (Tome 2) Stéphane Ferrard Charles Lavauzelle 1984 Les matériels ALVF Schneider à glissement - Guerre, Blindés et Matériel Nr 133 Général Guy François Histoire et Collection 2020 L'Artillerie Lourde sur voie ferrée Française des origines à 1945 Général Guy François* Histoire et Collection 2022*