70-pounder Whitworth gun | |
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Type | Naval gun |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1863– |
Used by | Confederate States, United States, Brazil |
Wars | American Civil War, Paraguayan War |
Production history | |
Designer | Joseph Whitworth |
Manufacturer | Joseph Whitworth |
Unit cost | £3500 |
Produced | 1863?– |
Specifications | |
Mass | 8,582 pounds (3,892.7 kg) |
Length | 118 inches (2.997 m) |
Shell | Solid shot Explosive shell |
Shell weight | 81 pounds (36.7 kg) |
Calibre | 5.5-inch (140 mm) |
Maximum firing range | 5,540 yards (5,070 m) |
Filling | Black powder |
Filling weight | 3 pounds 12 ounces (1.7 kg)[1] |
The 70-pounder Whitworth naval gun was designed by Joseph Whitworth during the 1860s. It was a rifled muzzle loader and used his hexagonal, rifled-bore design.