By the middle of the 1890s, the Spanish Naval Ministry was investigating a replacement for the obsolete 28 cm Canet gun, which was at the time the standard weapon for most of their larger ships. Brigadier de Artilleria de la Armada Don Enrique Guillen, with the help of the French armament firm of Schneider, designed a more modern weapon based on previous Canet designs. The mountings for these weapons used electric motors for most functions.
The Italian-built Cristobal Colon was to be armed with these guns, but she was sunk during the Spanish-American War before they could be installed.
Although more were planned, a total of six guns were actually built and delivered. Two were made by Schneider in France and the other four at the Carraca Arsenal factory in Spain.
Some of these guns were later used as coastal artillery, as can be seen in the photographs below.
Constructed of A tube, half length sleeve and four jackets covered with another layer of jackets over the full length of the barrel. Actual overall length was 42.5 calibers.
| Designation | 24 cm/42 (9.45") Guillen Model 1896 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Cardenal Cisneros, Principe de Asturias, Cataluna, Emperador Filippe II, Cristobal Colon |
| Date Of Design | about 1894 |
| Date In Service | 1900 |
| Gun Weight | 22.5 tons (23 mt) not including breech mechanism |
| Gun Length oa | 401.6 in (10.200 m) |
| Bore Length | about 373 in (9.480 m) |
| Rifling Length | N/A |
| Grooves | N/A |
| Lands | N/A |
| Twist | N/A |
| Chamber Volume | N/A |
| Rate Of Fire | about 1 round per minute |
| Type | Bag |
|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights | AP: 445.3 lbs. (202 kg)
Common: 440.9 lbs (200 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | N/A |
| Projectile Length | N/A |
| Propellant Charge | 165 lbs. (75 kg) CSP2 1 |
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,997 fps (700 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
- ^Propellant was in two bags.
| Elevation | Distance | Striking Velocity | Angle of Fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 degrees | 4,590 yards (4,200 m) | 1,690 fps (515 mps) | 3.35 |
| 5.0 degrees | 7,330 yards (6,700 m) | 1,296 fps (395 mps) | 7.98 |
| 7.5 degrees | 9,300 yards (8,500 m) | 1,115 fps (340 mps) | 13.15 |
| 10.0 degrees | 9,140 yards (10,000 m) | 1,033 fps (315 mps) | 18.30 |
| 15.0 degrees | 13,450 yards (12,300 m) | 984 fps (300 mps) | 27.68 |
| 20.0 degrees | 15,310 yards (14,000 m) | 968 fps (295 mps) | 35.65 |
This table is a result of calculations, not actual firing trials.
| Range | Side Armor | Deck Armor |
|---|---|---|
| 4,590 yards (4,200 m) | 9.8 in (248 mm) | 0.2 in (4 mm) |
| 7,330 yards (6,700 m) | 6.6 in (168 mm) | 0.4 in (10 mm) |
| 9,300 yards (8,500 m) | 5.2 in (133 mm) | 0.7 in (17 mm) |
| 9,140 yards (10,000 mps) | 4.5 in (115 mm) | 0.9 in (24 mm) |
| 13,450 yards (12,300 m) | 3.8 in (96 mm) | 1.5 in (38 mm) |
| 15,310 yards (14,000 m) | 3.3 in (84 mm) | 2.0 in (52 mm) |
These values are from calculations using Jacob-de-Marr's armor penetration formula.
| Designation | Emperador Filippe II (2): Twin barbette
Cristobal Colon (2): Single barbettes |
|---|---|
| Weight | N/A |
| Elevation | about -5 / +20 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | N/A |
| Train | about -125 / +125 degrees |
| Train Rate | N/A |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
| Loading Angle | N/A |
Mountings were designed by Canet.
Breech engraving reads as follows:
| Engraving | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 24 cm GUILLEN M 1896 | 24 cm Guillen Model 1896 |
| SCHNEIDER & C AU CREUSOT | Built at the Schneider and Company works at Le Creusot, France |
| No. 3133 | Serial number 3133 |
| 1898 | Built in 1898 |
| No 2 PESO 23726 | Number 2 gun, Gun weight of 23,726 kg (52,307 lbs.) |
Ships of the Spanish Navy" by Juan Luis Coello-Lillo and Agustin Rodriguez-Gonzalez
"Pocketbook of Fighting Navies" by B. Weyer
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Special help from Javier Villarroya del Real and Nicholas W. Mitiuckov
24 November 2008 - Benchmark
26 January 2009 - Fixed typographical error
02 February 2021 - Converted to HTML 5 format