A Naval Gun in the Making

Constructing a 15-inch gun at the works of Vickers. Test fired at Eskmeals in what is now Cumbria. The film supposedly dates from 1915.
I uploaded this film so that my bed-ridden father could watch it on his big TV rather than an iPad. Sadly he’s no longer with us, but I think that he was impressed by the footage.
For more naval history content (and other stuff) follow me on Twitter: / simonharley
Imperial War Museum IWM 580 Reel 2.

Пікірлер: 276

  • @Bert2368
    @Bert23682 жыл бұрын

    The secret of the well known superiority in British battleship gun fabrication was incidentally revealed here: Proper use of bowler hat and waistcoat at certain key moments.

  • @deconteesawyer5758

    @deconteesawyer5758

    Жыл бұрын

    A well waxed mustache was needed between them.

  • @dmacarthur5356

    @dmacarthur5356

    Жыл бұрын

    They say it's hardened in oil but the industry secret is to quench it in Darjeeling tea. Cheerio!

  • @Bert2368

    @Bert2368

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dmacarthur5356 Although their wives were told the gun billet quenching liquid was fine Indian tea, certain Scotts and Irish forge hands knew what all those empty bottles they found laying behind the soakers pits had held...

  • @MrDaiseymay

    @MrDaiseymay

    Жыл бұрын

    I spotted that

  • @coy0te9

    @coy0te9

    Жыл бұрын

    But not by the men actually handling the tools and manipulating the steel. They wore cloth caps. There was probably a point in the job hierarchy where one was expected to upgrade ones hat.

  • @davidfearon7646
    @davidfearon76462 жыл бұрын

    Served my time at Vickers Armstrong. Nothing we could'nt build. Proud of my time there.

  • @otisarmyalso

    @otisarmyalso

    2 жыл бұрын

    visited Elswick what a grand enterprise pity to see it go

  • @MrSlapdash243

    @MrSlapdash243

    2 жыл бұрын

    My dad used to run a radial arm drill there a long time ago.

  • @markhonea2461

    @markhonea2461

    Жыл бұрын

    What does "charging the furnace" mean?

  • @MartsGarage

    @MartsGarage

    Жыл бұрын

    @@markhonea2461 Not 100% but I think it means loading it with scrap or pig iron to melt. Also adding the things that make up the steel. Don't know what those log looking things were, but some sort of additive.

  • @samrodian919

    @samrodian919

    Жыл бұрын

    Anybody have any idea where the guns were test fired? Was it a Shoeburyness on the Essex coast. There has been an ordnance test firing range there since before the Crimean war. It's still in use, run by the MOD.

  • @CharlesHuse
    @CharlesHuse Жыл бұрын

    This is actually quite fascinating seeing the heavy foundry and machine work from that era. If this was from 1915, and I have no reason to believe that it is not, this WAS the high tech industry of the day. Seeing the machinery being used makes me think that it was 2nd or 3rd generation of that sort and I have to wonder about the manual processes involved in the creation of what they would consider as the "original models". On a side note, there is a tall building at the Washington Navy Yard that still houses the machinery used to re-sleeve the 16-inch guns of the Iowa-class battleships. They would run cold water thru the rifled bore while heating the outside of the gun tube with an induction coil. When the 2 parts separated, the would remove the old worn out bore and put the new one in then allow the two parts to return to normal temperatures. Supposedly they still have some of the inner sleeves left because the Navy put enough of the 16-inch shells down range to require that many reworks of the guns.

  • @leebatt7964
    @leebatt79642 жыл бұрын

    Seeing the horse being lead past the trolly really put this in perspective. Its amazing how fast technology has progressed for the last 100 years.

  • @marumiyuhime

    @marumiyuhime

    9 ай бұрын

    wow must be seeing something i have not. naval guns have not changed and tech was frozen in the 30s. too bad we are looking at an artillery war in the near future.

  • @derekstocker6661
    @derekstocker66612 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful historic film, I am always fascinated by these massive iron and steel monoliths being moved around and always think about the safety factor and what it would be like now. I also think how amazing the actual machinery to build the guns was, also a fantastic feat of brilliant engineering. Thanks for this fabulous film.

  • @jwv6985
    @jwv6985 Жыл бұрын

    I'm always amazed at how everyone is dressed. No gloves, no safety shoes, no hearing protection, no eye protection, no hard hats, and everyone is dressed like they are going out to dinner!

  • @MrDaiseymay

    @MrDaiseymay

    Жыл бұрын

    It was the British way of deluding spies that production was just a picnic.

  • @thwwoodcraft1449

    @thwwoodcraft1449

    Жыл бұрын

    Still very common to see dirt-floor welders in 3rd world countries but also including China closing their eyelids rather than using a welding helmet.

  • @thomascolville9438

    @thomascolville9438

    Жыл бұрын

    H&S a recent innovation. When I started working there was no gloves,safety shoes, hearing protection. Definitely no hard hats. Don’t know about dressed for dinner though, we were too poor for that. Still got all my fingers and toes, wife says I’m deaf as a post though….. I’m told.

  • @angrydragonslayer

    @angrydragonslayer

    Жыл бұрын

    @@thomascolville9438 if you can hear her say it, it probably isn't an issue. Unless she's talking about some other kind of deaf of course. A girlfriend of mine called me emotionally deaf when explaining why she cheated....

  • @johndean4998

    @johndean4998

    10 ай бұрын

    The workers around the forges seem to be wearing wooden clogs on their feet and leather spats & aprons.

  • @lloydknighten5071
    @lloydknighten5071 Жыл бұрын

    Mr. Harley, I had an uncle, Mr. Henry Cook, who worked at Scullin Steel, here in Saint Louis (USA). He said that Scullin, like Vickers/Armstrong, was extremely hot and difficult. But he, like your dad, was proud of his job. I am glad you uploaded this film. I didn't know all of the complex steps that were used in building a 15 inch/45 naval gun.

  • @grottonisred6541
    @grottonisred65412 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant piece of engineering processes. All engineering student should be made to watch this to at least understand some basics. There were clearly some brilliant minds around in those days...and not a keyboard or phone in sight. I was brought up in Oldham in the 60's directly opposite an iron works, fascinating as a 5-10 year old watching the furnace as I was getting my ball back..!

  • @stevemolina8801
    @stevemolina88012 жыл бұрын

    Amazing, I marvel at the way these men just carried on in such extreme conditions. I had to laugh at the man riding the cart down the tracks as its full of powder bags as if it were nothing.

  • @deconteesawyer5758

    @deconteesawyer5758

    Жыл бұрын

    Say mate, was that eight or ten bags of gunpowder we put in so far? Can't remember. We better put in a couple more just to be safe.

  • @hawkowl455
    @hawkowl4552 ай бұрын

    For someone to think to give us all for posterity a look into the past on how these were made I am so grateful. Now I have so many more questions for these men, of course that's impossible. I hope that I can find some more of these videos with perhaps more details.

  • @peterspain3827
    @peterspain38272 жыл бұрын

    The sheer scale of these operations cannot be understated.the machinery ,the skill of the men,the brutal conditions they were working in.One wonders weather they were paid enough to recognise this.Can you imagine testing one of these.Incredible.

  • @DavidMartin-ym2te

    @DavidMartin-ym2te

    Жыл бұрын

    In 1916 shipwrights were earning 48 shillings and 6 pence per week. (see "The Battleship Builders"). That's 2 pounds and 42 and one half pence today. Shipwrights were the highest paid workers in a shipyard. Not sure about the ordnance workers.

  • @lyedavide
    @lyedavide2 ай бұрын

    It's incredible to see how much work and labour went into making a large caliber naval gun. I doubt that there are many foundries, if any at all, that can do this in the mordern world. Thanks for a very interesting video!

  • @otisarmyalso
    @otisarmyalso2 жыл бұрын

    thank you for reminding us of a once Great Britannia sad to see how the mighty have stumbled. My two tours to Elswick are dearly cherished memories of Newcastle

  • @indigohammer5732
    @indigohammer5732 Жыл бұрын

    I drove by the Vickers works years ago. Coal and Iron ore in one end, and a Challenger Tank at the other. The place was enormous

  • @craigpennington1251
    @craigpennington1251 Жыл бұрын

    NIce deer rifles. A massive undertaking in making these guns. Great video and big thanks for NOT adding music.

  • @jamescollins3647
    @jamescollins36472 жыл бұрын

    My deepest condolences. That was a very nice thing to do for him. Good man.

  • @gilgarcia3008
    @gilgarcia30082 жыл бұрын

    A very interesting way to manipulate the billet while forging. The forge I worked in used manipulators to rotate large pieces . The chain method is something I was told about but had never seen.

  • @gregtaylor6146
    @gregtaylor61462 жыл бұрын

    When Britain really was GREAT!

  • @ypaulbrown
    @ypaulbrown2 жыл бұрын

    Bless you for doing that for your Father......

  • @billthebrit9126
    @billthebrit91262 жыл бұрын

    Vickers now build main battle tanks at their plant in Newcastle, I used to live above the testing yard and watched many an armoured vehicle prove its worth.

  • @charlesm127

    @charlesm127

    2 жыл бұрын

    I thought the Scotswood rd tank factory was long gone

  • @billthebrit9126

    @billthebrit9126

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@charlesm127 It was a long time ago.

  • @nickfoster2201
    @nickfoster2201 Жыл бұрын

    What an old gem of a film, full of engineering information, most of which we wont see performed anymore.

  • @charleswells7903
    @charleswells79032 жыл бұрын

    I worked in a steel plant in South Africa 1971/74 and I thought that was dodgy elf and safety but those men took it to a different level. My main trade thru my working years was a toolmaker and I used to cut corners. My only accident was cutting off the end of my middle finger with no permanent damage

  • @yorkshirejoinery2869
    @yorkshirejoinery28692 жыл бұрын

    Simply, ‘Bloody Hell’! Incredible what went into one of those guns! Rule Britannia!

  • @bearsbugs
    @bearsbugs Жыл бұрын

    You can tell the editor was not a machinist. At 7:30 it says "trepanning the hole in the gun tube" and the video shows them rough turning the breech OD. The trepanning operation isn't shown until shortly after after the 8 minute mark.

  • @ianmoseley9910
    @ianmoseley9910 Жыл бұрын

    Love how "hit it with a hammer" is always in there somewhere

  • @acdii
    @acdii2 жыл бұрын

    What I find even more impressive is the machinery used way back then. How many machines did they have to make to make the machines that make the barrels.

  • @gerry5712

    @gerry5712

    2 жыл бұрын

    And the almost total absence of any PPE...

  • @nealedickson2859

    @nealedickson2859

    Жыл бұрын

    Just watched this and the 1st thing I thought about what are the pots made from that they pore molten iron into

  • @acdii

    @acdii

    Жыл бұрын

    @@nealedickson2859 Used to be asbestos lined, but they are lined with some other type of ceramic insulation that can take the heat. The furnaces are lined with bricks that can take higher heat than steel so they can melt the steel without getting melted.

  • @marumiyuhime

    @marumiyuhime

    9 ай бұрын

    all tech has its roots in fire. without fire there would be nothing

  • @m37kuk
    @m37kuk8 ай бұрын

    I worked in those same shops in the early 70s the tall building with the oil pit was still there even still filled with oil

  • @ZoomMonty
    @ZoomMonty2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for uploading this footage amazing footage!!

  • @pasha12343
    @pasha123432 жыл бұрын

    That’s incredible footage , the scale of the operation mind blowing and also a lot of flat caps 👍

  • @grahamh6918

    @grahamh6918

    2 жыл бұрын

    the flat cap is why we had an empire ;)

  • @EleanorPeterson

    @EleanorPeterson

    2 жыл бұрын

    Aye, lad. You only graduated to a bowler and clipboard when you reached Management level. 😁

  • @hetrodoxly1203

    @hetrodoxly1203

    2 жыл бұрын

    Flat caps, heath & safety gone mad.

  • @brucejohnston6184

    @brucejohnston6184

    2 жыл бұрын

    😆

  • @GavCritchley
    @GavCritchley Жыл бұрын

    If you watch some of the current YT films that come from Pakistan about engineering, you'll see that they are pretty much at this point in terms of heavy engineering. Not a criticism at all. They use a lot of reclaimed steel from ship salvage to manufacture everything from Civil Engineering equipment to washing machines. Its worth a look.

  • @anthonypetty9288
    @anthonypetty9288 Жыл бұрын

    My father trained in the naval dockyard in Portsmouth and worked on battleship guns while he was stationed in Alexandria during WW2. Fascinating to see how they were created in the first place. Thank you.

  • @rjmercer042
    @rjmercer0422 жыл бұрын

    Amazing. I grew up near Pittsburgh in the 60s and 70s. My father was a millwright. I worked in the mill during my college summers (Concaster and flat rolling mill). Amazing how much things have changed.

  • @InCountry6970
    @InCountry69702 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, for this great old film. OSHA may not approve of their attire, but it was just a wonderful glimpse of history

  • @RiojaRoj
    @RiojaRoj2 жыл бұрын

    As a kid in Stockport in the 50s and 60s I grew up across the railway at Reddish. Craven Machine Tools had a foundry across the tracks, and in winter the night sky was ablaze with an orange glow and sparks flying into the night as they were pouring molten iron. Amazing, no health n safety then, Men were Men, and Sheep were Nervous as they used to say 😅

  • @Fred70115
    @Fred701152 жыл бұрын

    The lack of safety gear for the workers is pretty striking. Those steel cuttings from the rifle station are very sharp and he moves them with his bare hand.

  • @hetrodoxly1203

    @hetrodoxly1203

    2 жыл бұрын

    You noticed the guy without his flat cap as well, i bet health & safety gave him a warning.

  • @manxman8008

    @manxman8008

    Жыл бұрын

    Thing is, those guys knew their job, and had jobs for life (few changes), and also knew if things went wrong that they wouldn't go home. They wouldn't let the apprentice take charge!

  • @andyleighton6969
    @andyleighton6969 Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating, my Grand Father was a blacksmith at Vickers in Newcastle during the First War. The conditions they worked in 😱😱

  • @vonclap

    @vonclap

    Жыл бұрын

    I left the Steel in the early 1970s and it wasn't much better

  • @zx8401ztv
    @zx8401ztv2 жыл бұрын

    It's amazing what they could acheive in those days, skilled people working with raw materials.

  • @kennethtalbott2233

    @kennethtalbott2233

    Жыл бұрын

    talking to a guy that worked there recently, they worked to i think he said, point seven of a thou.

  • @ThePsiclone
    @ThePsiclone Жыл бұрын

    Trepanning that bore must have taken bloody ages without tungsten-carbide tooling...it'd take a goodly while even with it. (Bowler) Hats off to these men.

  • @thwwoodcraft1449
    @thwwoodcraft1449 Жыл бұрын

    The height of technical innovation in manufacturing for the era on display here. These days we chase faster processing speeds. Early 20th century the health of a countrys manufacturing sector was in the precise machining of metal. Before & between the big wars battle rifles were finely crafted works of near-art.

  • @Dave-id6sj
    @Dave-id6sj2 жыл бұрын

    Bowler hats, flat caps, waistcoats and suit jackets, a few in overalls. Going about their business as if this was a simple job like making a cup of coffee. Sound and captions for the non technical people would be a bonus but alas not to be on this one, very interesting and cheers for uploading it. My father was 21 years in the Royal Navy before passing in 2008, my sympathies to you on your dads passing.

  • @imrank340
    @imrank3402 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for uploading unique footage.

  • @davidhair8295
    @davidhair8295 Жыл бұрын

    Amazing! Did not understand all I was seeing, but glad to have seen it.

  • @theflyingfool
    @theflyingfool2 жыл бұрын

    I like the picture of Captain America on the side of the ingot being removed from the mold at 5.11 That was an interesting film. I wonder where that particular gun ended it's days...

  • @doggonemess1
    @doggonemess12 жыл бұрын

    I'm always amazed how close these guys work to the hot metal. The largest piece of metal I've worked was only a few kilos, but being close to it when it came out of the fire was almost painful. I can't imagine hundreds of tons of steel being orange-hot.

  • @bill3641

    @bill3641

    2 жыл бұрын

    You haven't had fun till you pour molten metal into a mold .

  • @doggonemess1

    @doggonemess1

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@bill3641 I have! Last year I finally made my own brass from a carefully measured quantity of copper, zinc, and aluminum. It came out perfectly. That was something when the metal finally melted - I was sure it wasn't working, since the pieces still had their original shape. Then I tapped the crucible and everything just went "bloop" and sank into the puddle at the bottom. I've also done aluminum and been present for pig iron casting, and done low temp metals like Rose's, pewter, and lead. It's a great feeling when you turn metal to liquid and cast something and it actually works.

  • @thitasirikaendaeng5518

    @thitasirikaendaeng5518

    Жыл бұрын

    Good!

  • @ancientbriton8262
    @ancientbriton826210 ай бұрын

    Proof Firing of the Large Calibre Naval Guns 18 inch / 450mm is at Main Battery MOD Eskmeals, Millom Cumbria UK, the powder house was bldg 168, the Buildings at the rear are Bldgs 157 and 158, these were still standing as of 2015

  • @MatthewW713
    @MatthewW713 Жыл бұрын

    Incredible video!

  • @garethdavies2538
    @garethdavies2538 Жыл бұрын

    Gareth Just in passing: Around this time Britain built a battle cruiser armed with two Eighteen inch guns!! It never saw service in that form due two two basic reasons. When the guns were fired the recoil caused many rivets in the ship's hull to fracture. Also, it finally dawned on the Admiralty that a ship armed with a two-gun broadside was not going to hit many target ships. I believe the hull was converted into one of the first aircraft carriers. Regarding the "wire wrapping." This was high-tensile steel wire and it helped to contain the internal pressure in the barrel when the charge was fired. The stress generated acted along the longitudinal axis of the wire , its strongest orientation. I would have liked to know how long the manufacturing process took--start-to-finish and, as a {retired} metallurgist, the composition of the steel that was cast. Great video--many thanks.

  • @Trebuchet48
    @Trebuchet482 жыл бұрын

    Like! I'm a mechanical engineer, with an interest in artillery. As you might guess from my handle. But I"m also very interested in the history of technology, so this film from a hundred or so years ago ticks both boxes. Thank you so much for uploading it. I also couldn't help noticing the hats. Working men wore flat caps. Foremen were in the bowlers. And in those days, you did not presume to wear a hat above your station. So now I'm wondering who the gent in the Panama at the test firing was. Once again, thanks, even if I'm 19 months late.

  • @xxxggthyf

    @xxxggthyf

    2 жыл бұрын

    A Panama? Do you mean the guy standing at the top of the stairs? Looks more like a homburg to me but I think I know who he is... He's a chap.

  • @jdshqs

    @jdshqs

    2 жыл бұрын

    have you read a book by Simon Winchester, an amazing piece on the history of precision called "Exactly" as a fellow mechanical engineer, it was right up my alley

  • @Trebuchet48

    @Trebuchet48

    Жыл бұрын

    @@xxxggthyf Months later.... Oh, I see the Homberg as well. But a Panama hat is made of straw and light colored. He's seen, I think, as they are loading powder bags into a cart then runs up the stairs.

  • @andyrbush

    @andyrbush

    Жыл бұрын

    I think he would be the spy; I see them dressed like that in movies.

  • @Bert2368

    @Bert2368

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Trebuchet48 That's the Prince of Wales, dressed in mufti, observing incognito.

  • @fredhayes6162
    @fredhayes6162 Жыл бұрын

    amazing Thank you for sharing

  • @wildancrazy159
    @wildancrazy159 Жыл бұрын

    They sweated on the breach ring! I'm speechless ( obviously not incapable of typing) I mean I get it, but with those pressures the breach is under at firing, not even talking about volley firing. Very interesting film, thank you so much for the upload, wonderful...

  • @David-th2ug
    @David-th2ug Жыл бұрын

    Must be the closest to Hell you could experience in a life. Loved the nonchalance of the men working surrounded by the heat and sparks and liquid metal.

  • @Minecraft-pj4hm
    @Minecraft-pj4hm2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for no silly music.

  • @normalrationalguy1980

    @normalrationalguy1980

    11 ай бұрын

    Could always just turn volume down or upload your own videos, picky

  • @crashrr2993
    @crashrr2993 Жыл бұрын

    When my mum lived on the coast in Deal, we could often see the orange glow of a (Belgium, I think) steelworks across the Channel.

  • @peteredwards338
    @peteredwards3382 жыл бұрын

    That must be the foreman wearing the bowler hat.

  • @abrahamdozer6273

    @abrahamdozer6273

    2 жыл бұрын

    The bowler hat was the safety helmet of the 19th century.

  • @yogi9631
    @yogi96312 жыл бұрын

    great video 👍👍👍

  • @satansengineer
    @satansengineer2 жыл бұрын

    Quite fantastic

  • @kevinkral4568
    @kevinkral4568 Жыл бұрын

    12:42 "Winding Wire On A Gun." In *The War of the Worlds* (1897) H. G. Wells makes a single reference to *". . . wire-guns . . . "* being brought up to engage the Martians and I've always wondered what, precisely, he meant. It seems reasonable to suppose that readers of the day would be prompted to think of guns of this type - that is, if the process was in use just before the turn of the last century. Regards, Kev ps. From the Project Gutenberg pdf: *TWOTW* Chapter XIV "In London" (Paragraph 21: ) ". . . long *wire-guns* of ninety-five tons from Woolwich." pps. In Chapter IX "The Fighting Begins" there's a mention of *". . . a hundred-ton gun . . ."* doubtless a reference to the Armstrong gun at Malta, but that's something for another *(vbbsmyt)* video. -K.

  • @jamesbugbee9026

    @jamesbugbee9026

    9 ай бұрын

    100-ton guns equipped some ironclads in the late 1870s to the 1880s; there were complaints of the barrels drooping, & i suspect the wire component was of no help in this.

  • @65gtotrips
    @65gtotrips2 жыл бұрын

    🔰 That’s so amazing that they had the wherewithal and the fortitude to manufacture those guns like that over 100 years ago👍

  • @francoispienaar3840
    @francoispienaar38402 жыл бұрын

    Just outstanding technical abilities for the time. See bouler hat, must be the supervisor engineer, with suite?

  • @stokiestewpotter7956
    @stokiestewpotter7956 Жыл бұрын

    Loved the video.

  • @markmcconnell2296
    @markmcconnell22962 жыл бұрын

    No earth shattering KABOOM (in the words of Marvin) LOL interesting video 👍

  • @barryolaith
    @barryolaith Жыл бұрын

    Good to see the factory workers wearing their safety flat caps.

  • @briancooper562

    @briancooper562

    2 ай бұрын

    Having worked in steel works and heavy engineering hard hats just stop cuts and bruises when you walk into things, keeps your hair out of your eyes, stops dust falling on you. Anything large falling, swinging, will kill you full stop.

  • @tonystarch4487
    @tonystarch4487 Жыл бұрын

    Watching this kind of amazing engineering and scale of production video from a century ago, I realise I KNOW NOTHING.

  • @prelovedguitarsni1436
    @prelovedguitarsni14362 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating.

  • @theenginemanfromthepast.
    @theenginemanfromthepast. Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely incredible engineering for the time. If only we were that cleaver today!!

  • @annpeerkat2020

    @annpeerkat2020

    Жыл бұрын

    nodsnods... more meat = more cleavers

  • @lando8913
    @lando8913 Жыл бұрын

    2 years late I suppose, but sorry for your loss all the same. Very cool footage.

  • @diquadhumungersaur492
    @diquadhumungersaur492 Жыл бұрын

    british superiority in armaments manufacturing and engineering can be explained by two rarely mentioned criteria... one, the total unashamed use of so many spectacular mustaches and two,the men never being able to work less than an 18 hour day even had they fir some insane reason wanted to.

  • @billsmart2532
    @billsmart25322 жыл бұрын

    I've been looking for good well paying job, but I don't have any skills. This looks like the best place to apply.

  • @TheNobbynoonar
    @TheNobbynoonar2 жыл бұрын

    These workers modern day equivalents are delivery drivers and retail workers. Progress?

  • @johnmorrow7080
    @johnmorrow70802 жыл бұрын

    My brother used to buy American cars from a guy called Bob Isles down in Darlington , he owned the old Darlington forge building , I went down a few time with him just for a day out and to stop him buying rubbish like 40ft long school bus and dogged out Chrysler police cars , back to the point , one time he was telling us about mobile radar station he was scrapping for gold in the computers and other bit's n bobs , he took us the huge building and tell us about the building use as a forge for making naval guns , took us over to a big depression n the floor and said this where the guns were cast , very interesting place no all gone sadly . BTW an ancestor of mine was a Anchorsmith living in Gateshead .

  • @SomervilleBob
    @SomervilleBob2 жыл бұрын

    The actual firing looked to be proof loads by the amount of powder being used.

  • @briancooper562

    @briancooper562

    2 ай бұрын

    I was thinking that as they used four bags of charge. I read the rail guns originally 14 ins, later 16 ins used two normally but could use three for a bigger bang. However a big gun may be worn out at round about 100 firings. Then needs refurb or replacement.

  • @tomrichter244
    @tomrichter2442 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing. I do wish that it would have included an informative narrative for us interested, non pros.

  • @nealbosher9293
    @nealbosher92932 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting, a time when Britannia ruled the waves and the world was built by men in flat caps lead by men in bowler hats. There was a large ordnance works in Coventry that made big guns too... I suppose the Royal Navy needed lits of them around this time. Would be good to see how the modern equivalent is made now (smaller guns i know) lots of automation i imagine and the only waistcoats hi-viz ones.

  • @jonjames7328
    @jonjames7328 Жыл бұрын

    Amazing. Very similar to how rifle barrels are made but much much bigger. It was with this technology that Britain conquered, I feel nothing but pride.

  • @aland7236
    @aland7236 Жыл бұрын

    This has been really helpful for me because I have always wanted to know how they got the hole down the middle. I've never heard of a trepanning drill and have always figured that a 50 foot long twist drill or boring bar was unrealistic and the thought of one breaking in the job would result in heads rolling. Is there any information on whether the manufacture process used cryogenics or something of that sort in addition to heat when fitting the outer layers of the barrel?

  • @steveshoemaker6347
    @steveshoemaker6347 Жыл бұрын

    Amazing.....Thanks so much...... Shoe🇺🇸

  • @johnngo9690
    @johnngo96902 жыл бұрын

    Okay as a machinist, i jumped on this video when it popped up on my feed. I've always wondered how they machined the triple breach mechanism so close together. But this video didn't show that particular process

  • @Afro408
    @Afro4082 жыл бұрын

    I love all the Georgian moustaches! 😁👍👏👏

  • @zx8401ztv
    @zx8401ztv2 жыл бұрын

    Thankyou simon, amazing people making massive technology. They make todays manufacturing look silly.

  • @drbichat5229
    @drbichat5229 Жыл бұрын

    Their only safety equipment is a mustache

  • @lupus16309
    @lupus16309 Жыл бұрын

    I love the Sledge-O-Matic at 16:30…..

  • @ralphedelbach
    @ralphedelbach Жыл бұрын

    I wonder how much additional strength was added by wire-wrapping the barrel? I assume that would depend on the strength of the wire and number of layers. What percentage of barrels were wire-wrapped and was there any particular advantage to doing that as opposed to making the barrel thicker or using a different blend of metals when pour the barrel ingot? I'm sure metallurgy improved eventually to the point where wire-wrapping would no longer be required. Thanks for posting this. Fascinating.

  • @offshoretomorrow3346

    @offshoretomorrow3346

    Жыл бұрын

    If I recall correctly - the wired barrels fell out of favour because they were less rigid and 'drooped' more when mounted.

  • @kellyBorgman

    @kellyBorgman

    10 ай бұрын

    ​@offshoretomorrow3346 , yes and the wire was piano wire. High tensile strength.

  • @ralphedelbach

    @ralphedelbach

    10 ай бұрын

    50% increase in strength or some other number? When did they stop doing that?

  • @grahambamford9073
    @grahambamford90732 жыл бұрын

    Those 15 inch naval guns are unbelievable, serious firepower firing shells weighing over a ton up to 20 miles eprox. Over the horizon in some cases.

  • @francoistombe

    @francoistombe

    Жыл бұрын

    Warspite hit an Italian battleship at 13 miles with one of those.

  • @Andrey222ful
    @Andrey222ful2 жыл бұрын

    They didn't show the process of inside bore machining. Just interested how they bore it out at such a long length and hold the tolerances.

  • @bingosunnoon9341

    @bingosunnoon9341

    2 жыл бұрын

    Drawn over mandrel.

  • @kellyBorgman

    @kellyBorgman

    10 ай бұрын

    I believe trepaning was used.

  • @richardkell4888
    @richardkell48882 жыл бұрын

    I'd liked to have seen more of the turning and lathework, seemingly endless footage at the forge. However utterly gobsmacked at such effort and ability. Is this Elswick or Barrow?

  • @stevieb9699

    @stevieb9699

    2 жыл бұрын

    I suspect Barrow where they still have a capacity to manufacture the modern equivalent Howitzers if and when orders come in. Part of BAe Systems now.

  • @pgf289

    @pgf289

    Жыл бұрын

    @@stevieb9699 I think they've sold off the Artillery plant now sadly

  • @HydroSnips
    @HydroSnips2 жыл бұрын

    Could never be that nonchalant by all that molten metal. All in a day’s work, I guess :D

  • @shingerz
    @shingerz Жыл бұрын

    British engineering at its very best brilliant to see god these blokes earnt there money well done 👏

  • @rambo1152
    @rambo11522 жыл бұрын

    I wonder if Fritz Lang saw this film before he made "Metropolis"?

  • @dmacarthur5356
    @dmacarthur5356 Жыл бұрын

    On this week's Forged in Fire....re create a 14" main naval gun using old truck leaf springs. You have 3 hours ....

  • @peterfinn1160
    @peterfinn1160 Жыл бұрын

    Imagine the youth of today working in that factory...

  • @garywemmer9342

    @garywemmer9342

    6 ай бұрын

    Hahahahahaha!

  • @osvaldocristo
    @osvaldocristo2 жыл бұрын

    Do you have any idea when that movie was made? 1910s? Thanks for post it. Very interesting!

  • @bellerophonchallen8861

    @bellerophonchallen8861

    2 жыл бұрын

    If this is the prototype 15" gun, the Admiralty asked the Elswick Ordnance Company to look into the possibility of a 15" gun to gain an advantage in the arms race, in late 1911. As it generally took a year to build heavy naval guns, the Admiralty took a gamble and ordered the complete set of guns for eight ships plus 50 spare barrels. This is probably the single barrel the Admiralty asked to be produced early for testing, so possibly mid to late 1912. The Queen Elizabeth and Warspite were both laid down in October 1912. If the 15" had been a failure, then the ships would have been fitted with 13.5" or a 14", as 14" had already been produced for the Japanese battlecruisers being built at Vickers, and the Almirante Latorre, renamed HMS Canada, and the 13.5" were in plentiful supply. As we know the 15" was a success.

  • @spikespa5208

    @spikespa5208

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@bellerophonchallen8861 Curiosity query. Would the main battery guns for a ship or class of ship be identical in all respects? Any differences between left and right (or center gun in a triple turret ) guns, such as direction of breech hinge mounting?

  • @bellerophonchallen8861

    @bellerophonchallen8861

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@spikespa5208 the main guns in British battleships were identical, right hand hinged, interrupted screw breech, washout gear etc, so crew could swap from one gun to another and continue operation in action. The trunnions were handed in twin turrets and the later triple and quad turrets had different trunnions depending on their position. The guns operated within their own section of each turret, a splinter bulkhead separating them to prevent the entire turret being knocked out by splinters thrown into the turret by a hit. Each gun elevated and fired independently. Hoists and cages for the cordite were 'handed' as they ran up the centre trunking of the turret leading down to the shell rooms and magazines. As the shell and cordite bags were pushed into the breech by rammer this didn't affect the turrets operation in the case of a crew swap. More interesting is the realisation at Jutland of the necessity of firing 'ranged shots'. Prior to then each turret had fired one gun, the rangefinders had watched for fall of shot, then the other gun had made adjustments and fired, watched for fall of shot, etc. After Jutland the rangefinders would fire on a ladder principle, firing one gun on range, the second slightly down or up a second later, and see where each shell splashed, and so be on target much quicker.

  • @harlsbottom

    @harlsbottom

    2 жыл бұрын

    The film supposedly dates from 1915.

  • @typhoon2827

    @typhoon2827

    2 жыл бұрын

    When we were brilliant.

  • @ZacLowing
    @ZacLowing2 жыл бұрын

    The noise must be deafening.

  • @fredericksaxton3991
    @fredericksaxton39912 жыл бұрын

    Amazing and very informative. All the kit that needed to be made just to make the guns was an art in itself. Could British industry build a 12 gun battleship now if there was ever a naval need?

  • @rod181

    @rod181

    2 жыл бұрын

    We are struggling to build a ferry at the moment on the clyde so I doubt it Sad loss of knowledge

  • @fredericksaxton3991

    @fredericksaxton3991

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@rod181 Yes, very sad loss of knowledge.

  • @andrewhoward7200
    @andrewhoward7200 Жыл бұрын

    That is a beautiful thing. Now mount it on the Dover cliffs, that should deter those ruddy dinghy's lads!

  • @HorsemanOz
    @HorsemanOz2 жыл бұрын

    Impressive indeed. My condolences re. your Dad. Was he an engineering bloke? My thoughts on this wonderfully historic footage... great film. Sad that the result of all that talent, all those materials, the labour and physical effort is probably now on the ocean floor. All that work chucked into the ocean. I hope the aliens dont see this film. They'll know we're mad.

  • @DavidOfWhitehills

    @DavidOfWhitehills

    2 жыл бұрын

    There was 186 of these guns made. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_15-inch_Mk_I_naval_gun 22 went to the ocean floor, in Hood, Repulse and Barham, along with 3000 men. 2 are preserved in a museum. The remainder were scrapped and recycled and are probably all around us, as steel is endlessly recycled.

  • @DavidOfWhitehills

    @DavidOfWhitehills

    2 жыл бұрын

    I forgot Royal Oak. That's another eight guns and a thousand crew.

  • @PreservationEnthusiast

    @PreservationEnthusiast

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@DavidOfWhitehills There were probably plenty of scrapped steam loco pieces in those guns.

  • @DavidOfWhitehills

    @DavidOfWhitehills

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@PreservationEnthusiast No doubt. Likely a few molecules from the first iron swords as well.

  • @agunemnon

    @agunemnon

    2 жыл бұрын

    Mine too, I'm casting this to my dad's telly so he can enjoy engineering history while we sit together. Thank you for upload.

  • @mrz80
    @mrz80 Жыл бұрын

    Did anyone ever film a similar documentary of building any of the various 14" or 16" guns at the Washington Navy Yard's gun factory?

  • @enedenedubedene4811
    @enedenedubedene4811Ай бұрын

    Unglaublich was damals geleistet wurde. Im Verhältnis dazu, sind wir heute absolute Nichtskönner.👆👆👆😍😍😍😍😀😀😀 Viele Grüsse aus Germany

  • @jamesbaker7112
    @jamesbaker71122 жыл бұрын

    Not an ear plug or safety goggle anywhere on the property.

  • @jamesbugbee9026
    @jamesbugbee90269 ай бұрын

    The size of affairs requiring slow-motion activity by workers w/ hands accustomed 2 Heat, & all the wasted motion, such as tidying up spilled material, gives N alien & nearly sensual effect 2 the process; these people had no questions regarding masculinity

  • @eddiepattisonhogg9917
    @eddiepattisonhogg9917 Жыл бұрын

    Armstrongs was selling guns to both sides in the American Civil War, he was the worlds leading gun manufacturer, but whisper it because the Geordies are not supposed to be leaders in anything. He built an entire Navy for the Japanese that destroyed the Russian Navy in 1904. So concerned were the British Government at Armstrongs dealings with foreign nations that he was forced to sell his patents to the Government in exchange for a knighthood, this is the way Tyneside has always been treated by central goverment, they took everything away from us and and after the ww2 we became an industrial desert.The big gun making went to Woolich Asenal in London.