Nouvelle force maritime et artillerie
1822 AD invented
Paixhans advocated using shell guns against warships in his Nouvelle force maritime et artillerie and developed a delaying mechanism which, for the first time, allowed shells to be fired safely in high-powered flat-trajectory guns.
Explosive shells had long been in use in ground warfare (in howitzers and mortars) and on bomb vessels against stationary targets, but they were fired only at high angles and with relatively low velocities.
The shells of that time were inherently dangerous to handle, and no method had been found to safely fire the explosive shells with the high power and flatter trajectory of a high-velocity gun.
However, before the advent of radar and modern optical controlled firing, high trajectories were not practical for ship-to-ship combat. Such combat essentially required flat-trajectory guns in order to have a reasonable chance of hitting the target. Therefore, ship-to-ship combat had consisted for centuries of encounters between flat-trajectory cannons using inert cannonballs, which could inflict only local damage, even on wooden hulls
The effect of explosive shells hitting wooden hulls and setting them aflame was devastating, and was demonstrated in trials against the two-decker Pacificateur in 1824.
Subjects Who or What invented?
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Henri-Joseph Paixhans French artillery officer...
Objects To Whom or What was invented?
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Paixhans gun The first naval gun desi...
Events in 1822 MORE
