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Monday 17 October 2016

British trials gunboat HMS Handy testing new 23cm gun according to the magazine Mitteilungen aus dem Gebiete des Seewesens dated 1890 no. 1

HMS Excellent

An item reported that on board of the British gunboat Handy (1) which was a tender of the artillery training ship Excellent (2) a 23cm breech loading gun was tested. With the gun was a maximum elevation of 40 degrees possible allowing a shooting range of 16 kilometres. Elswick engineers designed this new gun.

Notes
1. Launched at Armstrong, England on 30 December 1882, purchased by the Royal British Navy, served as trials gunboat, renamed Excellent in May 1891, Calcutta on 1 November 1916, Snapper in August 1917 and sold on 27 April 1922 becoming crane vessel Demon which still existed around 2012.
2. The former 1st rate Queen Charlotte, launched at the Deptford Dockyard on 17 May 1910, renamed Excellent and gunnery training ship since 31 December 1859 and sold on 12 January 1892.