MIDDLE NORTH BATTERY SIMON’S TOWN
The gun was designed in 1865 as a broadside gun for ironclad ships and harbour seafront defence. A total of 190 were made. The gun was last fired in 1903. This gun was first mounted in Halifax, Nova Scotia until 1878, then at Bermuda until 1881 and then at Sheerness, England until 1885. It was mounted at Middle North Battery Simon’s Town by 1896 where it still exists. The gun, carriage, slide and mounting were restored in the East Dockyard Gun Shop in 1983/1984
9 inch bore (228.6mm) gun manufactured in 1855/1856 is a muzzle loading gun. The barrel is rifled with 6 grooves, the only gun manufactured with this number of grooves. 9 inch shells had 6 rectangular brass protrusions that engaged with the barrel grooves to impart spin and thus stabilise the shell during flight.
