page_title: HMS Swiftsure (1903)
section_title: Armament
hierarchical_section_title: HMS Swiftsure (1903) / Design and description / Armament
caption_attribution_description: HMS Swiftsure
context_page_description: HMS Swiftsure, originally known as Constitución, was the lead ship of the Swiftsure-class pre-dreadnought battleships. The ship was ordered by the Chilean Navy, but she was purchased by the United Kingdom as part of ending the Argentine–Chilean naval arms race. In British service, Swiftsure was initially assigned to the Home Fleet and Channel Fleets before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1909. She rejoined Home Fleet in 1912 and was transferred to the East Indies Station in 1913, to act as its flagship.
  After the beginning of World War I in August 1914, Swiftsure escorted troop convoys in the Indian Ocean until she was transferred to the Suez Canal Patrol in December. After defending the Canal in early 1915 from Ottoman attacks, the ship was then transferred to the Dardanelles in February and saw action in the Dardanelles Campaign bombarding Ottoman fortifications. Swiftsure was assigned to convoy escort duties in the Atlantic from early 1916 until she was paid off in April 1917 to provide crews for anti-submarine vessels. In mid-1918, the ship was disarmed to be used as a blockship during a proposed second raid on Ostend. Swiftsure was sold for scrap in 1920.
context_section_description: The ship was armed with four 45-calibre BL 10-inch Mk VI guns in two twin gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure. The guns fired 500-pound (227 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,656 ft/s (810 m/s); this provided a maximum range of 14,800 yards (13,500 m) at the gun's maximum elevation of 13.5°. The firing cycle of the Mk VI guns was claimed to be 15 seconds. Each gun was provided with 90 shells.
  Swiftsure's secondary armament consisted of fourteen 50-calibre 7.5-inch Mk III guns. Ten of the guns were mounted in a central battery on the main deck; the other four were in casemates abreast the fore- and mainmasts on the upper deck. A major problem with the guns on the main deck was that they were mounted low in the ship—only about 10 feet (3 m) above water at deep load—and were unusable at high speed or in heavy weather as they dipped their muzzles in the sea when rolling more than 14°. The guns fired 200-pound (91 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,781 ft/s (848 m/s) at a rate of four rounds per minute. At their maximum elevation of 15° they had a maximum range of about 14,000 yards (13,000 m). The ship carried 150 rounds per gun.
  Defence against torpedo boats was provided by fourteen QF 14-pounder Mk I guns, the guns were modified  to use the standard 12.5-pound (5.7 kg) shell used by the QF 12 pounder 18 cwt gun in British service. They fired 3-inch (76 mm), 12.5-lb projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,548 ft/s (777 m/s). Their maximum range and rate of fire is unknown. 200 rounds per gun was carried by Swiftsure. The ship also mounted four QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss guns in the fighting tops, although these were removed in 1906–08.
  The ship was also armed with a pair of 18-inch (450 mm) submerged torpedo tubes, one on each broadside. She was provided with nine torpedoes.
caption: Swiftsure at anchor after about 1908
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