120 mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892
The 120mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892 was a Russian naval gun developed in the years before the Russo-Japanese War that armed a variety of warships of the Imperial Russian Navy during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. Guns salvaged from scrapped ships found a second life on river gunboats of the Soviet Navy during the Russian Civil War and as coastal artillery and railway artillery during World War II. It was estimated that in 1941 there were 35 still in service. History. In 1891 a Russian naval delegation was shown  three guns designed by the French designer Canet. One was a 75/50 gun, one was a 120/45 gun, and the last was a 152/45 gun. All three guns used fixed QF ammunition which produced a rate of fire of 15 rpm for the 75/50 gun, 12 rpm for the 120/45 gun and 10 rpm for the 152/45 gun. The Russians were impressed and in 1892 they negotiated a production license for all three guns. Construction. There were two main series of the 120/45 guns produced. The first series of 76 guns were built between 1897-1905 at the Obhukov factory . During the Russo-Japanese war a number of barrels of the 152/45 guns burst in action and a strengthened series of 152/45 and 120/45 guns were ordered. 34 of the second series of strengthened guns were built between 1905-1915 at the Obhukov factory. Between 1914-1916 production switched to the Perm factory and a further 18 strengthened guns were produced there. Naval Use. 120/45 guns armed a variety of ships such as armored cruisers, auxiliary cruisers, coastal defense ships, destroyers, gunboats, minesweepers, pre-dreadnought battleships, protected cruisers, seaplane tenders and unprotected cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy built between  1890-1916. Armored Cruisers Auxiliary Cruisers Coastal defense ships Destroyers Gunboats Minesweepers Pre-dreadnought Battleships Protected Cruisers Seaplane Tenders Unprotected Cruisers Ammunition. Ammunition was of fixed QF type. A complete round weighed . The gun was able to fire: