Fort Siloso: 68 Pounder ML Gun
68 Pounder Smoothbore ML Gun
A 687 Pounder Smoothbore Cannon at Tynemouth Castle England
68 pounder guns were mounted at Fort Canning and Fort Fullerton. They were of the 95cwt (4826kg) type. Variants of the gun were 88cwt (4471kg) and 112cwt (5670kg). 68 pounders were intended for Mount Palmer, but 56 pounders were mounted there instead.
a Traversing Carriage with a 9 Pounder ML
Fort Canning Singapore
The 68 pounder of 95cwt entered service in 1846, and served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Artillery as a coast defence gun. The 95cwt refers to the weight of the gun barrel. The gun was a smooth bore muzzle loading weapon firing a shot of 68 pounds (30·8kg). The muzzle was 8·12 inches (20·6cm) in diameter. A bagged or cartridge black powder charge of 16 pounds (7.26kg) propelled the shot. The maximum range of the cannon was in excess of 3,000 yards (2743m). The normal gun crew on land service consisted of 9 men.
The guns were mounted on a traversing carriage allowing the gun to sweep the area in front of it.
The gun became known as the finest smooth bore muzzle loading cannon made. In its later service life, many 68 pounders were converted into rifled muzzle loaders and service life was extended into the era of breech loading weapons. By 1862 some 1,972 guns of 95cwt had been manufactured (Major Miller, “Equipment on Artillery” 1864)
68 Pounders at Nee Soon