Mortier de 12 Gribeauval

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Mortier de 12 pouces Gribeauval
12-inche mortar (Mortier de 12 pouces Gribeauval) with cylindrical chamber, 1789, Les Invalides.
Place of originFrance
Service history
Used by France
WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars
American War of Independence
Production history
DesignerJean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval
ManufacturerBerenger
ProducedApril 1789
Specifications
Mass1,540 kg
Barrel length81 cm
Crew15 crews, 6 horses

Caliber12 pouce (French inches) = 324.8 mm
Barrels1, cylindrical chamber, brass

The Mortier de 12 pouces Gribeauval (Gribeauval 12-inch mortar) was a French mortar. It was made using the Gribeauval system developed by Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval. It was part of the siege artillery. The measurement of the mortar is given by the diameter of the ball. It is measured using the French ancient system of measurement, in which 1 pouce (1 inch) is equal to 2.707 cm. The Gribeauval system was a new way of making artillery as a single piece of metal and then drilling a bore hole. This meant they could be made much lighter and more accurate.

The Mortier de 12 pouces Gribeauval was first used during the American Revolutionary War from 1780-82. It was used during the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. It was later used in by the French army during the wars that followed the French Revolution and during the Napoleonic Wars.[1]: 14 

A Gribeauval coastal mortier de 12 pouces, with pear-shaped chamber. This shape helped power and range, 1806, Toulon.

The Mortier de 12 pouces used a cylindrical chamber. Although this was quite efficient, it used to wear easily. This shape was later replaced by the Gomer system using a conical chamber.[1]: 11 

Some of the Mortier de 12 pouces were used for coastal defense, in which case they were fixed on solid metal platforms.

Related pages[change | change source]

Media related to Mortier de 12 Gribeauval at Wikimedia Commons

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Chartrand, René (2003). Napoleon's Guns, 1792-1815. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841764604.