Tag: Barbette carriage (front pintle-wood)

Davis, et. al., Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, plate CLXXIII.

Wikipedia says: Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships.

The name barbette ultimately comes from fortification – it originally meant a raised platform or mound, as in the French phrase en barbette, which refers to the practice of firing a cannon over a parapet rather than through an embrasure in a fortification’s casemate. The former gives better angles of fire but less protection than the latter. Barbettes were primarily used in coastal defences, but saw some use in a handful of warships, and some inland fortifications. The term is also used for certain aircraft gun mounts.

Shipboard barbettes were primarily used in armoured warships – starting in the 1860s during a period of intense experimentation with other mounting systems for heavy guns at sea. In these, gun barrels usually protruded over the barbette edge, so barbettes provided only partial protection, mainly for the ammunition supply. Alternatives included the heavily-armoured gun turret and an armoured, fixed central gun battery.