Weapons Used During the Revolution

One of the weapons used during the Russian Revolution was the 130mm/55 (5.1). The Model 1913 was the Russian produced version of this weapon. The Mark A and Mark B versions were produced for Russia by the British firm of Vickers. The Mark A was manufactured prior to World War I while the Mark B was manufactured during World War II. This weapon was originally a cartridge gun, but the Russian Navy wanted a cheaper and simpler design, so Obukhov modified the weapon to use bag ammunition with a Welin breech-block. In 1913 the Obukhov factory received an order for 471 of these guns. By 1917, 147 guns had been manufactured with the balance to be delivered in 1917 through 1918. However, due to the Russian Revolution, these remaining weapons were never completed. In addition to the guns built by Obukhov, a further 100 guns were ordered from Vickers in 1913 with most of them being delivered by 1917. The Royal Navy considered this weapon for arming DAMS during World War I, but decided against it as it would have added yet another medium-caliber weapon to the inventory. The Russians used these guns to rearm some of the older protected cruisers, as secondary armament on Imperatrisa Maria