3.5-inch Britten Shell

Great Britain

Britten

DIAMETER: 3.44 inches
GUN: 12-pounder Blakely rifle, 3.5-inch caliber
LENGTH: 7 1/4 inches
WEIGHT: 12 pounds 2 ounces
CONSTRUCTION: Shell, segmented interior
SABOT: Lead cup
FUZING: Britten percussion

Bashley Britten patented this projectile's segmented interior construction dated March 8, 1861, British patent #585. His patent describes the method of manufacturing the interior: "I construct this projectile in the following manner:--I make a core of loam or sand of such form as to fill the interior space. Round this core I place numerous pieces shaped and arranged somewhat like the natural divisions of an orange. Each of theses pieces is cast with several cores or plates partially dividing them so as to weaken them at those places, that they may easily break up when the shell explodes. The surfaces of these pieces are dressed over with a coating of loam or such like material, and they are bound round with a wire, or otherwise secured round the inner core of sand....Round this combined core I cast the external shell, which may be or iron or other suitable metal."

The interior has nine long wedges of iron with lines of weakness cast in each wedge. Ideally, the bursting charge broke the 9 long wedges into fifty-four fragments, and the outer shell body into many fragments as well. Note the Britten percussion fuze with its distinctive brass anvil cap. The Britten percussion fuzes have a left hand thread pattern.

Examples have been recovered from Spanish Fort, Alabama, and the Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia.