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Mortier de 12 pouces Gribeauval
Gribeauval 12 inches mortar April 1789.jpg
12-inche mortar (Mortier de 12 pouces Gribeauval) with cylindrical chamber, 1789, Les Invalides.
Place of origin France
Service history
Used by  France
Wars French Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars
American War of Independence
Production history
Designer Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval
Manufacturer Berenger
Produced April 1789
Specifications
Mass 1,540 kg
Barrel length 81 cm
Crew 15 crews, 6 horses

Caliber 12 pouce (French inches) = 324.8 mm
Barrels 1, 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.

Gribeauval coastal 12 pouces 1806 Toulon
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.

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

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