Barbette
A gun emplacement type used in forts, ships, and aircraft.
A barbette is a type of gun emplacement used in terrestrial fortifications, on naval ships, and in some aircraft. In naval usage, it evolved into a protective circular armor support for heavy gun turrets, while in fortifications it originally referred to a raised platform allowing cannon to fire over a parapet.
- Origin
- French fortification term en barbette
- Primary uses
- Fortifications, warships, bomber aircraft
- Naval period
- 1860s to late 1880s (as rotating mount)
- Fortification period
- 19th century
- Aircraft usage
- World War II (primarily British publications)
- Related systems
- Casemate, turret, disappearing gun, central battery
Lore & Background
The term barbette originated in ground fortifications, referring to a raised platform on a rampart for one or more guns, enabling them to fire over a parapet. This gave rise to the phrase en barbette, meaning a gun placed to fire over a parapet rather than through an embrasure. While offering wider arcs of fire, it exposed the crew to greater danger. The American military theorist Dennis Hart Mahan suggested light guns, particularly howitzers, were best suited for barbette emplacements. Fortifications in the 19th century typically employed both casemate and barbette emplacements; for example, the Russian Constantine Battery outside Sevastopol had 27 barbette-mounted guns out of 43 heavy guns during the Crimean War. A modified version was the disappearing gun, which retracted behind a parapet for reloading, used primarily for coastal defence guns.
Reader's Guide
The barbette represents a key transitional technology in both fortification and naval warfare. In fortifications, it allowed wider fields of fire than casemates, though at greater risk to crews. The disappearing gun variant improved crew protection and made guns harder to target. In naval design, barbettes enabled the use of heavy guns on high-freeboard ships, avoiding the stability problems of early turrets. The hybrid barbette-turret system that emerged in the late 1880s became the standard for pre-dreadnought battleships, influencing all major navies for the next fifteen years. In aircraft, the term's restricted usage primarily in British publications highlights terminological differences in military history. The barbette's evolution from a simple raised platform to a complex armored support structure illustrates the iterative process of military engineering, balancing protection, firepower, and mobility across different domains.
Did You Know?
- The term barbette originally meant a raised platform or mound, from the French phrase en barbette.
- The disappearing gun was a variation on the barbette gun, retracting behind a parapet for reloading.
- In the late 1880s, the British Royal Navy adopted a hybrid barbette-turret system in the Majestic class.
- American authors generally refer to aircraft barbette mounts as tail guns or tail gun turrets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a barbette in fortification architecture?
It is a raised platform built into a fort's wall that lets a cannon fire above the parapet rather than through a narrow slot. The same concept later transferred to naval design as a circular armored pedestal supporting heavy gun turrets.
Where does the word 'barbette' come from?
It derives from the French fortification phrase 'en barbette,' a 19th-century term describing this open, elevated gun position.
How long were barbettes used as a distinct naval mount?
They served as a recognizable rotating mount type from roughly the 1860s through the late 1880s, after which the design effectively merged into the standard circular turret base.
How does a barbette differ from a casemate or a disappearing gun?
A barbette is an open, elevated firing position above the parapet; a casemate fully encloses the gun inside a protected box; and a disappearing gun retracts below the parapet when not actively firing.
Did the term 'barbette' ever apply to aircraft?
Yes—British World War II publications used the word to describe fixed gun emplacements on bomber aircraft, extending the original fortification concept to a mobile platform.
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