At a later stage, Schorpioen received a 280 mm breechloading gun in place of her original nine-inch rifled muzzle-loaders. The newer weapon was considered a clear improvement over the original armament. It also changed the turret from a paired-gun arrangement toward a single-gun mount. There is some uncertainty about experiments with a twin mounting, but the ram ironclads appear to have carried single guns. The refit shows how selective modernization could extend an ironclad's usefulness without a complete rebuild.
Notable Point · 17:22-18:21
A later breechloading refit
Replacing the original nine-inch muzzle-loaders with a 280 mm breechloader shows how the ship was adapted as naval artillery evolved.