The Russian artillery industry was reformed in two phases in the late 19th century. The first phase began after the Crimean War in the 1860s and 1870s, the second after the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Reforming the coastal defenses of the Gulf of Finland was part of this process, culminating in the establishment of Peter the Great’s naval fortress.

Collaboration with the Krupp factories

The development of the Russian coastal artillery was stalled during the first half of the 19th century. Although coastal artillery and the armour of warships were being developed elsewhere, Russian artillery officers remained surprisingly indifferent to reforms. The same can be said about improving the strength of cannon barrels and developing the rifling that increases the muzzle velocity of shells. Ordnance and smokeless gunpowder varieties were also being developed in order to make them more effective.

In 1866, Russia order 25 heavy coastal artillery pieces from the German Krupp steel factory. The following year, Russia adopted breech-loading, rifled steel cannons made by Krupp as the standard weapon of its coastal artillery. In collaboration with German experts, coastal cannons model 1867 were manufactured at the Obuhov arsenal in St. Petersburg and at the Perm arsenal in the Ural Mountains.

The 1867 series included eight-, nine- and eleven-inch coastal artillery pieces and nine-inch mortars. Mortars fired shells at high elevations, attempting to penetrate warship decks. However, the Russian steel used in the cannons was not durable enough, leading to the introduction of an enhanced cannon, the 1877 model. Cannons representing both manufacturing years were also placed in Viapori and in the adjacent islands, and can still be seen on the earthworks of Kustaanmiekka.