Imperial stockholdings at Spectacle Island
Just exactly what types of ammunition and explosives did the Royal Navy keep at Spectacle Island? In the parlance of the time, and for many years afterwards, these were known as "Imperial" stocks. (As late as the 1970s RAN Armament Depots held some stocks of "Imperial" ammunition on behalf of the Royal Navy. In contrast, RAN stocks were denoted as "Commonwealth".)
This snapshot from 30 June 1910 shows, for "Reserve Guns and Ammunition" exactly what the RN Ordnance Depot, Spectacle Island was holding.
Guns held in reserve comprised:
| Type | Authorised Reserve | On Charge |
| 9.2 Mk. VIII | 1 | 1 |
| 6-In B.L. Mk. VII | 3 | 3 |
| 6-Inch Q.F. | 3 | 3 |
| 4.7-Inch Q.F. | 17 | 18 |
| 4-Inch Q.F. | 4 | 5 |
| 12-Pounder | 5 | 5 |
| 6-Pounder | 1 | 1 |
| 3-Pounder | 27 | 27 |
Reserve ammunition was held in considerable amounts. For example, for the largest calibre, the 9.2 Mk. VIII gun, 315 projectiles in total were held, together with 523 ½-Cordite Charges and 108 ¼-Cordite Charges. For the 4-Inch Q.F. gun, a total of 9,332 rounds were on charge.
Sixteen of the 4.7-Inch Q.F. guns were the subject of correspondence with the Admiralty in 1914 as to whether they could be transferred to the RAN, which the Admiralty declined to do, stating that they would be used for the defensive arming of merchant vessels in the event of war.
used by the RAN over the period 1800-1940
with cards showing the date of manufacture of each type.
From the collection of the Australian War Memorial.
(http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/001647)
The following table shows the generic types of projectile that were stocked.
| Projectile Type | Notes |
| A.P. Shell (Filled) | Specially forged and annealed projectile for attack of armour plating with a small bursting charge in the rear. |
| Common S. Pointed (Filled) | Used in naval service approximately 1890-1910 for attack of non-armour plated shipping. Usually had a solid nose and a percussion base fuze with a gunpowder bursting charge. |
| Common S. Blunt Head (Filled) | Used in naval service approximately 1890-1910 for attack of non-armour plated shipping. Usually had a percussion nose fuze with a gunpowder bursting charge. |
| Lyddite | First generation of more modern cast explosive fillings, in use from about 1896 to World War 1. Usually fitted with a percussion nose fuze. Superseded by shell with fillings such as TNT. |
| Shrapnel | Usually at this period a forged steel shell case with a timer fuze in the nose and a tube running through the centre to convey the ignition flash to a gunpowder bursting charge in the shell base. Packed with "bullets" to provide an anti-personnel effect. |
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