ɐn ɪnˈɪʃəl ɐtˈɛmpt æɾ ɐn ɔːltˈɜːnətˌɪv wʌzðə wˈʌnhˈʌndɹɪdpˈaʊndɚ smˈuːðboːɹ sˈʌməsˌɛt kˈænən, wˈɪtʃ, wˌaɪl ɪt wʌz ɐn ɪmpɹˈuːvmənt ˌoʊvɚ pɹˈiːviəs smˈuːðboːɹ ɡˈʌnz ʌv lˈɛsɚ kˈælɪbɚ, kʊd nˌɑːt pˈɛnɪtɹˌeɪt ˈɑːɹmɚɹ ʌv θˈɪknəsᵻz kˈɜːɹəntli bˌiːɪŋ ʃˈɪpt baɪ bɹˈɪɾɪʃ ɔːɹ fˈɔːɹən bˈæɾəlʃˌɪps.
An initial attempt at an alternative was the 100-pounder smoothbore Somerset cannon, which, while it was an improvement over previous smoothbore guns of lesser calibre, could not penetrate armour of thicknesses currently being shipped by British or foreign battleships.