Crudbeard

Back to the safety meetings ---- I think the comment that they were well, "clunky" last year is accurate, and this year, now that those putting them on have had a first go at it (a bigger more complicated battle was attempted last year than previous) they should do a lot better with keeping attention, cutting chatter, and clarity of message. We had last year to find out what didn't work so well, and since the safety officers are mostly the same for this year, things should improve. They'd better.

Oh, and just to be picky, what Hern is calling a carronade really is a cannon. The difference is that the true carronades of the Napoleonic wars was not mounted with the trunnions sticking out of the sides, but had a big eye on the bottom which pinned the barrel to a slide. We call the Hern gun a carronade because it has the typical muzzle shape and breech rope loop of the true carronades, but in actual fact it isn't a carronade as it also lacks the chamber, short length, and thin wall that they had. You might want to call it a gunnade, as some numbers of small caliber carronades were made with trunnions instead of the eyes on the bottom so they could mount in a naval truck carriage or field carriage.

In regard to Hern, they sorter represent a starting point, I have one myself, a three pounder for field use cast from the Viceroy's pattern (he doesn't do cast iron right now). But if the use is shipboard, well there's a reason all the old ship signalling guns you see are bronze. I have some one pounder cast iron cannon from Southbend, another good cannon maker, on board as well as some three pounder steel carronades, and let me tell ya, chasing the rust ain't fun. While I have found Thompson Bore Butter to be the best preventitive so far, you still have to be right on with cleaning and gooping in the marine environment. I strongly recommend BRONZE for shipboard use.

Amen to all the above. I also find most telling the comment about how long the people had been firing weapons. While there are a few, a very few, who can claim a vast experience with firing with justification (such as Matt Switlik), the rest of us are still students, beginners, newbys, and novices, and we had better act that way. There will always be something more to learn about safety and I hope to God I never, ever, act like I don't appreciate any concerns brought to my attention. I appreciate the job of safety officer, having that honor to be one of them at the last Fort Taylor event, and understand that some judgement ends up applied. On the one hand, we can make things truely safe by running out on the field and yelling bang, not firing at all. The other end of the spectrum is having little or no control at all, as in the above examples it seems. And judgement calls are influenced by pressures both ways. Things are easier when you are the Captain of your own crew and can set the procedures and enforce them, and can scream and holler to make sure that mistakes are not repeated. But when you deal with larger events with lots of other crews, you don't want to be such a pain in the ass that the show sucks and the other pirates don't want to come back next year and play with you. You certainly don't want to be a pain, but clear indication of danger trumps what you "want" to do. And also, we're pirates after all, symbolizing the historical group that exemplified defiance of the rules. Unlike the F&I, Rev war, and Civ war folks, we don't have much of a military organization and chain of command, and personally I find it rather interesting and providential that we don't seem to have more accidents than we do, probably due in large part to this very forum. At a minimum, we need to follow the AAA or National Cannon Safety rules which give a base, but how much further should we go? As I say, it is not all that clear, at least to me. If I have the fortune to be firing or safety officering at an event with you, please don't hesitate to share your concerns with me, and if you would like to elaborate or differ with these thoughts expressed, why matey, good on ya, as you may keep me from blowing off me own head or someone elses.

I would like to weigh in on the earlier original post on getting a firearm. I sorter wish the pirate community would stay away from the percussion caps. Yep, they ARE more reliable, but in my opinion, they don't fit well with flintlocks, aside from the historical inaccuracy. They have a very different sound from a flintlock, which makes me think something may be amiss when I hear one at a big festival. It isn't a very big thing, but the battle officers are listening for wot don't sound right, and caps distract.

Put down the Pirates of the Dark Rose planning ta be there. We'll be bringing Crudbeard, Bloodthirsty, Viceroy, Oreo, and two more of me crew, Miss Felicity and Fenris Chase. Also we have another character this season that seems ta be showing up whenever Bloodthirsty ain't around, some British officer callin himself Major Mayhem. Plan to set up in the Fort agin with the two tents we usually bring (mine and Viceroy's) and we'll need some room out the back of ours as usual. We also plan to have some new artillery of the Viceroy's. Can't wait ta see all of yus agin. Crudbeard

I also think, although it isn't ever mentioned, that pirates tended to the smaller vessels because they rarely had access to the shore support that large vessels such as galleons, frigates, etc. required. As they used "pick up" crews, they would also have a problem securing personnel for the specialized departments like carpentry, coopers, sailmakers, etc. that maintain the larger ones. Also, the work of maintenance goes up exponentially as the vessel gets bigger, pirates would have a problem with the work load. Gotta have time for rum ya know.

Actually a howitzer was commonly found in the fighting tops, according to Gilkerson. King howitzers looking something like a coehorn mortar but with trunnions in the center instead of the ends could have 6 to 8 inch bores and be two feet long and still be handled easily up there. The term howitzer referred to a very light tube for the diameter of the bore with a chamber about half the size of the bore for the powder. It was found that this reduced charge of powder needed to be in a smaller diameter chamber in the breech behind the projectile. So this made them short range weapons, ideal for firing down onto enemy decks.

Capt., Pirates of the Dark Rose are planning on the 12X18 we usually bring, and I assume Viceroy will want to bring his 10 ft diameter. But we will need room for the artillery park in front of the tents too, and the ship rail for the cannon lessons if you want that. Wow, this is going to be tight in the Fort! Has anyone stated whether the cannons can go on the walls this next year. that would help a lot.

If you like, I can set up me six pounder and the ship's rail and do Crudbeard's Cannon Lessons. I havn't been doing it a lot in recent PIPs although it is a mainsay of our Pirates of the Dark Rose gigs, because it takes a crowd, and we have not really gotten a lot of crowd. Sounds like some money may be changing that. Hope So.

I notice that Pirates of the Dark Rose is in the Roll Call, but lists only myself, Crudbeard. I think Bloodthirsty Barbara can be persuaded to come along with me, and of course Oreo the raven. And we should not forget the Viceroy. thankee

Well I must admit that I was sorter takin a look see at how things went this year, with Harry gone, and the great guns not firing from the casemate and all, but Bloodthirsty, Oreo, an I really did think this one was the best yet fer us. So please do add The Pirates of the Dark Rose ta yer roll call fer next year. It were quite fun ta wake up on the beach with the sounds of the surf, takes me back ta 1720, but we ended up using the Viceroy's tent inside the fort anyway fer most of our artillery stuff, so we would like to be back inside next year. One request though, the front of the sally port at the Viceroy's tent is the only place on the parade that had standing water after the Saturday deluge. Iffen that be tha place yer wants us like previous years before last, let us know, so as ta bring lots of plastic fer ground cover. From my point o view, I thought some things worked a lot better this year. Others would see it differently I would imagine, but the safety seemed ta me ta be ramped up considerable, and that does give me tha feelin that pirates are less likely ta need peglegs, hooks, or new heads cause of our boom-booms. I really liked the chance ta walk over the battle that ended up happenin Sunday, thought that it made a big difference, and would like ta see walk throughs next year if possible. As the Arch Angel crew was able ta block an awesome fight fer, I think it be worth it ta let tha talent from all tha crews shine forth, even if it be a bit more hassle. I also think the great gun drill on Thursday was worth it. Now I cannot speak fer tha Viceroy, but I was adamant that anyone on a cannon crew of one of my guns had ta drill BEFORE getting on the firing line. The reality is that we need pickup gunners on cannon crews at PIP, and this is a good thing that pirates can get on a cannon crew. But, right before tha battle, with the start time coming up, is not the time I be thinkin ta work out the details of tha drill. So one of my pieces was not used, but as my guns have my name on 'em, any accident, and I am involved. I also really enjoyed tha input from other knowledgeable gunners like Mad Dog during tha drill, as it made our collective expertise avaliable to all, and got us on tha same page, so ta speak. So I would also request that time(s) be set fer cannon drill fer those a wishin ta be on a gun crew an don't have their own gun. These be tha onlyest things I kin suggest from this year, an they be ta do two things that were done, an I thought worked, which be good, I'm a thinkin. Fair winds til next year iffen I don't wash ashore at some event and see ya scoundrels afore. Crudbeard

I am so...so...sorry that this happened. Everyone that participates in the Pub chating about cannons now feels that chilling dread creeping up your back. Will they do something? Will we like it? Crudbeard

I agree with the concern over the safe life of a cannon. As a former rigging engineer, we always used to say that it is not a question of whether rigging will fail, just when it will fail, as it will always fail eventually. The trick is to inspect, maintain, repair if possible, and retire the damn thing before someone gets hurt. In regard to the concern about drilling the touch hole in a sleeved gun, and just about all modern manufactured cannon are sleeved of course, I think the concern is quite valid. There are many things that could cause a cavity in the vent, movement of the sleeve being one, and porosity of the breech wall another. Quality manufacturers try in various ways to make sure this does not happen, but my feeling is that the safest thing is to sleeve the vent with a softer bushing such as copper that has some give to it to make sure the vent doesn't open into the wall of the breech. This way if the sleeve does move due to thermal expansion or gap between the sleeve and casting, or anything else, there will be some tolerance for this condition. And copper bushings are just the way they did vents back then, when the inevitable erosion of of the vent needed to be repaired. The Viceroy (Lawrence Campbell) and I plan to thread a copper vent bushing into the hardened steel sleeves of the big bronze pieces mentioned above, since there is no doubt that the steel, aluminum, and bronze, having different coeffeficients of thermal expansion, will not want to move together as the temperature of the gun changes. So better safe than sorry. Crudbeard

Well, I'm glad that mebbe we'll have a chance ta hoist a tankard if ya do make it. Harry, I really will be missin yer at PIP, and hope yer excursion out West goes well. It has been such a pleasure working with you. Crudbeard