Learning cannon and gunnery

[Black Deacon]

One word will answer most of your questions. Quality. The better your equipment is made. The longer it will last if cared for properly. Depending on the cannon size I generally favor hardwood. Oak, maple I've even used ash and cherry in some cases but they were for smaller pieces. Banding and iron supports in the right places can go along way as well. The biggest difference between naval and field work is in the wheels. Field cannons at first were generally strapped to a beam and the beam strapped to an axel. Then later the trunnions were better cast and made and better carriage designs came along.

[Hawkyns]

Yeah, oak and maple are the most common. Personal preference is red oak, it works nicely and looks good. The most critical fittings are the trunnion caps and capsquares (pins that hold the trunnion caps in place). You do NOT want your tube loose in the carriage. Even a blank load puts a fair amount of pressure on the caps. There are generally two kinds, one that has the trunnion completely recessed in the carriage and a flat cap over it, and a half recessed truniion with a semi-circular cap over it. Either way, they have to fit nice and tight and not let the tube slop around.

Biggest difference between field and naval carriages is the wheels. Field carriages have larger wagon type wheels, naval or garrison carriages have small solid wheels, or trucks. Once you get into the Vicky period, you see a whole bunch of ghastly cast iron garrison carriages. Field carriages will also have a longer trail that can be attached to some sort of limber for towing.

Carriages will last a long time if properly cared for. There are still 19th century guns being fired on their original carriages, when properly cared for and stored indoors. Voice's carriage was my first and I've learned a lot since then. She's had some upgrades along the way, but I think it's time for a ground up refit.

I use my guns as often as I can. It really depends on the musters and if there is call for cannon. Some years they go out once or twice, sometimes a dozen times in a season. That's kind of why I want duel carriages for them. Makes it easier to fit them into any given scenario.

Nigtingale is a 1/2 pdr swivel, on a pintle mount with a monkey tail. Voice is a 2 pdr field gun on a field carriage, 1640's vintage. Cricket is a 3pdr, currently on a 1450's veuglair carriage. She's different, in that the chap who made her cast the barrel around 3 feet of 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft barrel. Can you say rifled? Morning Glory is a 24 pd coehorn mortar. All guns are sleeved and subcalibred for safety. Smaller guns are generally easier to move and deal with smaller crews, but I've got my eye on an iron 6pdr. And if anyone knows of a banded breech loading murderer looking for a home..........

Hawkyns

[Black Deacon]

Got a good friend of mine with a beer mug breech loader. What are your terms on that banded breech loading murderer?

[Andre LeClerc]

Just remember what I tell all my crews- If you're in control it's a cannon. If the gun's in control, it's a pipe bomb.

Hawkyns

Master Gunner

Thought you might like two pictures of six pounders at work--I am posting them here--(hope they are not too big for the forum?)---both pictures are of a crew I work at Ft. Gibson Oklahoma, the oldest military post in Oklahoma, founded in 1824---the crew on the left in this shot is the gun crew from Ft. Sill Oklahoma, active duty military that devote their time and schooling to us less fortunate members of the population--lol

We currently have six guns in our inventory---three dated barrels from 1852---a naval barrel from 1858---one from 1864---a dragoon cannon we had made named Little Sister----and a six pounder that was made and bought sometime ago with a neferious background----

Our crews must all attend at least one school a year to stay current with our certifications (for safety reasons), with me having crewed all positions----in these shots I am in number four position.

We are repairing the 1852 barrel as it was spiked in the touch hole by Reb troops as they left their camp across the river in the present town of Muskogee Oklahoma---but it should be up and thundering this year---

Hope you guys and gals like these---I will take pictures this weekend at a big Christmas event we have, of the Little Sister.

Fair winds and aim for the riggin------------

Andre LeClerc

[Hawkyns]

Pretty!! pity you guys are in the wrong colour

Seriously, is that school an army sponsored one? I know they still have a flintlock cert for The Old Guard. Do they have a BP cannon cert too, or is it through NPS?

Schools and certs are important to keep up on. I attend school every year, just to keep on top of things. There are so many though, and most of them don't talk to each other. Different periods, different organisations, different states. Makes it hard to keep track.

Hawkyns

[Hawkyns]

Got a good friend of mine with a beer mug breech loader. What are your terms on that banded breech loading murderer?

That would depend on size, age, construction, and number of chambers. Send me some specs, and a picture or two and we'll talk!!

Hawkyns

[the Royaliste]

"Hmmm, I tends to prefer the 'breechloaders wot' walk on their own two legs, (at least 'till the rum kicks in! )....

*Jest pullin' ye're wooden legs, mates!!*

[Andre LeClerc]

Pretty!!  pity you guys are in the wrong colour 

Seriously, is that school an army sponsored one?  I know they still have a flintlock cert for The Old Guard.  Do they have a BP cannon cert too, or is it through NPS?

Hawkyns

Bon sori, Master Hawkyns,

Their school is put on by the school of artillery at Ft. Sill, or in our case, we get them too Ft. Gibson to work with our crews----what you cant see is that most of us are 1st Dragoons, C and E company---in which we were all cross trained as cannoners---

Like you said, finding a school that is worth it's salt is like, well salt, hard to find---some good, some bad, some downright dangerous.

This is not a NPS certification----I will get you the information if you so deem it---or if you want call our Captain of Dragoons, Mike (Mik) Bradley, at 918-478-4088, he is the coordinator of volunteers for Ft. Gibson Historical Site in Ft. Gibson Oklahoma---dont let that British accent bother u, we is trying to get him to speak proper merican english, LOL---

We are going to hold two school this year for cannons---and will have normally six to eight guns in attendance---

Like you, we have schooled under some very, very good instructors from some very different organizations---the one thing the Oklahoma Historicial Society demands is safety, safety, safety----so I quess that sums it up.

If you call Mik, tell him Skillet send you---he will laugh and ask if I am still making love to dogs, etc, LOL----I will see him this weekend, and let him know you may call---I will get his correct email at the fort for you, that might be easier.

---since you mention the color gray---in the two shots we are facing eight Reb cannons at the top of the hill, about a mile away---damn funny them Rebs can field more brass than we can, ROFLMAO

Regards,

Andre LeClerc

[Scupper]

Mr Hawkyns. i be a delivery manager at a Lowe's home Improvement. If ye let me know what ye need. i may be able to help.

Scupper

[Longarm]

It's to bad you don't live closer to Charleston Captain Hawkyns, we just receintly had to cut up a large load of live oak for firewood. Damn shame too. We're in the proccess of building a pilot schooner down here and the scrape pile was getting to big and a bit dangerous, so the board of directors (lazy buggers if you ask me) had us cut up all that good wood. Down here live oak is now protected so we're useing what we like to call road kill. Whenever an oak has to be removed for road expansion they would give us a call and our carpenters would go out with a portable sawmill and some chainsaws and bring back the best pieces to be used for the frames. I bet you could have found plenty to work with in that pile, there were some very large pieces there. Many a vollunteer and shipwright complained about the waste but, most of them had no place of their own to store it.

[Longarm]

I'm now reading abouts schools and certs. on this thread how does one go about finding such in their state, say South Carolina.

Secondly how does one go about buying a cannon these days. It's not like you can go down to your local K-mart and pick one up. I,ve seen the add in NQG but they're all signal guns. Not that I can afford a cannon right now but is nice to know where to go if I'm ever able to.

[Raphael Misson]

Firing salutes is sort of an odd custom. I can't follow if there's a standard procedure, although The Diary of Henry Teonge faithfully records the number of them. In endnote 19 to the first voyage, it says this:

"The custom of saluting with an odd number of guns appears to have been observed from a very early period: the origin of the usage, as peculiar to the Navy, is not ascertained.

Captain Nathanial Butler, writing in 1634, says: 'The odd number is, in these wayes of salute and ceremonie, soe observable at sea, that whensoever anie gunnes are given in an even number, it is received for an infallible expression that either the Captaine, or master, or master gunner, is dead in the voiage....It is a generall custome alsoe uppon the deathe either of the captaine, master, master gunner of the shippe, or anie other prime officer, when the corpse is to be thrown overboarde, to ringe his knell and farewell with some gunns, the which are allwaies to be of an even number.' [sloane MSS., 758]

For further information on the subject see the instructions issued in 1633 'For regulating the Ceremony of Honour in Salutes.' [Memoirs of English Naval Affairs, by James, Duke of York, pp. 81-2)"

Among his many records of the number of shots fired in salute at various ports and in encounters between various ships, Teonge says (humorously, I thought):

"[Feb. 11, 1676] Sir John Narbrough came in [to the harbour at Malta] from Tripoli, and four more ships with him. The noble Maltese salute him with forty-five guns; he answers them with so many that I could not count them. And what with our salutes and his answers there was nothing but fire and smoke for almost two hours."

Can't you just envision the smoke filled harbor? An amazing amount of gunpowder must have been wasted during period in firing salutes. They typically seem to fire between 3 and 11 times from reading Teonge's manuscript. I've noticed that according to his counts, Teonge's ship always seems to give two less shots than the town or other ship saluting it. I suspect this has to do with the relative ranking of the ship in regard to those saluting, although it never says that anywhere.

[Raphael Misson]

...and yet this business of firing salutes is apparently a very serious matter.

"[Mar 13, 1679]...we have got so fair a gale that we are at anchor in the Road of Majorca at 5 in the afternoon, and salute the town with seven guns. They answered not at all - at which our Captain was very angry.

[Mar] 14: At 8 this morning, the Viceroy (hearing how ill it was taken that they did not answer the King of England's man-of-war [Teonge is on the Bristol - a fourth rate ship of 52 guns]) commanded four guns to be fired: four farts had pleased us as well." (Teonge, p. 144-5)

Leaving the interesting choice of wording aside, I thought it odd that they fired an even number of shots when no where else in Teonge's journal is this done for a regular salute - especially considering the note in the previous post.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

sorry, didn't mean to post here