Where be the Cannon???

[Graydog]

Oi Greydog,

Do you have any pictures of that swivel gun you had at Ojai?

That thing was sweet.

Here ya go, Note- I am just holding the gun, the linstock man is hidden along side me. Despite appearances, I don't weigh 400 pounds!

Edited October 24, 2008 by Graydog

[oderlesseye]

Grey Dog And Deep Six

[Hawk the QM]

Grey Dog And Deep Six

Ha... Swivel guns look fun.

[Captain Jim]

Aye, swivels are small cannon, but they are full size nonetheless. So, ye can buy a swivel for $700 or a full six pounder for $10,000. If ye want to get into the game, full size, swivels are the way in. Now Grey Dog has a nice pedestal for his gun (a very nice pedestal given the others that I have seen), but why not a section of the deck and rail? A section about 3-4 feet long?

[Capt Thighbiter]

Aye, swivels are small cannon, but they are full size nonetheless. So, ye can buy a swivel for $700 or a full six pounder for $10,000. If ye want to get into the game, full size, swivels are the way in. Now Grey Dog has a nice pedestal for his gun (a very nice pedestal given the others that I have seen), but why not a section of the deck and rail? A section about 3-4 feet long?

Speaking of swivels Capt Jim, we obviated the need for a stand of any sort. THe yolke for our swivel ends in a rather longish heavy spike, instead of the usual stubby one, intended for placement in a pin rail or the like. The long spike lets us drop it right into the ground. Seemed like the best and easiest way to place it at festivals etc. And we can still mount it on a pin rail when we guest fire onboard a vessel.

[capnwilliam]

Some great pics on here, Mates!

My cannon crew is getting ready for the Battle of New Orleans (January 8 - 10).

Jim

[Crudbeard]

I knew we had some cannoneers on here after all!

Wormer's my favorite position, when I'm not being gun captain. My crew's 1815 era, though. We don't understand all this CW "No. 2" stuff!

Jim

Well, I'm sure every group is slightly different and some probably don't use the numbers. If memory serves me correctly, I'll go down the list (just for fun)

1. Looking down the barrel, stands on the right side of the gun at barrel's end.

Before Fire: Ramming the charge with ram end of the wet sponge.

After Fire: Wet sponge for sloppy awesomesauce. (extinguish embers and quick clean)

2. Looking down the barrel, stands on the left side of the gun at barrel's end.

Before Fire: Loading the charge (Ding Dong) after a hand delivery from the powder monkey. Yes powder monkey was indeed the correct term. To my knowledge, never given a number, but if I had to.. I would say #5 man who just stands by the ammo cart all day… boooooring (perfect job for the noobies).

After Fire: Worm (cleaning out the Ding Dong wrapper) and dry sponge to clean out the sloppy awesomesauce.

3. Looking down the barrel, stands on the left side of the gun's rear.

Before Fire: Priming wire. This is the guy with the long brass pin with a ring at the end. Slams this down the wire to puncture the charge and open up the ding dong (delicious).

After Fire: Vent pick to clean out any crap that could cause a fowling or misfire. Usually helps #4 insert and hold the primer. (Only until #4 has the lanyard snug, otherwise the primer wants to pop out while #4 walks back to firing postion).

4. Looking down the barrel, stands on the right side of the gun's rear

Before Fire: Hooks the lanyard to the primer. Yaaaaa, that's about it.

After Fire: Stands there until Before Fire: Lazy buggers!

5/Powder Monkey: Stands by the ammo crate and runs powder

Before Fire: RUN MONKEY RUN!

After Fire: RUN MONKEY RUN!

6/7/8: No reenactors needed but in Civil War they would prime the actual ammunition. Many rounds would have punch holes which had numbers on them. This is to open the round to allow fire in and ignite a fuse. The charge would then explode (say at 200 yards) instead of relying on a direct hit. Pretty nifty.

Gun Sergeant: At gun's rear but slap in the middle. These guys also generally make fun of us (in good sport) and act as a bridge between officers and peons (I mean privates/corporals). They also crack wise at the officers, bringing us peons great joy.

Before Fire: Aims and elevates the gun barrel.

After Fire: Looking pretty with those 3+ stripes. Also, making fun of us and cracking wise.

Tips:

When #4 and using the lanyard, place the handle between your knee and hip on your leg. Instead of yanking the lanyard, keep your feet in the same place but turn left. Sometimes we'll yank the lanyard but loosen the tension and sometimes the lanyard hook will bounce out of the primmer hoop. Embarrassing.

Everyone should use gloves at all time. Welder gloves are perfect, except for #4 where deerskin help with the delicate nature of the job.

Why so much Brass everywhere? It doesn't make sparks unlike steel or iron, hence a much safer experience. You don't want that priming wire setting off a charge, now would

you?

Perks of artillery.

When you get that sloppy powder/water mix on your clothes, it turns GREEN! Bringing character to your gear. Also, used primers pinned to your hat also give you more character.

Yaaaar I love to write long posts and I hope you mates like reading them =)

Everyone, feel free to message me or post with questions. A trip down memory lane =)

On the subject of crew numbers, as I see ye be from the West Coast, this may be interestin'. Well, up here in Maine, in the traditional windjammer sailing fleet, whenever we need to get the passengers ta haul on a line together, we say "two, six, heave". All the crews do it, but just about none of 'em knows why. As yer probably knows, in the sea service of tha great guns, numbers two and six stood just behind the two crew working the muzzle and were responsible fer running the gun out when loaded, hauling on the taykles either side together. This call ta haul together survived on the East Coast, did it do the save on the West Coast I wonders?