Author Topic: Blackpowder breechloaders in Navy Museum  (Read 410 times)

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Offline cannonmn

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Blackpowder breechloaders in Navy Museum
« on: May 30, 2009, 02:55:50 PM »
I put this slide show together for the Company of Military Historians, that's why there are ship models and some other stuff in it, but there are several nice blackpowder breechloaders scattered throughout the show.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/forums34/?action=view&current=e61d7b1f.pbw

Offline FTB1-SS

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Re: Blackpowder breechloaders in Navy Museum
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2009, 03:07:38 PM »
Great set of pic's, Where is this museum located? Is it the one in DC.

Offline cannonmn

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Re: Blackpowder breechloaders in Navy Museum
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2009, 03:14:37 PM »
The Museum of the United States Navy is about a mile or so from the US Capitol building in the Washington Navy Yard, DC.  It is on at corner of 9th and "M" street in southeast DC.  It has one of the best cannon collections in the US, maybe second only to West Point.  However after 9-11 West Point's outdoor cannons (most of them) became inaccessible to the general public.  The Navy Museum's are still accessible, fortunately. 

There are about 15 or 20 outstanding old pieces at Fort Leslie J. McNair, only about 1 mile from the Navy Yard.  If you have some business on base, such as eating lunch at the club (open to anyone,) you can get in.

Offline Cannoneer

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Re: Blackpowder breechloaders in Navy Museum
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2009, 01:02:58 AM »
Cannonmn, what is the last gun in the slideshow, the one in front of the newspaper front page blow-up about the sinking of the Maine?
RIP John. While on vacation July 4th 2013 in northern Wisconsin, he was ATVing with family and pulled ahead of everyone and took off at break-neck speed without a helmet. He lost control.....hit a tree....and the tree won.  He died instantly.

The one thing that you can almost always rely on research leading to, is more research.

Offline cannonmn

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Re: Blackpowder breechloaders in Navy Museum
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2009, 02:41:08 AM »
That's a Hotchkiss with a vertical sliding wedge breechblock.  As I recall it is a 3-pounder which is aka 47mm.  The way the smaller Hotchkiss guns went was 1 pdr. =37mm, 2 pdr =42mm, 3 pdr. =47mm, 6 pdr. = 57mm.  When I find my other pix of it I'll verify the caliber of that piece.

Offline cannonmn

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Re: Blackpowder breechloaders in Navy Museum
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2009, 03:02:39 AM »
Yes, I verified that it is a 3 pdr.  You can see the marks on the breech at 9:18 in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILe5b1t4GM