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Author Topic: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel  (Read 991 times)

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Offline cannonmn

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USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« on: September 04, 2009, 11:25:25 AM »
Someone asked if anyone had photos.  I took these early last June, Museum of the United States Navy, Washington DC.















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Offline Zulu

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2009, 11:50:32 AM »
That's one of the coolest guns I've ever seen.  My kind of weapon.
Zulu
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Offline Cannoneer

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2009, 12:37:07 PM »
I had no idea J.A. Dahlgren designed this beauty, that makes the candy taste even sweeter.

Marked on top of the barrel: BOAT SWIVEL, 185_, J.B.S., Class _, NO __, United States Navy Yard, Washington, No 2. Cannonmn, can you fill in the blanks, and what does JBS stand for? Thanks!
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Offline cannonmn

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2009, 01:05:59 PM »
Quote
Marked on top of the barrel: BOAT SWIVEL, 185_, J.B.S., Class _, NO __, United States Navy Yard, Washington, No 2. Cannonmn, can you fill in the blanks, and what does JBS stand for? Thanks!

JBS is the Navy inspector's initials, don't have that book handy.  The class would be 7, the No. as I recall, 277.  What those two last ones are, mean roughly it is Ordnance Museum property (class 7) within which 277 on the trunnion is the property accounting (catalog) number.  I seem to recall 1858 as the date on the piece, not sure.

Someone else was keeping track of this thing, maybe they'll check my "facts."
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Offline RocklockI

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2009, 04:27:34 PM »
thats one serious swivel gun .
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Offline Max Caliber

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2009, 05:42:21 AM »
Here is another photo I found that I had misplaced. Enlarged, the rest of the lettering can be seen fairly well.

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Offline KABAR2

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2009, 06:46:14 AM »
It's hard to gage the scale of this cannon but it looks like it uses a M1842 musket lock.
anyone know for sure?
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Offline BoomLover

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2009, 07:44:16 AM »
That is one beautiful Swivel Gun! BoomLover
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Offline Cannoneer

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2009, 07:32:59 PM »
Cannonmn,

You said there were only two of these guns made; does No.1 still exist, and if it does, do you know its location?
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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: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2009, 09:41:51 PM »
Quote
You said there were only two of these guns made; does No.1 still exist, and if it does, do you know its location?

For some reason I thoght the other one was still around too, still owned by the Navy, but I don't know for sure where it is.  You might check with the museum curator, Dr. Ed Furgol, he will probably know.
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Offline thelionspaw

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #10 on: September 10, 2009, 02:44:37 AM »
Why is this referred to as a, "blunderbuss"?  It doesn't have a (necessary/required?) funnel shaped muzzle to be a blunderbuss (donderbus = thunder box). :-\
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Offline cannonmn

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #11 on: September 10, 2009, 02:50:41 AM »
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It doesn't have a (necessary/required?) funnel shaped muzzle to be a blunderbuss

They called it a blunderbuss because it had the same antipersonnel function as the earlier weapons of that name.  By the 19th C. it was well-known that the flared shape of the muzzle really didn't help spread the shot, as had been assumed, although it certainly would look more intimidating to a potential enemy I guess.  The general trend in ordnance in mid-19th C. was to get rid of nonfunctional things like "muzzle tulip" or muzzle swell.
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Offline thelionspaw

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #12 on: September 10, 2009, 03:47:23 AM »
O.K.! Understood. So it's "Military Speak", i.e. it's a plain swivel gun and not a blunderbuss but we'll still call it a blunderbuss because it has a certain nostalgic ring to it. ::)  Possibly an affectation of the curator and not official nomenclature?

Thanks!

rc
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Offline Cannoneer

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Re: USN Dahlgren Boat Swivel
« Reply #13 on: September 10, 2009, 04:33:10 AM »
Quote from: KABAR2 on September 08, 2009, 06:46:14 AM
It's hard to gage the scale of this cannon but it looks like it uses a M1842 musket lock.
anyone know for sure?

By Jove, Allen, I do believe you're right! ;D 
BTW, I pinched the photos of the Harpers Ferry made Springfield-42 lock from the N-SSA forum.












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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.
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