A Cannon Discovery Trip

[seacoastartillery]

 

 What is the purpose of the ratchet system at the bottom of the pawl?  Minor elevation adjustments?  When  full range is achieved the hand spikes would only need hold and not lever, while the pawl was loosened and adjusted a notch for major elevation change.

 
      There is no ratchet system at the bottom of the pawl.  In contact with the bottom of the pawl is the elevation box screw.  This is driven upward under preponderance load by the capstan wheel which is threaded to take the elevation box screw, by turning the handles of the capstan wheel, supported by an unmoving seat at the very bottom of the elevation box.  As you mentioned, this screw action is for minor adjustments only.  Regarding the second half of your post, I'm pretty sure I understand what you are getting at and that if only a one notch adjustment was necessary, this sequence of events would do what you write, however, if multiple ratchet recesses need be passed by the pawl for greater elevation, the hand spike(s) pressure would be gradually relaxed and the pawl pressed forward as the correct ratchet recess comes before it.  Then the elevation screw would be raised or lowered until the specific tube elevation angle was reached.
 
      Thank you for that Fort Moultrie photo, Jeff.  Sure looks like shaving to us, the other one too.  The elevation marks on the breech are interesting also.  We are now waiting for your explanation as to exactly how that spindly rear sight works with the front one.  The front sight is at full height, BTW.  Also, when you get your new book, you can tell all of us what Model of naval artillery that tube started life as. 
 
       Thanks to all who contributed to this thread, it has been an interesting experience.  I will be quite scarce for a week or so, because I have my grandson for the week and I do cherish the time I spend with him.  And No, Mike and I won't show any pics of us appearing to stuff him in the muzzle of any of the seacoast guns in Denver's City Park, this time.  J's mom was not too pleased last time we did that.  He, of course, loved it, but that doesn't count, I guess.
 
 Tracy & Mike 
 

[Double D]

Capstan with an extension handle-ratchet,  the process-output is the same. 



I suspect if you do the math for the amount of elevation/range change available  in a full travel  of the elevation screw with in one notch. you will find the effective range of the gun is within two or three notches.  I would also suggest that in any one engagement no more than one or two notch changes were made, that most adjustments were made with elevator. Specific fire mission dictated which notch was needed.
 

[seacoastartillery]

   Thanks for your understanding of seacoast gun fire, Double D.   You wrote:  "I suspect if you do the math for the amount of elevation/range change available  in a full travel  of the elevation screw with in one notch. you will find the effective range of the gun is within two or three notches.  I would also suggest that in any one engagement no more than one or two notch changes were made, that most adjustments were made with elevator."  This is exactly correct.  Most fire missions in a coastal fort or battery were carried out at known distances, and most of the time at the same distance for multiple shots.
 
      Several of these banded and rifled guns were located at Fort Moultrie and in nearby batteries defending Charleston Harbor.  They were in Battery Marion, 200 yards west of Moultrie and battery Bee, about 300 yards west of Marion.  The one in Battery Bee in 1863 was originally a 10" Seacoast Columbiad  M1844.  Due to battle damage from two separate hits, it had only one trunnion and scars near the muzzle.  The Eason Bros. double banded it with wrought iron, rifled it for 10" Harding projectiles and re-trunnioned it with a unique solid bronze trunnion band.  On one particular occasion this big rifle fired five 231 pound bolts at 1,438 yards using 15 pounds of powder at 3.25 degrees elevation.  This was most likely a Monitor sinking fire mission, as they hung out at 1,100 to 1,500 yards to bombard the forts, Sumter and Moultrie and batteries Wagner and Greg on Morris Island.  Also the gun was firing solid bolts for penetration, not shells.
 
      For firing shells at long range (anything over a mile) the artillerymen would switch to shells for area targets like troops in the open.  This would be completely different scenario.  Such an opportunity would present itself on the morning of September
 7, 1863.  The Confederates finally abandoned Battery Wagner and nearby Battery Greg on the night of Sep. 6-7,  after being incessantly bombarded by Gilmore's siege batteries and the Federal fleet for months and months.  The heavy guns of the Sullivan's Island batteries gave the Federal troops a hot welcome as they swarmed over their new territory.  Even the treble banded Brooke in Battery Marion gave them a Baker's dozen.  Most heavy guns firing shells, which were more fragile than bolts, would fire at a much higher elevation, say 15 to 25 degrees with reduced charges.  The ten inch rifled gun might use 7 or 8 pounds of large grain powder instead of 15.  The greater range of approx. 1.6 miles would be accomplished with much greater elevation requiring a completely different section of the ratchet track near the top.
 
 Tracy
 

[MKlein]

M&T, To what do you atribute the remarkable state of preservation of this piece? Almost no visible corrosion externally or in the bore.

My theory is that it is from the ancient form of polishing called called hand rubbing.
Look at the top cannon ball compared to the others.

See this website for how it was done.
http://harveycountyvoices.blogspot.com/2012/07/posing-on-cannon.html