A Seacoast in the Rockies?

[seacoastartillery]

     A sharp-eyed moderator, DD, spotted us lurking nearby.  It is so easy just being an observer, unless you are a 'forward observer'.  What a FANTASTIC FORUMN this is, by far the best on the subject anywhere on the net!!  Soon Mike and I who are,  "Seacoast Artillery Company"  hope to be proud sponsors, and I can assure you that will be quite a thrill.  We plan on sharing photos and knowledge with the members as often as we can.  We have learned a lot by observing for only a month.  The reference section here is excellent by any standard that one could quote. 

     Right now we offer some photos of a research trip to North Carolina a year ago this week where we visited Ft. Fisher in Kure Beach, NC near Whilmington.   We visited the excellent staff at the visitor's center and studied the huge 150 Pdr. Armstrong Rifle which, at that time, until Feb. of 2006, was on loan to The State of North Carolina by the U.S.M.A. at West Point, N.Y.  We made a complete and thorough study of this gun and all of its hundreds of details.  The field drawing of this spectacular gun and the notebook full of dimensioned details took four days to complete.  Lots and lots of details!!  ..........Tracy

*Just click on the links below*

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1. Mike is 6Ft. 2in. so you can get an idea how very large this gun and carriage is.
2.Lots of inspection equipment lying about.  We used the ladder to get the bore photo.
3.Mike fills another notebook with dimensional details.
4.Now you can see what 'SHUNT RIFLING' looks like.  It rotates the studded Armstrong shells from the deep 'loading groove' into the shallow 'firing groove'.
5.Some really neat trunnion markings.

[Cat Whisperer]

Tracy, Mike -

WELCOME to the forum.  I did notice the 'Seacoast Artillary' lurking as well! 

Great PIX!  Looking forward to hearing more from y'all.

[moose53]

Tracy, When you where looking around Ft.Fisher did you see a Whitworth Rifle mounted on a iron carriage? Thank you  moose53   

[seacoastartillery]

Tim,    I guess we were really not that stealthy!  Thanks for the welcome.  Tracy


Moose,    We noticed that they had a tube and breech inside the Visitor's Center at Fort Fisher, NC, but it did not have a base with it.  One thing that really amazed Mike and I was the extremely high helix of the rifling.  That is one FAST twist, one turn in 55 inches, I believe.  I remember seeing one with an iron  garrison carriage exactly like the one in your picture at Fort Morgan, AL in the 70's, but it was not there in Dec. of 2005 when we last visited.   Tracy

[Double D]

Welcome Tracy, glad to have you if you become a sponser and glad to have you even as participant. Yes I am a highly trained professional seeker of  internet cannon stuff.  In your case it was my chain of confidential informants---you know a little birdie told me...why does the picture of Graybeard as a  little birdie and  make me wanna laugh.   

Tim and I did  a bunch of research to come up with the resource list and the reference list.   But to be quite honest after we got the lists started a lot the listings came from the folks here on the board.   

I went through your webstie. A lot of stuff there.  I would like to see your rifling machine and how it works.   You have to post a step by step on that.  Be ware when you do, you will be dogged with demands for more!

Again welcome.

[seacoastartillery]

Douglas,    Thanks for the welcome.  We are very happy to be here.  I can't emphasize enough how very, very excellent this forumn's reference list is.  You and Tim and all the members who contributed to it deserve a lot of credit.  As for the rifling machine, well after the holidays we will seriously consider that.  Right now we are too busy to spit!  We certainly do appreciate the kind comments.  Thank you..........Tracy

[moose53]

Tim,    I guess we were really not that stealthy!  Thanks for the welcome.  Tracy


Moose,    We noticed that they had a tube and breech inside the Visitor's Center at Fort Fisher, NC, but it did not have a base with it.  One thing that really amazed Mike and I was the extremely high helix of the rifling.  That is one FAST twist, one turn in 55 inches, I believe.  I remember seeing one with an iron  garrison carriage exactly like the one in your picture at Fort Morgan, AL in the 70's, but it was not there in Dec. of 2005 when we last visited.   Tracy

    Thank you for the information, you are the first person I've talked to that had any information on it .I am building a full size Whitworth and am trying to find more information on iron carriage . Do you by any chance have a few photos of it

[seacoastartillery]

That was so long ago, early 70's, I don't recall if I even took any or if I did where they would possibly have gone.  I believe your best bet would be to write to the Washington Navy Yard, as Ripley's book made mention of the piece actually belonging to the U.S. Navy and that it was on loan to Ft. Fisher from the Washington Navy Yard.  That's what I would do.  Good luck.        Tracy

[A.Roads]

Hi Tracy,  thanks for posting the pics of the lovely Armstrong, I'm intrigued to see that its carriage is fitted with capsquares, is it mounted on a naval carriage & slide? Incidently you describe it as a 150 pr, but what calibre is that in inches? (I haven't my reference books handy). Also what markings are on the opposite trunnion end? Adrian.

[Double D]

Adrian,

Round shot and Rrammers says the 150 PDR Armstrong was 8.50 bore diameter.

[Cpt Ed]

Seacoast Artillery fans, here is a picture of a high quality model I purchased a couple of years ago. The barrel is solid brass 11” long with a 0.816 partial 3” deep bore and weighs 8 pounds. The wooden base is 10.5” x 20” with felt covering on the bottom.

 I purchased this because of its fine quality even as it doesn’t really fit into my Field Artillery collection. The wife doesn’t seem to like this style model so I probably will not keep it. Enjoy the image.   

[seacoastartillery]

Hi Tracy,  thanks for posting the pics of the lovely Armstrong, I'm intrigued to see that its carriage is fitted with capsquares, is it mounted on a naval carriage & slide? Incidently you describe it as a 150 pr, but what calibre is that in inches? (I haven't my reference books handy). Also what markings are on the opposite trunnion end? Adrian.

Adrian,

It is mounted on a 6 wheel wooden fortress carriage, pivoting barbette type, which pivots around an imaginary point out in front of the gun.  The iron chassis wheels roll on three different radiused railroad rails.  The upper carriage slides rearward upon iron plates, which cover the wooden chassis rails, upon the gun's firing.  See the other trunnion markings in the photo included here.  Almost forgot, if Col. Lamb's artillerymen, at Fort Fisher, North Carolina during the two Federal Navy Bombardments of fort Fisher ever forgot to rotate those two brass wheels engaging the two compressor brakes, the upper carriage and gun would have recoiled right off of the chassis making the gun crew very miserable.  Remounting the gun meant back breaking labor for at least half a day.  Fortunately for them, they always remembered to set the brakes.-...Tracy      *click on image for close-up*

Seacoast Artillery fans, here is a picture of a high quality model I purchased a couple of years ago. The barrel is solid brass 11” long with a 0.816 partial 3” deep bore and weighs 8 pounds. The wooden base is 10.5” x 20” with felt covering on the bottom.

 I purchased this because of its fine quality even as it doesn’t really fit into my Field Artillery collection. The wife doesn’t seem to like this style model so I probably will not keep it. Enjoy the image.   

Cpt. Ed

That gun is a keeper!  That's a really classy barbette mount and finely finished tube.  Keep it around for a while and the seacoast and seige gun bug might bite you!

Tracy