Author Topic: Christmas Greetings (Read 1253 times)

Frank46 · « **on:** December 22, 2008, 03:03:57 PM »

Would very much like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And keep those pictures of your cannons and mortars coming. Frank

Terry C. · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2008, 03:53:56 PM »

navygunner · « **Reply #2 on:** December 22, 2008, 04:39:26 PM »

Merry Christmas to one and all!!!
geo

seacoastartillery · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2008, 08:09:58 PM »

Merry Christmas to all from Mike and Tracy at Seacoast Artillery, especially to those in our Armed Forces who may be far, far from home. And, if you are feeling like you're "under the gun" at this time of year, just remember to STOP and smell the pine trees!

Fort Knox-Prospect, Maine Tracy "under the gun".

Tropico · « **Reply #4 on:** December 22, 2008, 09:20:42 PM »

Merry Christmas Cannoneers ., yer all deserved ., heres hopin' you-all git watcher after. May the New Year ring in yer favor

Cannoneer · « **Reply #5 on:** December 23, 2008, 12:22:25 PM »

Quote

Fort Knox-Prospect, Maine Tracy "under the gun".

I'm kind of amazed that nobody else felt a need to ask any questions about this photo; maybe curiosity is waning near the end of the year. I will venture a few guesses: It is a large cannon from the period of the Civil War, Tracy is making observations on the trunnion area of the gun, Mike took the photograph, the cannon is on it's side for some reason, the trunnion and rimbase are made to be mounted on an iron carriage, Tracy is laying on a base that is meant to support a front pintle barbette carriage, that's about all I could come up with. Questions: What kind of cannon is this, why isn't it mounted on a carriage, why is the gun on it's side, what is supporting the gun in the front and rear, and what is the wheel and frame in the lower right hand corner of the picture?

I hope that every one of you has the Christmas that you wish for. Peace on earth.

Artilleryman · « **Reply #6 on:** December 23, 2008, 01:04:12 PM »

I will hazard a guess and say that this appears to be a 20 inch Rodman, the carriage is bolted to the frame, and the wheel helps to pivot the carriage. This type of gun mount was meant to allow the gun to be fired over the parapet versus being fired through an embrasure.

Merry Christmas

GGaskill · « **Reply #7 on:** December 23, 2008, 02:45:45 PM »

Maybe a 15" Rodman. Here is a link to more info about Fort Knox.

Artilleryman · « **Reply #8 on:** December 23, 2008, 04:52:03 PM »

Very nice photo. The carriage even has the shell hoist.

Merry Christmas

Cannoneer · « **Reply #9 on:** December 24, 2008, 04:31:48 AM »

Artilleryman, you are right it's a Rodman and GG is right, it's a 15-incher; from what info I could find on the web, the 15-inch Rodman was the largest gun at Ft. Knox during the CW years. This cannon may be the only large garrison gun left at the fort that isn't contained within the walls of Ft. Knox, because from what I read all the outdoor guns and mounts were stripped and removed. I found a few more photos, and this gun is identified as being a 15-inch Rodman in the B Battery, overlooking the Penobscot River. I was wrong about the front pintle arrangement, Artilleryman's observation is correct that the wheel and frame are the pivot that a center pintle iron barbette carriage would be bolted to. In Seacoast's pic you're looking at the top of the barrel, the dispart sight is in line above Tracy's elbow, the breech is resting on the pivot frame and the muzzle is supported by stonework.
I'm still curious as to why the barrel was dismounted and left there, but the carriage removed.

Terry C. · « **Reply #10 on:** December 24, 2008, 08:17:40 AM »

Scrap drive? But why then would they leave the gun tube and the center swivel mount behind?

Maybe the carriage rails were condemned as unsafe for some reason? Wouldn't have been battle damage, I don't think those gun positions were ever fired upon.

Maybe it was needed elsewhere? But the war would have been over, and large smoothbore guns obsolete.

Maybe they just wanted to make people ask questions?

And argue with themselves.

If that's the case, then it's working...

dan610324 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 24, 2008, 08:39:45 AM »

you'r sure right in that

Double D · « **Reply #12 on:** December 24, 2008, 09:06:34 AM »

Scrap drive, they removed what they could move.

seacoastartillery · « **Reply #13 on:** December 24, 2008, 09:32:56 AM »

Well you guys have taught us a thing or two about this gun and we were right there climbing over, around and under it. Can't remember who, but someone was wondering if that was the only 15" Rodman left there. Well no, but GGaskill has already posted a pic of the other one which is located at the south end of the large water battery. Our dismounted gun was at the smaller north water battery. Reviewing all of our photos of that gun has been educational AND suggests another fun Contest.

This Contest will be dedicated to all those Machinists, Mechanics, Inspectors, NC and CNC Programmers and Mechanical Engineers we have met over the years with whom we have enjoyed working. Basically, this one will present one or two specific questions related to each photo. The location of the Gun WILL NOT be important on these. 8 or 9 photos as usual will be the extent of it and presentation should occur on Saturday, the 27th in the late afternoon or early evening. The identification of both Cannon making TOOLS and TOOLMARKS will be
what this Contest is all about. An example is below.

We forgot to wish everyone a Happy New Year, so Happy New Year to Everyone !!!
Mike and Tracy

Using the 15" at Ft. Knox, Where are these tool marks found on cannon? What machine tool caused them? Why machine this area?

Terry C. · « **Reply #14 on:** December 24, 2008, 10:53:16 AM »

As to the where and what, the marks are to the rear and in line with the sight boss. They look like they were made by a shaper.

As to why, I haven't a clue.

GGaskill · « **Reply #15 on:** December 24, 2008, 10:54:39 AM »

Yes, either a shaper or a planer. Perhaps a planer considering the size of the tube and the direction of the tool marks. Probably to clean the area of the trunnions as that can't be reached with a lathe efficiently. Must mean that there actually is a straight part on the profile of a Rodman. :-)

This may be a planer in action; I can't view this stuff from work:

www.flickr.com/photos/tlucal/2815640958/

Nope, just pictures of small ones. However, I did find a real antique on youtube; note the drivebelt cross over as the table reverses direction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v67OCpCayQw

Another smaller one in action--small planer

More planer info here:

Google book search--planers

seacoastartillery · « **Reply #16 on:** December 24, 2008, 11:52:31 AM »

There! you see how easy this one is going to be. All the questions are answered correctly by the team of Terry C. and George Gaskill. Thanks guys! The only thing we do not know for sure is whether it was a Planer or Shaper which was used to machine the material between the Trunnions which turning operations on a lathe could not reach. Mike and I believe that Terry was correct in his pick of a shaper. George has shown what a much less common, these days, Planer looks like and also pointed out that there is a straight sided part, (tapered or cylindrical), in the Rodman Gun's profile.

Our rationale for our vote for the shaper is the fact that it would be infinitely more difficult and expensive to buy or build a Planer to do this "Tickling the Belly of the Beast" work where very little metal is actually removed. Can you imagine how large and heavy, (200,000 to 500,000 pounds) a Planer would have to be to accelerate AND decelerate all 50,000 pounds of this massive tube? The shaper, by contrast is relatively easy to modify to do this work, in that only a longer stroke and a longer ram would have to be incorporated. The tube does not have to reciprocate under the tool at all. The ram with the lathe-tool and clapper box reciprocates over the massive tube which is held in a robust set of centers so it can be rotated under the shaper's cutting tool.

Thanks again fellows,

Tracy and Mike

P.S. This is our small shaper we use for making internal slots in retaining rings, collars, splines, etc. with a 6" stroke. The slot on top of the ram is 8" long. The clapper box and lathe/shaper cutting tool is over the work held in the vise. It's a lot of fun to watch this machine work with all the rotating parts, eccentric moving parts and reciprocating parts. When in action, it makes you think more of a "Merry-Go-Round" or Carosel than a machine tool. With automatic side feed and reciprocation it can flatten a 6 X 6 piece of steel w/.010" depth of cut in short order, (less than 5 minutes). These go for $300 to $500 on ebay where we got ours.

Ex 49'er · « **Reply #17 on:** December 24, 2008, 05:01:31 PM »

Here's wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all. In 2009 may your powder stay dry and
your shots be dead-on.

EL Caz 66 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 25, 2008, 04:04:39 AM »

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Double D · « **Reply #19 on:** December 25, 2008, 06:27:43 AM »

Merry Christmas...everyone

KABAR2 · « **Reply #20 on:** December 25, 2008, 04:43:19 PM »

MERRYCHRISTMAS !

" God Bless us everyone!"

(quote "Tiny Tim")

Cannoneer · « **Reply #21 on:** December 26, 2008, 07:30:32 AM »

Quote from: Double D on December 24, 2008, 09:06:34 AM

Scrap drive, they removed what they could move.

DD, You're probably right about the iron going to scrap yards; the large Rodman's were kept in service after the CW ended, so I'm guessing that some would have been transported to coastal garrisons, but it wouldn't be long before they became outmoded, and at that time, unfortunately, I think many of these giants were then sacrificed to the furnaces to manufacture the new steel wonder guns.

Cannoneer · « **Reply #22 on:** December 26, 2008, 07:44:52 AM »

Quote

Can't remember who, but someone was wondering if that was the only 15" Rodman left there.

'twas only I.