SEACOAST ARTILLERY COMPANY'S SEVENTH CONTEST, Have fun!

[seacoastartillery]

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                                          SEACOAST ARTILLERY COMPANY’S SEVENTH CONTEST

This Contest will bring us back to the old format which seemed to be a little more popular with most of our GBO members.

                   This is a  “WHAT IS IT?    WHERE IS IT?   CONTEST"


                                              Brought to You by Seacoast Artillery Company

     This Contest is dedicated to all those people Mike and I have met over the years all around this great country of ours who have asked us all sorts of interesting questions about cannons and artillery and fort construction.    

     All members entering this contest will be asked to provide the type of cannon and it’s location for each of the cannon photos provided.  

     First, your answer should include a general description of the cannon as to it’s TYPE: Naval, Seacoast, Field Gun or Siege.  If you know a more specific type description such as 24 Pdr. Flank Howitzer M1844, please include this information.  The BORE SIZE is NOT necessary.  A guess here is O.K.

     Second, you answer should include the location of the cannon.  The nearest city or town and state is the minimum location. The name of the Fort, Park, Cemetery, Courthouse, Beach, Road, etc. is really nice to include, but not required.

  All those participating will be vying for the Title:  Cannon Hunter, Extraordinaire.  However, please remember these things:  One, nobody really takes these Contests seriously and the purpose of all this is simply to have some fun.  Two, if ever there was a time to become a member of this Black Powder Mortar and Cannon Board, this is it.  Here are three good reasons for signing up:

1.   You can see only about 50% of the photos that members post unless you are a member.  Members see 100% of those photos.
2.   You must be a member to post your answers to these Contest questions.
3.   It’s FREE !!

     Hints will be given only as necessary, after  an attempt to answer has been made or at least one day has elapsed.  Two days are allowed for each of these contests.  The member with the highest number of correct answers wins.  The winner receives our respect, applause, admiration and accolades.  Sorry, no free cannons!  We traveled first to New England and then to California to get these photos.

Have Fun !      Mike and Tracy        Seacoast Artillery Company




1.(After receiving excellent instructions from a Pizza delivery girl who really knew the territory, we drove right to this big rifle in New England).





2.(This mortar is one of two southern mortars to make the trip north to a large city in a state known to be Heavy Artillery Headquarters in New England.)




3.(These big guns can be loaded with …..Canister too!!!!    Oh, ouch!  One of those could mess up your Naval Landing Party assault.  We had some impromptu research assistants that hot day in August of 2008, the giggling kind!)




4.( The area is so heavily wooded that the river cannot be seen although it is very close by.  A significant portion of the center-pintle carriage parts are original.  This heavy gun battery was in one of the ‘Circle of Forts’.)




5.(This mortar was cast at (BLANK) Arsenal and captured by American forces at Fort George, Canada during the battle there in May of 1813 and was subsequently moved to Plattsburg, New York where it was used by victorious Colonials to stop the large British and Canadian Army commanded by Sir George Prevost in 1814.  It was moved to Fort (BLANK)  with other Trophy guns of the War of 1812 within a few years and has been there ever since. )




6.(This big gun was cast by Cyrus Alger in 1854.  It was the last  (BLANK)  to have a chamber and was once on duty at Fort Point at the entrance to San Fransisco Bay)  A California women's service club obtained it form the War department in 1911 and it was transported to their small town east and north of the State's capitol.)




7.(This is a large mortar and is much more difficult for artillerymen to use than the Model 1861 which came along about 20 years later just in time for the Civil War.  This piece was cast in Boston, Mass. And is about as far away  from it’s originating foundry as it can be without going offshore.)




8.(Both of these are near a famous Naval Shipyard and one of them is famous for the company that it kept in 1862, 1863 and 1864.  The object in photo nine is only 30 feet away.)




9.(The ship’s propeller hub shown is in the background in photo number eight above.  If you know or can find out about where our countries Navy Yards or Naval Shipyards are, then you know which towns are located nearby where things like this can end up.  What large cannon was the primary armament of the Federal Gunboat Nipsic?)

[RocklockI]

Great Pics , no clue .

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

What?  No numbering?  Also no clue...

[Double D]

Number 7 10-inch siege mortar, Model of 1840 at the Presido

[Double D]

Number 2 Civil war memorial Providence, Rhode Island.

[Double D]

SWAG, Number 6 Woolrich Arsenal were the gun was made and Fort  Niagra where it is.

[seacoastartillery]

     To those of you with no clue or who have one half of a full answer, there is a little known internet investigators tool called google.  Don't tell anybody where you heard that from, because very few people know how very, very good this tool is at finding things.  There is google search, google maps, google satellite maps, google image, subject 'cannons', terraserver, etc., etc.

     Double D, you are off to a great start, but remember, no self respecting heavy mortar would be caught dead hanging around with all those green guns at the Presidio.  Look very close by in a very secure and sheltered location.  

     Do we have to nail a gold coin to the mast like Captain Ahab did to get the rest of you guys going?  

M&T

Double D,  thanks for you interest, on that no. 2, good location, but what type of gun do you see?

              On no. 6 Woolwich, good!  What about type and current loc?

              Need loc. on no. 7. 

[Double D]

Number 7 10-inch siege mortar, Model of 1840 at the Presido

Must be at Fort Point then

[seacoastartillery]

     Fort Point.   BINGO!!  Double D has put no. 7 to bed.

T&M

[Double D]

SWAG, Number 6 Woolrich Arsenal were the gun was made and Fort  Niagra where it is.

[GGaskill]

Number Nine--From http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/09914.htm: Armament one 50-pounder rifle, one 30-pounder rifle, two IX in. smooth bore, two 24-pounder howitzers and two italian 12-pounders;

[seacoastartillery]

 Sometimes you have to enlarge a photo like the monument in Providence, Rhode Island so you can see the registration number on the muzzle face or the characters on the large plaque next to the female statue.  Below is how you do this; follow the steps:

1.   Place the cursor between the text and the photo and left click and drag to the bottom until the photo becomes opaque.

2.   Right click on the photo and click ‘Save as”.

3.   Label the photo so you can id it.

4.   Save TO a file or the desktop where you can find it easily.

5.   Find it and enlarge using the tools at bottom of screen as large as you need it or until the resolution fades into fuzziness.

There, that wasn’t hard was it?  You can see a lot in our photos because they are shot with the highest resolution that the camera is capable of.  

Good luck, Tracy

    

[seacoastartillery]

   Thanks for that link, George.  All of the location info for  8. and 9. is given and lots of good info about the Federal Ship Nipsic too, that is all except for the Civil War armament.  Who ever heard of a 50 pounder rifle, anyway??  Must have this mixed up with a 60 Pdr, Parrott, built only for the Navy, a 5.3" Parrott rifle.  But this is not what she was armed with during the Civil war when she was called the "Federal Ship Nipsic" and not USS Nipsic.  So what elemnents of the photo question #8 can you get from all that info presented in the link?

T&M

[GGaskill]

The Kansas, the class ship of the class of the Nipsic, was armed with one 150-pounder rifle, two 12-pounder rifles, two 20-pounder Dahlgren rifle and two 9" Dahlgren smoothbores, according to the same source.  From USN Ships, USS Nipsic, an 836-ton Kansas class screw steam gunboat, was built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine. Commissioned in September 1863, she served with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the remainder of the Civil War.

Are those pieces from first Nipsic or second Nipsic?  Have to be first if Civil War.

[Double D]

Number 2 Civil war memorial Providence, Rhode Island.

It is either an 8 inch or 10 siege mortar of 1840. 

[Double D]

Well Placerville and Volcano have Alger 6 PDR's and Napolean's, and the Alger did make 8 inch Columbiad, Model of 1844 and they were at Ft. Point and Alcatraz, and there is still one there.

Placerville is east and sort a bit north of Sacremento. 

[seacoastartillery]

    Thanks George, for all that wonderful info.  We use the Naval Historical Center quite a bit and have found very few errors.  A large cannon for this size Gunboat, The Federal ship Nipsic had a 150 Pdr. Seacoast and Navy Parrott Rifle, M1861 (150 pounder, Navy; 200 pounder, Army or Seacoast).  It was quite a shock finding that propeller in a town across the bay from Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California.  You can see the huge cranes, now silent, next to the huge drydock sheds and long, brick, heavy machine shops of the deactivated shipyard which was by far the largest on the west coast from the little park where the propeller and the two cannon in photo 8 were located. GGaskill owns number 9.

     Double D owns number 2.  They are Confederate, 8" mortars cast at the Tredegar Works in Richmond, Virginia, Registry Nos. 1050 and 972.  The plaque has references to both the Rhode Island Infantry and The Rhode Island Cavalry, hence the state is easy if you enlarge this photo as I bet DD did.  Thanks, DD, very nice.

T&M

[Cannoneer]

No.6 - 8-inch Columbiad M1844, classified as a seacoast howitzer firing shell only, because of its reduced powder chamber. Located at Grass Valley, California.

[seacoastartillery]

Alger did make 8 inch Columbiad, Model of 1844 and they were at Ft. Point and Alcatraz, and there is still one there.

Placerville is east and sort a bit north of Sacremento.

    Oh, do you mean this one at Fort Point?  We never made it to Alcatraz, but from all of our online research they don't have anything that big on the 'Rock'.  Placerville ain't it.  More north than that, about 30-35 miles NNW of Roseville.

Is that the one you mean at Fort point??  The one in the photo just posted below?

T&M

[Double D]

Ft. point ait real it's a replica.

[seacoastartillery]

     Thanks Boom J.  I didn't see your post until too late.  You and DD have to share the credit for No. 6. He got the type, founder and model and you nailed the place.  This piece of ground is the size of two good size garages.  It was simple to find though, being right on the main drag highway that goes thru town.  Enough room for one kids Swing-Set and one CW cannon.  This was the last Columbiad model made with a chamber, a la seacoast howitzer fame.

No. 6
Boom J.   1/2
Double D  1/2

T&M

[seacoastartillery]

Ft. point ait real it's a replica.

     A replica??  It sure looked real to us!  How do you know this to be true?  Do you really think a fort that has the first "Budge Barrel" that we have ever seen and the first set of Hot Shot handling tools that we have ever seen and the only fort with a full size 'Garrison Gin' that we have ever seen, would have a Fake M1844, 8" Columbiad on display??   Either you are the savviest googler ever, or we are really stupid.  Which is it?

T&M

[Double D]

Says so inthe park literature. http://www.nps.gov/goga/historyculture/third-system-cannons.htm

[Double D]

Sorry, literature says reproduction not replica.

[seacoastartillery]

     We were "found out" by an avid and expert, "googler".  From about 10 feet everthing looks good on this large Replica 1844, then when you get inside the ropes; Mike went to find a Ranger to get permission, while I just hopped over the barrier and set up my tripod.  I already took 6 or 7 before Mike got back with the nicest Ranger in tow.  He looked a little perturbed at me for just an instant, then said,  "Well now I see you are set up at a good distance, just don't climb up on that carriage."  I had already seen what a disaster the carriage was and made a mental note to stay outside of the imminent collapse zone.  I said, "don't worry, we won't."  We talked a bit about how hard the weather there was on carriage irons, and then he left.  What a beautiful Garrison Gin they have.  Mike needs one of these in his backyard; you could drive your pickup and trailer right under it to receive or off-load "SOMETHING HEAVY" very easily!  

T&M

[Cannoneer]

No.1 - 8-inch Parrott rifle made at West Point Foundry in 1864. Location: Westerly, Rhode Island in front of the armory.

[Cannoneer]

No.4 - 15-inch Rodman gun, M1861. Location: Fort Foote, Maryland.

[seacoastartillery]

     Thanks Boom J.    A double from an early riser, or a night-owl.  Either way, you are spot on, and I don't have to type the whole set of instructions that we received from that very sharp Pizza delivery girl in Westerly, RI. as a hint.  Photography hint:  when shooting a brick building, use the setting sun for your light source and make sure there is a bit of orange in the sky.

     On the Fort Foote Rodmans, wear your hiking shoes!  you must follow a half mile path through the deep and dark woods to reach this historic spot.  The earthworks remain and are easy to spot.  Despite the northern jungle conditions, you can get an idea of the layout of the earthwork fort and where these big guns were in it.  The ammunition magazine nearby displayed the furthest north example of Tabby construction that we ever came across to this date.  Photos below:

     Boom J. owns Nos. 1 and 4 and 1/2 of No. 6.

T&M

From sidewalks in Savannah to magazines in Maryland, Tabby, a durable type of concrete, was used mainly in the southeastern U.S.




Sea shells!  A necessary component of Tabby.

[Double D]

(The ship’s propeller hub shown is in the background in photo number eight above.  If you know or can find out about where our countries Navy Yards or Naval Shipyards are, then you know which towns are located nearby where things like this can end up.  What large cannon was the primary armament of the Federal Gunboat Nipsic?)

Mare Island navel shipyard is the resting place of this propeller from the second U.S.S Nipsic

The first Nipsic was armed witha 150 pound Parrot rifled pivot gun.

[Double D]

Number 8 the back gun is IX-inch Dahlgren shell gun.  In front is 24-pounder medium cannon for Sloops of War from the Independence.  Both at Mare island.

The Independance was a recieving ship from 1857 to 1912