I watched Battlefield Detectives and their examination of the failure of the Spanish Armada. The analysis of the effect of weather and ocean currents on the loss of the armada very interesting.
Off course the segment on the part the English culverin played was the most interesting. They had high speed cameras and doppler radar, electronic firing mechanisms, levels, electronic inclinometers, calculators for determining the dangle of the angles and a safe and secure block house to fire from.
They were getting 408 mps. Translating the French to plain English that is 1330 fps.
The Scientist checked to see if the culverins had the range that history credited them with by firing at simulated ship hulls at 500 yards. They calculated the angles and adjusted the quinn, loaded the gun and retreated to the bunker and fired the gun and over shot the target. The Scientist's looked over the high video of the miss and came out of their bunker and recalculated elevation, readjusted the quinn and reloaded the gun, retreated back to the bunker and overshot again.
The problem, the first shot was short and had ricocheted off the ground and over the target. The second shot was aimed even lower and it too ricocheted over the target. The scientist didn't know that until they walked the range and found the skip marks.
That would have never happened with a Graybeards gun crew. We would have never hid in the bunker where we couldnÂ’t feel, hear, smell or see the shot! We would have seen the shot bounce!
The scientists were satisfied that the guns had the range even though they missed the target.
The next test had to do with the ability of the shot to penetrate the Spanish ship hulls. The scientist moved their simulated hull target to 150 yards and again test fired. This was to simulate the range of one of the actions that took place. In that battle on of the Spanish ships took 150 hits and was not sunk. The scientist fired again and still couldnÂ’t hit the target.
They conclude the poor accuracy of the culverin contribute to lack of the ability of the English to destroy the Spanish armada.
I still say they needed a Graybeard Gun crew! We would have hit the target, of that I have no doubt!!
