Naval AIR Cannon?

[Santa Dave]

Does anyone remember anything about the(our) Navy equiping one of it's large ships with AIR(maybe steam) cannon? (seems like prior to WWI)
I seem to remember a tale about a shelling where the shells exploded but the cannons were quiet enough the people at the point of impact thought their powder magazine had exploded!
I would like to see the mechanism for that!
Dave

[Artilleryman]

During the Spanish-American War we had a warship that had what was called a dynamite gun.  It used compressed air or steam (I don't remember which) to propel the projectile which used dynamite for the explosive.  I believe the Artilleryman magazine had an article about this several years ago.

I just did a quick internet search and came up with the following webpages.  None of them say that the navy used them in the Spanish-American War although we had a warship equiped with one.  There was a field piece that used compressed air from firing a black powder charge.  At any rate here are three sites that are of interest.

http://www.tecsoc.org/pubs/history/2002/dec13.htm

http://www.tecsoc.org/pubs/history/2002/dec13.htm

http://www.heliograph.com/trmgs/trmgs1/dynamite.shtml

[GGaskill]

The ship's name was http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-v/vesuv-3.htm" target="_blank">USS Vesuvius.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h69000/h69211.jpg" width="540">

[Artilleryman]

You can see the three guns at the bow.  These tubes extend below deck.  Now I am going to have to see if I can find the article I read years ago.

[Cat Whisperer]

Be sure and post it - I read some things on it a number of years ago too.

There were a number of steam powered cannon in coastal defense positions about WWI - a little different that this one though.