Post by Bella on Nov 14, 2009 14:19:43 GMT -5
Keep in mind that pirates were focused on capturing the enemy's ship, contents, and people with as little damage as necessary to the attackers or the prizes.
Sometimes referred to as the 'great guns' of a ship. Large muzzle-loading guns capable of firing a heavy projectile at high velocity over a mile in some cases. Ship-borne cannon ranged in size from small 4-pounders up to 36-pounders (the size rating being based on the weight of the solid iron ball the cannon could fire). In addition to a basic iron ball the cannon could fire a variety of other ammunition (see below).
Most of the cannon of that era were made of iron. However some of the better made, more reliable and more accurate guns were still made of brass. Iron guns, when overheated, were known to explode, killing their crews.
Cannon of the era of the Golden Age of Piracy were mounted on 4-wheeled carriages. This allowed the gun to recoil when fired, rolling back into the ship and, incidentally, making reloading easier. The recoil on the big guns was powerful, however, and the guns had to be restrained by lines anchored to the hull of the ship. If the lines broke when the gun fired, the crew were literally faced with a 'loose cannon' that could cause significant damage and seriously injure or kill anyone that got in the way.
A loaded cannon contained a cartridge of black powder, pierced so the spark from the touch hole could reach the powder. In front of the powder was a wadding of cloth which helped hold the ball in the gun, and then the ball (or other ammo) itself.
Up until the early 1800's cannon were fired by putting a little powder in the touch hole at the breech end of the gun, then applying a burning wick of slow match to the powder, sending a spark down the touch hole and igniting the powder cartridge.
There were several different types of cannon shot used in a battle.
Cannon Balls - Typical shot used a heavy iron ball shot from a cannon. This shot would do heavy damage to the enemy hull.
Bombs- A bomb consisted of a hollow iron ball filled with gunpowder and toped with a fuse. The idea behind this was that the bomb would explode when it hit its mark. The fuse would have to be the exact length to burn at just the right speed to cause it to explode at just the right time. Certain gunners were experts at judging the timing and could pull this shot off.
Bar Shot- Bar Shot was a large iron bar that would be shot at the ships. It would make rather large holes as it hurled into the wood. It had a much shorter range then regular cannon shot due to the lack of a predictable trajectory.
Chain Shot- A chain shot was two iron balls joined together with a length of chain. When fired the balls would spin rapidly as it struck it's mark. The chain shot wasn't very effective against the thick hulls of the ships. It was however, very effective against personnel and the ships sails and rigging.
Stinkpots - A stinkpot was a small pot, made of clay, and filled with burning sulfur, or rotten fish. These pots were tossed onto the deck of the enemy ship. The stench of the smoke was enough to cause the crew inhaling it to become rapidly sick, thus incapacitated in a fight.
Hand grenades - A hand grenades of the pirate days were a make shift device made from glass bottles, wood, iron or clay. They would be filled with gunpowder and topped with a fuse. Often times they would be filled with shrapnel such as broken glass or twisted metal. The were effective anti-personnel weapons.
Bundle Shot - A bundle shot was a pack of metal bars shot at the enemy crews. This tended to cause heavy casualties.
Grape shot - Grapes shot was small metal balls, about the size of a grape, clustered together and fired out of the cannons. Much like a modern shotgun, these little balls spread out and caused heavy damage to sails and crew.
www.pirates-life.com/weapons.html
piratemaster.wetpaint.com/page/Weapons
Sometimes referred to as the 'great guns' of a ship. Large muzzle-loading guns capable of firing a heavy projectile at high velocity over a mile in some cases. Ship-borne cannon ranged in size from small 4-pounders up to 36-pounders (the size rating being based on the weight of the solid iron ball the cannon could fire). In addition to a basic iron ball the cannon could fire a variety of other ammunition (see below).
Most of the cannon of that era were made of iron. However some of the better made, more reliable and more accurate guns were still made of brass. Iron guns, when overheated, were known to explode, killing their crews.
Cannon of the era of the Golden Age of Piracy were mounted on 4-wheeled carriages. This allowed the gun to recoil when fired, rolling back into the ship and, incidentally, making reloading easier. The recoil on the big guns was powerful, however, and the guns had to be restrained by lines anchored to the hull of the ship. If the lines broke when the gun fired, the crew were literally faced with a 'loose cannon' that could cause significant damage and seriously injure or kill anyone that got in the way.
A loaded cannon contained a cartridge of black powder, pierced so the spark from the touch hole could reach the powder. In front of the powder was a wadding of cloth which helped hold the ball in the gun, and then the ball (or other ammo) itself.
Up until the early 1800's cannon were fired by putting a little powder in the touch hole at the breech end of the gun, then applying a burning wick of slow match to the powder, sending a spark down the touch hole and igniting the powder cartridge.
There were several different types of cannon shot used in a battle.
Cannon Balls - Typical shot used a heavy iron ball shot from a cannon. This shot would do heavy damage to the enemy hull.
Bombs- A bomb consisted of a hollow iron ball filled with gunpowder and toped with a fuse. The idea behind this was that the bomb would explode when it hit its mark. The fuse would have to be the exact length to burn at just the right speed to cause it to explode at just the right time. Certain gunners were experts at judging the timing and could pull this shot off.
Bar Shot- Bar Shot was a large iron bar that would be shot at the ships. It would make rather large holes as it hurled into the wood. It had a much shorter range then regular cannon shot due to the lack of a predictable trajectory.
Chain Shot- A chain shot was two iron balls joined together with a length of chain. When fired the balls would spin rapidly as it struck it's mark. The chain shot wasn't very effective against the thick hulls of the ships. It was however, very effective against personnel and the ships sails and rigging.
Stinkpots - A stinkpot was a small pot, made of clay, and filled with burning sulfur, or rotten fish. These pots were tossed onto the deck of the enemy ship. The stench of the smoke was enough to cause the crew inhaling it to become rapidly sick, thus incapacitated in a fight.
Hand grenades - A hand grenades of the pirate days were a make shift device made from glass bottles, wood, iron or clay. They would be filled with gunpowder and topped with a fuse. Often times they would be filled with shrapnel such as broken glass or twisted metal. The were effective anti-personnel weapons.
Bundle Shot - A bundle shot was a pack of metal bars shot at the enemy crews. This tended to cause heavy casualties.
Grape shot - Grapes shot was small metal balls, about the size of a grape, clustered together and fired out of the cannons. Much like a modern shotgun, these little balls spread out and caused heavy damage to sails and crew.
www.pirates-life.com/weapons.html
piratemaster.wetpaint.com/page/Weapons