Thank you for your comment and well spotted. By Trafalgar most of Nelsons fleet were equipped with the modern superior gunlock fitted cannons, whilst the French were still using the old fashioned lynstock method of firing their cannons. The cannon used in the clip was a 12 pounder, cast in 1805 so possible but unlikely that it was used at Trafalgar.
I am a bit in doubt as to the advantages of flintlock-equipped cannons. From reading Spanish sources about Trafalgar, apparently gunners tended to dislike the flintlock since it was prone to falling apart after some shots, and it was common practice to always have a lynstock in hand. Of course, it might just be that the Spanish flintlocks weren´t as good as the British ones...
Great show, but the 12-pounder was a popgun compared to Victory's 32-pounders, or the 68-pounder carronade on her fo'csle. I've heard live fire (full-charge with solid shot) of an 1857 12-pounder Napoleon, and the sound simply cannot be imagined.
The cannon was a genuine 1805 12-pdr Blomefield pattern long gun and is used from time to time for demonstration cannon firings in the Portsmouth area.
Pretty cool. Keep the thumbs pointed out when ramming in that charge (I think the rammer did in this video0! An muzzle loading cannon is like a Model T crank, it can bite you if you don't use proper technique. What those sailors had to go through in those days. Chances of powder going off prematurely, iron shot flying through the ship from the opposition only a short distance away, splinters from the wood were horrible, bad food, bad water, but I heard the rats tasted good as they had the run of the biscuit locker. Tough people in those days.
I will paste what I just commented on another thread. From reading Spanish sources about Trafalgar, apparently gunners tended to dislike the flintlock since it was prone to falling apart after some shots, and it was common practice to always have a lynstock in hand. Of course, it might just be that the Spanish flintlocks weren´t as good as the British ones...
They should have been using a flint lock, lynstocks were kept in water buckets along the centre line in case of a flint breaking or swan neck snapping. The lanyard used to fire the cannons was worn round the neck by the gunner when not in use and is still part of the uniform of the Royal Navy today
Absolutely right - well spotted. As Elgemin commented below it was just a blank with no shot. Had we loaded a cannon ball there would have been a very sizeable recoil and a great deal of damage at the other end of the parade ground. The loader goes through the motions of loading and as you can see in the film pretends to carry and load a cannon ball but you can also see that there is nothing in his hands.
I believe this gun would have been fired by a flintlock mechanism originally. I'm in the process of restoring an original Blomefield 6 pounder of the 6ft pattern, cast 1797 which I believe to be a bow gun from a brig sloop ship. It should be good enough to fire once done.
Correct - the Blomefield pattern cannons were fired by gunlocks, a flintlock mechanism with a lanyard so that the gunner could stand behind the gun, clear of the recoil. The French were still using linstocks (slow burning matches on the end of a staff or stock) and could not look down the barrel but were forced to stand to one side of the gun. There was also a delay with linstocks, which meant that in a rolling or pitching ship the gun would be pointing in a different direction by the time it went off.
Quite right - fair point but then they were not a full gun crew and had not worked up with constant practise, day in day out regardless of the weather.
Thank you for your comment and well spotted. By Trafalgar most of Nelsons fleet were equipped with the modern superior gunlock fitted cannons, whilst the French were still using the old fashioned lynstock method of firing their cannons. The cannon used in the clip was a 12 pounder, cast in 1805 so possible but unlikely that it was used at Trafalgar.
I am a bit in doubt as to the advantages of flintlock-equipped cannons. From reading Spanish sources about Trafalgar, apparently gunners tended to dislike the flintlock since it was prone to falling apart after some shots, and it was common practice to always have a lynstock in hand. Of course, it might just be that the Spanish flintlocks weren´t as good as the British ones...
Great show, but the 12-pounder was a popgun compared to Victory's 32-pounders, or the 68-pounder carronade on her fo'csle. I've heard live fire (full-charge with solid shot) of an 1857 12-pounder Napoleon, and the sound simply cannot be imagined.
The cannon was a genuine 1805 12-pdr Blomefield pattern long gun and is used from time to time for demonstration cannon firings in the Portsmouth area.
The British want their cannon back.
I was hoping for a loaded cannon fire :P not the same without mad recoil.
Well done - exactly right!
One day this video will reached millions of views
I promised
what happened to the target?
Pretty cool. Keep the thumbs pointed out when ramming in that charge (I think the rammer did in this video0! An muzzle loading cannon is like a Model T crank, it can bite you if you don't use proper technique. What those sailors had to go through in those days. Chances of powder going off prematurely, iron shot flying through the ship from the opposition only a short distance away, splinters from the wood were horrible, bad food, bad water, but I heard the rats tasted good as they had the run of the biscuit locker. Tough people in those days.
Bravo!
A great musuem ...can't recommend it enough because of displays like this...
hornblower would not be happy! ha-hm!!
Weren't they using guns with the pull string kind of flintlocks at that point? The burning matchcord is a bit archaic for the Napoleonic age.
I will paste what I just commented on another thread.
From reading Spanish sources about Trafalgar, apparently gunners tended
to dislike the flintlock since it was prone to falling apart after some shots, and it was common practice to always have a lynstock in hand. Of course, it might just be that the Spanish flintlocks weren´t as good as the British ones...
They should have been using a flint lock, lynstocks were kept in water buckets along the centre line in case of a flint breaking or swan neck snapping. The lanyard used to fire the cannons was worn round the neck by the gunner when not in use and is still part of the uniform of the Royal Navy today
1:18 "hey man slow the f*ck down"
Yay fort Nelson!
Is that a 32 pounder?
I was lucky to be able to acquire an 18 lb. British cannon ball fired by the British at the Americans holding Fort Erie during the War of 1812.
The gun never recoiled or jumped at all. They forgot to load the cannonball.
With no recoil lashings, that's good.
no recoil? WFT what is this for a kind of cannon??!!
Absolutely right - well spotted. As Elgemin commented below it was just a blank with no shot. Had we loaded a cannon ball there would have been a very sizeable recoil and a great deal of damage at the other end of the parade ground. The loader goes through the motions of loading and as you can see in the film pretends to carry and load a cannon ball but you can also see that there is nothing in his hands.
INVINCIBLE802
he had his dick
i am not british but you know that british are the same as american? ^^ that means they shoot at themselves XD
ok not all are british
+tombmaster972 You make absolutely no sense at all.
bare island in botney bay australia...18pounder...best ever.
knocks your hat off.
I believe this gun would have been fired by a flintlock mechanism originally. I'm in the process of restoring an original Blomefield 6 pounder of the 6ft pattern, cast 1797 which I believe to be a bow gun from a brig sloop ship. It should be good enough to fire once done.
Correct - the Blomefield pattern cannons were fired by gunlocks, a flintlock mechanism with a lanyard so that the gunner could stand behind the gun, clear of the recoil. The French were still using linstocks (slow burning matches on the end of a staff or stock) and could not look down the barrel but were forced to stand to one side of the gun. There was also a delay with linstocks, which meant that in a rolling or pitching ship the gun would be pointing in a different direction by the time it went off.
they need a more enthusiastic announcer.
I believe he was - just very Brittish sort of enthusiasm 😀
a 12-pounder?? Looks much more like a 24 or 32-Pounder to me.
Looks too massive for a 12-pounder...
Quite right - fair point but then they were not a full gun crew and had not worked up with constant practise, day in day out regardless of the weather.
they are a bit slow :P
If you also take into account that the victory was built in the mid 1700s then this could be accurate but God are they slow. :P