Category Archives: Naval Equipment
The Blomefield Pattern Cannon
Once John Armstrong had finished his basic design for British artillery in 1725, there were only marginal changes to the template over the next 70 years. That changed In 1780, when a 36 year old artillery captain was appointed as … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Equipment, Naval Gunnery, Naval Weapons
The Armstrong Pattern Cannon
Rabinet, serpentine, falconet, falcon, minion, saker, demiculverin, basilisk, culverin, pedrero, demicannon, bastard cannon, cannon serpentine, cannon, and cannon royal. None of these terms mean much to us today but in the army and navy of the late 17th century they … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Equipment, Naval Gunnery, Naval Weapons
Introducing the Carronade: The Range Myth
In Nelson’s Navy, Brian Lavery makes an interesting observation. Contra what we read in naval fiction set during the Age of Sail, or even what some contemporaneous writers assert, the range of the carronade was not significantly inferior to the … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Equipment, Naval Gunnery, Naval Weapons
Introducing the Carronade: All Carronades All the Time
In the aftermath of Nymphe’s being taken by Flora, the Navy Board quickly became enamored of the carronade and the weapon’s effectiveness in combat had silenced naysayers. By January 1781, 604 carronades were mounted on 429 ships. This is probably … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Equipment, Naval Gunnery, Naval Weapons, single ship actions
Introducing the Carronade: The Debut Under Fire
The Navy Board began introducing the carronade to the fleet in 1779. It is thought that the first engagement involving the carronade occurred on August 11, 1780 between the HMS Flora (36) and Nymphe (32). The Nymphe was overmatched by … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Equipment, Naval Gunnery, Naval Weapons, single ship actions
Naval Telescopes
Though telescopes have a long history they were only produced in quantities to be widely available in the late 18th century. Problems of lens polishing, lens composition, and manufacturing were slowly overcome and the telescope became a vital element of … Continue reading
Filed under Naval Equipment
