Category Archives: Naval Weapons
The Boarding Pike
While our modern sensibilities cause us to look askance at primitive weapons, like boarding pikes, they were incredibly effective weapons. One has to consider that under the best of circumstances the reliability of flintlock firearms was problematic. When used at … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Weapons
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
Manton Pistols
We’ve discussed some of the esoteric armaments that have come in the possession of Dewey Lambdin’s naval character, Alan Lewrie. In The French Admiral he acquired a Ferguson rifle. In The Captain’s Vengenace he picked up a Girandoni air rifle. … Continue reading
Girandoni Air Rifle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GzLa1Cvcuo Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Alan Lewrie Novels, 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
Making Virtue of Necessity
Let’s face it. When it comes to nautical fiction we are all Anglophiles. The major fictional heroes of the Age of Sail are British. Alexander Kent is probably one of the few authors who have managed to sell books in … Continue reading
HMS Glatton Takes On All Comers
We’ve observed on several occasions that many of the incidents in novels set during the Age of Sail are heavily influenced by actual events. In most cases, the novel’s protagonist expands on the accomplishments of the actual character. In Ramages’s … Continue reading
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
