1503 shipwreck yields arquebus barrels

[Canute Rex]

This might be of some interest to fans of early firearms. Nautical archeologists have excavated the wreck of one of the ships of Vasco de Gama's fleet of 1502-1503, the Esmerelda. It yielded some bronze arquebus barrels, as well as a serpentine and 13mm ammunition to fit the barrels. The divers also found bronze breech blocks from breech loading swivel guns and various types of cannon ammunition.
http://esmeraldashipwreck.com/archaeology/

 

[George]

Interesting link. Is anyone familiar with the "lead-iron composite" shot described? Exactly what is that material?

Spence

 

[robinghewitt]

Interesting link. Is anyone familiar with the "lead-iron composite" shot described? Exactly what is that material?

Hi Spence

Is this cannon shot? You take a lump of iron and cast it inside a lead ball. Saw it on television, they x-rayed an early lead cannon ball to reveal a vaguely cube shaped iron core.

Robin

 

[George]

Hi, Squire. Yes, cannon balls, and with iron inside lead. I found a pretty good explanation at this link, first 2-3 paragraphs in the Weald: section.
http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu/cowen/~gel115/115CH10.html

Interesting progression from stone to cast iron, I had never hear of that 'composit' type. Hadn't seen the term 'gunstones', either, although I knew they did use stone cannon balls.

Thanks.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

Does anyone have a picture of a gun with a breech chamber installed? I'm have trouble visualizing how they functioned.

 

[George]

Scroll down.
http://www.strategietotale.com/forum/55-autres-guerres-aspects-modernes/12035-le-puckle-gun

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

Thanks Spence, that makes perfect sense....But how was the projectile loaded?
Now that I've seen that, this video makes more sense.

[youtube]/ZCpjm7DaeC8[/youtube]

 

[Zonie]

The projectile would be loaded over the powder into the mouth of the removable "breech".

That would limit the size of the powder charge but I'm betting that even with a smaller charge, the cannon could do it job. :grin:

 

[coloradoclyde]

I wondered that....So ball size was limited to the diameter of the chambers... :hmm:

 

[robinghewitt]

Does anyone have a picture of a gun with a breech chamber installed? I'm have trouble visualizing how they functioned.

Here's an original for sale :thumbsup:
http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=62_68&products_id=2558

Beautifully marked, but at that price it has been on sale for a very long time :rotf:

 

[George]

A nice piece.

I see some breech chambers with a wooden plug in the mouth, but in watching the few videos I can find of actually firing, I never see them taken out. Is that plug on top of the powder and ball, left in when loaded and fired out?

Spence