Firepower - Cannons and Cannon Shot

Cannons & Cannon Shot

The following illustrations and text are from: Biesty, Stephen. Cross-Sections Man-of-war. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1993.

Going into battle on a wooden warship was a terrifying experience. The cries of wounded comrades and the booms of cannon fire drowned out the sounds of creaking timbers and flapping canvas. The smell of blood and burning gunpowder would hide the smells of tar and the sea.

Particularly frightening was how close the enemy ships came before a single shot rang out. A man-of-war's gun had tremendous destructive power, but they were only accurate at short range. Therefore tension grew as the ships sailed closer and closer, holding their fire until they were sure it would be deadly.

When the ships had sailed close enough for their fire to be effective, each would try to be the first to fire a broadside - a huge blast from all guns on one side of the ship firing together. The massive power of a broadside could often cripple the enemy at the start of battle.

A direct hit on the gun deck created a shower of deadly flying splinters, scattering the terrified crew. Many would be killed instantly.

Six-Man Gun Crew

Crew members were known by numbers to simplify orders.

One, the gun captain, primed, aimed, and fired the gun.
Two turned and raised the gun barrel
Three loaded the gun
Four damped down sparks before reloading
Five moved the gun barrel and passed ammunition
Six was the 'powder monkey' who delivered fresh gunpowder. Powder monkeys were often the youngest members of the crew, some of the boys were only ten or twelve years old.

Firing a Cannon

Gun crews worked very quickly. It took them only two to maximum five minutes to clean, load, aim and fire a cannon. The fastest gun crews were even able to go through the procedure in training in ninety seconds.
The gun captain peered along the cannon barrel, using primitive gun-sights to aim at the enemy. He fires the cannon by pulling a cord attached to the gunlock, which created a spark to ignite the charge.

After firing, the crew cleaned the gun and damped down sparks to prevent an explosion during reloading. They loaded the gun with shot and gunpowder and inserted a quill filled with powder as a fuse.

The crew used handspikes and ropes to lever the gun into position. Then they waited for the roll of the ship in the water to point the gun up, to shoot at the enemy's rigging, or down, to aim at its hull.

As the gun captain lit the fuse, the men jumped out of the way and covered their ears. The violent explosion blasted the cannon backwards (recoil) into the ship. The crew immediately leaped forward to reload. The gun decks were slightly curved so that the upwards slope would slow the cannon's recoil.

When cannonballs holed the ship's hull, carpenters worked quickly to repair the damage. Few ships sank in battle. More often gunfire killed the crew, or destroyed the rigging, thus disabling the ship. If all else failed, the crew would attack by boarding the ship. Flintlock pistols or muskets were single shot and took so long to reload that, after one shot, seamen would usually continue fighting with pikes, knives and hatchets.

Types of Shot
	Cannonballs Heavy round balls usually made of iron. Stone or lead balls were occasionally used. To make holes in the enemy ship, crews loaded two balls in the cannon with plenty of powder. This was called 'double-shotting'.
	Grape Shot Iron balls, each the size of a tennis ball, bound in a canvas bag.
	Chain Shot Heavy balls joined by a chain. By elevating the guns, the crew aimed chain shot at the enemy's rigging, hoping it would tangle and tear it down. Lucky shots even brought masts down.
	Canister Shot Cylindrical cases containing pistol balls. They were used at close range to kill people.
Gun Powder Gunpowder was stored in a special room called a magazine. This was deep in the ship's hold. The crew took powder from the magazine to the filling room where it was made up into cartridges. Because the gunpowder being so flammable, the gun crew kept very few cartridges close to their cannons. In the handling chamber, the gunner made up the cartridges as they were needed, passing them out to the powder moneys through wet curtains that guarded against sparks. Powder monkeys rushed the dangerous cartridges of gunpowder from the handling chamber, along the narrow gangways and ladders, to the guns. They were helped in this dangerous task by anyone else who was not manning a gun.