4 POUND GUNS

[Jack Jäger]

Hi folks
I am in the middle of a build of the brig HM Speedy, she is recorded to be carrying a broadside of 4 pound cannons, and I have reached the the stage where I am thinking about how to rig them. I have observed on other great build logs how the outhaul centres around two single 6 inch blocks, however I am wondering that since these 'cannon' must weight around 600 lbs max. (shot weight x 150 for barrel ) why would a hard pressed crew waste time with using two blocks to outhaul such a small cannon when two average strength men could grab the cannon truck and man handle it in any direction ?
Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[Uwek]

I was also think about the necessity of tackles for such small guns - I have 8 times 3pdr guns on my Le Coureur.
but.....
take a look at the
The Sea-gunner's Vade-mecum: Being a New Introduction to Practical Gunnery
by Robert Simmons, published in 1812

page 177 ff



At the 5th rate you can find 4 pdr guns and given data for the tackles

The Sea-gunner's Vade-mecum

books.google.at

 

[Jack Jäger]

I was also think about the necessity of tackles for such small guns - I have 8 times 3pdr guns on my Le Coureur.
but.....
take a look at the
The Sea-gunner's Vade-mecum: Being a New Introduction to Practical Gunnery
by Robert Simmons, published in 1812

page 177 ff

View attachment 288283

At the 5th rate you can find 4 pdr guns and given data for the tackles

The Sea-gunner's Vade-mecum

books.google.at

Thank you for your impute, four pound guns are really very small as a youngster I helped with our local yacht club regattas where we used a four pounder firing blanks to start and finish races , it was breached with a 'what I think was a quit thin' rope and then just pushed forward again. As kids we used to sit on it was so small. I imagine the guns on the Speedy would have been easy to manoeuvre and where probably only breached up short and with only single blocked inhaul and outhaul ropes hooked to a ring bolt. I
would like more information, but most pics that I have found are for much larger guns.