bizarre arraingement on the guns.. i could understand the rear guns being on rotating mounts... but the way they seem designed, the center of rotation is on a pivot of its own, allowing the gun to move about the deck oddly..
no idea why the two forward guns would be on pivots..
no idea why the two forward guns would be on pivots..
So they can turn and not have to only point forward?
Looking at the rigging and pivot point it appears to be a mast that can be rotated to stand upright.
Not unlike the following "modern" barges that I found on line "built in 1923. The last one was in 1926." Consider the drawing posted above appears to be a reproduction and the drawing and information here is also probably a reproduction so they both might be fictional. Interesting design none-the-less.
Allan
If you look at the oblique view in the lower left corner, the way it attaches to the deck house suggests it is merely a stiffening member to add rigidity to the deck house.
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If you have access to Chapman he shows several oared gunboats. I belief that they are similar to this one. The midship in particular
Btw. Really nice model.
Roger
Btw. Really nice model.
Roger
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Looks to me that the "beam" is the mast shown in the stepped position. The aftermost guns look like carronades, with their sliding beds being shown in the plan view.
Ted
Ted
I think this link will answer all your questions...
PÅJAMA BRYNHILDA (1775) – Swedish gunboat - Scratch [COMPLETED BUILD]
Hello, in recent years I have prepared several models of small boats, they are not majestic like the frigates or liners that I see here, but I think that those gunboats, fishing boats or small sailing merchants have their charm. Please, excuse my english Påjama Brynhilda (Part 1a of 6)...
shipsofscale.com
Regards,
Lars
it does answer alot of questions, but on this ships plans, the framing for the deck housing is installed directly into ships frames like a post and beam house... other then being a hellish piece of constructing the bend, it doesnt seem needed.
My guess... the rather large collapsible mast needs some kind of support, and instead of having a very basic support frame, they integrated this with a cabin to offer some (basic) protection for the helmsman and officer(s) against the elements and small arms.
The Danes used rowed gunboats against the Royal Navy during the early 1800s (Napoleonic Wars), although I think those were quite a bit smaller than the one being discussed here.
Attached are some images of period paintings depicting Danish/Norwegian gunboats attacking British warships.
And here some links for an interesting read:
Gunboat War - Wikipedia
HMS Tartar (1801) - Wikipedia
I think, the reason for the double pivot-points is, that it allowed the guns to fire parallel to each other (see attached image). With both guns pointing in the same direction, it would allow for an 8-gun broadside (the 4 large guns front and aft + the 4 smaller ones along the side) when closing in on enemy vessels (possibly prior to a boarding attempt). Although, I can imagine they would probably not fire all guns simultaneously, to avoid capsizing.
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Could this “beam” be a mast similar to that used on a Piscataqua Guldalow? They would drop the mast and sail as they passed under bridges. One is in use in Portsmouth NH as an historical tourist attraction. https://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2016/07/12/new-hampshire-glossary-gundalow/
https://www.gundalow.org/the-gundalow-company/
https://www.gundalow.org/the-gundalow-company/
Initially, I had the same thought. But, I wouldn't expect these rowed gunboats in areas with bridges, i.e. small rivers or city canals. My understanding is, that they would operate in nearshore waters to attack enemy ships (perhaps they were also used by privateers).
And that "beam" is most certainly a collapsible mast. My guess is, that the mast and sails were deployed to quickly take position when attacking a ship.
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Now the question before me is whether to finish this small model or start a new one on a larger scale, taking into account the information received. According to the drawings in the drawings, there was a system of slips for placing guns in the hold, although there are questions about how this was done with the stern guns. There is a similar system on the sweden gunboat model I built, but here the question arises with a stern superstructure
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This is a top notch model! Very high quality workmanship of an unusual subject.
Roger
Roger