Unusual Cannon Truck

[syhobbs]

The statenjacht model I am currently working on calls for rather unusual cannon trucks having wheels on the front and a skid on the rear similar to that shown in the attached photo. Wondering if anyone knows how these might be rigged? (Side tackles? Breaching rope? Etc.) The guns are described as small caliber used primarily for signaling.

 

[Ondras71]

The statenjacht model I am currently working on calls for rather unusual cannon trucks having wheels on the front and a skid on the rear similar to that shown in the attached photo. Wondering if anyone knows how these might be rigged? (Side tackles? Breaching rope? Etc.) The guns are described as small caliber used primarily for signaling.

View attachment 338019

Greetings. Reconstruction of a block carriage with a demi-culverin gun from Endsor's book dedicated to HMS Lenox (1678)

 

[syhobbs]

Thanks so much for the quick response and image. Now I can add ‘block carriage’ to my nautical vocabulary as well! Kind regards.

 

[Jimsky]

Hello,
In your image, I can recognize the British type of carriage. Where breaching will go around the barrel's cascabel button. Also, I cannot see rings for training tackles. You mentioned that it is primarily used for signaling, I don't expect a huge recoil, and also there is only one pair of tracks in the front axletree. If there is a huge recoil, the gun might jump instead of sliding. Another observation, the gun shown in the image might be used in land-fortified places. The trucks are equipped with metal rings to protect them from destroying on the hard surface like stone.

 

[syhobbs]

Hello,
In your image, I can recognize the British type of carriage. Where breaching will go around the barrel's cascabel button. Also, I cannot see rings for training tackles. You mentioned that it is primarily used for signaling, I don't expect a huge recoil, and also there is only one pair of tracks in the front axletree. If there is a huge recoil, the gun might jump instead of sliding. Another observation, the gun shown in the image might be used in land-fortified places. The trucks are equipped with metal rings to protect them from destroying on the hard surface like stone.

Hello,
In your image, I can recognize the British type of carriage. Where breaching will go around the barrel's cascabel button. Also, I cannot see rings for training tackles. You mentioned that it is primarily used for signaling, I don't expect a huge recoil, and also there is only one pair of tracks in the front axletree. If there is a huge recoil, the gun might jump instead of sliding. Another observation, the gun shown in the image might be used in land-fortified places. The trucks are equipped with metal rings to protect them from destroying on the hard surface like stone.

I agree with your comments. Surprisingly the excellent diagram sent by Ondras71 shows a block carriage with a demi- culvern which is a sizable piece. Obviously no OSHA concerns in the 1600’s !!

 

[Uwek]

Like Jim already mentioned - this carriage was not used on a ship - it is a land based one - because of the metal ring around the front wheels
So no tackles or breeching were installed

in later times there were gun carriages on ships with only wheels at the front, and only wooden blocks at the rear
Take a look at the HMS Warrior



But I think these gun carriages had an additional iron connection with the sills to take over the re-bound forces in addition to the breeching rope

Armament | HMS Warrior

www.hmswarrior.org

 

[syhobbs]

If the iron ‘clamp’ to the gunport sill was also attached to the gun carriage, as you suggest, it would provide no recoil opportunity for the gun. Perhaps the clamp was placed over the pin on the sill when the gun was ‘stored’ and lifted off when in action at which time the breaching ropes would absorb the recoil. When I visited the Warrior some of the guns were mounted on slides with ‘compressors’ to control the recoil and no breaching ropes. With time this arrangement became more prevalent. I suspect that all of these alternatives were employed to reduce gun movement as well as recoil loads?

 

[Bhill]

The statenjacht model I am currently working on calls for rather unusual cannon trucks having wheels on the front and a skid on the rear similar to that shown in the attached photo. Wondering if anyone knows how these might be rigged? (Side tackles? Breaching rope? Etc.) The guns are described as small caliber used primarily for signaling.

View attachment 338019

From my experiance with Army artillery, if used for signalling, there would not be any recoil because there is no round/shot to cause any. Only a powder bag and a wad. Just smoke and a much quieter boom....

 

[dafi]

Here the carriage of "HMS" London, exploded in 1665 near London City. It only had wheels in the front. And this was no small caliber ;-)

This kind of guns is also shown on the contemporary model of "HMS" Royal Oak of 1674 in the museum in Vienna.

XXXDAn