THE FINE ART OF TALL SHIPS GUNNERY This month, Marlinspike reached out to a handful of vessels that are known for having—and firing—cannon. We received responses from Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, which are well known for the Battle Sails they hold up and down the Pacific coast each summer, and from Lynx and Fame, which both represent armed schooners active during the War of 1812. Q. Tell us about the cannon on your vessel. Avio Brooklyn, Lady Washington: We have two three-pounder deck guns, as well as two one-pounder swivels. The gun ports for the deck guns are on the after part of the main deck, just about amidships, and the swivels have multiple mounting points on the rails surrounding the quarterdeck. Éamon Kennedy, Hawaiian Chieftain: We have four three-pound deck guns in carriages located two per side on our main deck. They are cast iron with a steel sleeve in the barrel. In addition, we have two swivel guns mounted in our poop deck rail. Lori Berube, Lynx: We have four six-pound carronades and four one-pound swivels. Mike Rutstein, Fame: The original Fame had two six-pounders, believe it or not, but we mount two swivel guns, one on each side, amidships. They’re iron guns with stainless-steel sleeves. They were made for us in 2003 by RBG in Connecticut and personally delivered to the boatyard. Q. In what circumstances do you fire them? How often? LW: We most often employ our guns during battle sails, an event in which Lady and the Hawaiian Chieftain would simulate a battle, not only attempting to outgun, but also outmaneuver the other vessel under sail. These are weekly events, depending on the port we’re visiting. The guns are also used for salutes. HC: Both vessels maneuver under sail, vying for optimal shots on the other vessel. Both ships will fire around 20 shots per battle. The Chieftain doesn’t use her swivel guns due to their proximity to passenger seating. The main deck is always cleared of passengers to maintain safety. On our shorter public sails, we will offer a gunning demonstration and fire off a charge or two. We also enjoy firing a salute upon our arrival at a port. Lynx: Every sail, and sometimes there are multiple salutes per sail. Fame: Every public sail, we tell the story of the original Fame, a privateer during the War of 1812. We talk about the way warships, privateers, and merchant vessels were armed, and then we fire the leeward swivel. We’ve learned better than to fire to windward. Usually the first thing passengers say is “Again!” Q. What procedures do you follow when firing your cannon? LW: Gunnery always starts with a safety briefing for both the crew and any passengers that may be on board. Specifics about what areas are danger areas, as well as the strict no-open-flames policy, are outlined during this briefing, and the covering of ears during firing is also gone over. Before any powder is brought out on deck, the guns are run out, and all auxiliary equipment is placed for easy access—worms, swabs, rammers, buckets. After all that is taken care of, the call “Powder on Deck” is made as the charges for the day are loaded into the gunnery satchel, and then the remaining powder is re-secured. From there, it’s pretty standard. When ordered, the gunner loads the gun, by first worming, wet-swabbing and dry-swabbing (just to double-check that the gun was cleaned and all embers snuffed), then a charge is loaded by hand via the muzzle, rammed home and tamped. Priming is accomplished by pricking the charge via the touchhole, and priming the vent. When the officer in charge orders the gun fired, the gunner calls “Fire in the hole!” and the priming charge is lit with a linstock and slow match. HC: Before any powder is brought on deck, our designated gunner will give the passengers a speech explaining the tools used as well as safety protocols the crew and passengers are to follow. A call of “Powder on Deck” is made as the powder is removed from magazine chest. From that point on, our main deck is closed to passengers until the powder has been locked away again at the end of the battle. For safety, the gunner dons eye and ear protection for the duration of the guns’ use. The gunner swabs and loads all four deck guns, then pricks and primes the charges—punctures the foil and fills the touch hole with 4F powder. The gunner lights the slow match, which is a three-foot stick with fiber rope soaked in saltpeter solution. It’s basically a large punk. At this point the gunner calls all guns “pricked, primed, and ready to fire.” When the gunner is to take a shot, he or she calls, “Prepare for gun fire! pauses, then shouts, “Fire!” and touches off the gun. At the end of the battle, the guns are wormed and swabbed and run back in. The remaining charges and priming powder are placed back in the magazine chest, which is then locked. The gunner calls “powder secure” and we resume normal deck operations. Lynx: We give an educational gun talk explaining the use and maintenance, we ask that no one is within six feet and that no one is directly behind, and when they hear “fire in the hole” that’s the cue for covering their ears! Fame: The loading of the gun is part of the demonstration, and I am usually explaining what I do as I prepare to fire. Kids especially are very keen to examine the fuse, the powder, and so on. When we fire the gun, we shoo everyone to the far side of the vessel and warn them to cover their ears, but often they’re trying to take photos or videos and don’t do it. I don’t wear ear protection, but I always plug my ears. Q. What do you use for powder, for fuse, for wadding? Do you make up cartridges? LW: Main charges are Fg black powder, Goex being the favorite. No fuse in our guns, just priming powder, FFFFg (very fine grain) black powder. We make charges in aluminum foil and don’t typically need any additional wad. HC: The Grays Harbor boats roll their own charges made up of 1F black powder and a little biscuit powder (for additional smoke) and roll them in foil. Rather than a fuse, the cannons are primed with 4F powder and touched off with a slow match. Lynx: Lynx makes half-pound cartridges using Single F Black Powder charges and fires using a friction pin. Fame: We use about an ounce and a half of Pyrodex and a fuse. The crew took a black-powder course where they tried to persuade us to use aluminum foil or plastic bags to make up cartridges, but we didn’t want to be firing foil or plastic into the ocean all the time. We place the fuse, pour loose powder down the muzzle, and follow it with a small amount of wadding — half of a paper towel. If we tamp it down well, we get a good bang, and we feel the bits of paper towel have less environmental impact than the foil or the plastic would. Q. How you maintain and store your cannon? LW: After use, the guns are scrubbed out with water, and sometimes a simple solvent. Guns are tilted muzzle-down to drain, and then relashed to the rails. We seal the guns with a tompion (big wooden stopper) in the muzzle and grease the touchhole for long-term storage. HC: After each sail, they are hosed out with fresh water and swabbed dry. When not in use, they are run in and lashed to the bulwark, facing fore and aft. If we are expecting a transit with heavy seas, the gunner may fill the touchhole with petroleum jelly to prevent salt water intrusion. Lynx: Constant maintenance—they stay on deck all the time. Fame: The guns are always on the rail, so keeping water out of the muzzles and touch-holes is a job. Our crewman John Beirne made tompions and touch-hole covers for us which work well, but occasionally they go adrift and he has to make new ones. We sand and paint the guns every spring. Q. Have you ever had an accident while firing your cannon? LW: Worst accident I ever had while gunning was getting a finger pinched while trying to elevate the muzzle. Beyond that, solid safety practices were very effective. HC: To my knowledge, there have been no major injuries or incidents while firing our cannons. Our program and procedures have been reviewed and approved by the Coast Guard and are strictly adhered to. Every gunner is a trained crewmember and at no point is a member of the public allowed to fire the guns. This helps mitigate many of the dangers of black powder operations. Lynx: No. Fame: One of the relief skippers bought some fuse that was very inexpensive, but it also burned unpredictably and it was thinner and did not fill the touchhole. The crew who was firing the gun had it go off unexpectedly, and powder shot back up the touchhole into his face. Thank goodness he was wearing glasses. He was OK, but that was a wake-up call for us. Q. How does the public react to the cannon? LW: Most folks love the guns, and a lot of the public are even more interested to learn about the history and process of muzzle-loading naval artillery than they are to see and hear them going off. Photographers love trying to get the perfect shot of a touchhole venting a bunch of flame and seeing the muzzle blast all in one photo. HC: For the most part, the public are very excited about cannon fire, whether they’re up close and aboard the vessels or on shore viewing from afar. A couple of years back, the port of Ventura expressed disappointment that we didn’t fire a salute upon entry of the harbor. We won’t make that mistake again! There are, of course, a few folks that find the loud noise surprising and upsetting. We attempt to be respectful when choosing where the cannon blast is directed to minimize upset reactions. Lynx: They love it, they can’t get enough of the guns, unless they’re trying to catch a nap on the beach! Fame: It’s a highlight of the trip for most of our passengers, no doubt. Other boats see us out there having fun firing our cannon and they’ve gone out and bought little guns of their own, mostly little shotgun-shell signal guns. One of the houses on Naugus Head has a gun, too. We never know when we’re going to be attacked.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 17:02:01 +0000
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