IndianaRog and the Temple of Steam

OK, I know this is a website about steam engines...but I recently purchased a beautiful brass model cannon handmade by a gentleman named John Joline and I want to show it off!!!   This specific model is his "Large 24 Pounder", referring to the weight of the cannon balls the originals fired. 

John's four cannon offerings are:
- Large 24 pounder (11.5 inches long overall like this one)
- Small 24 pounder
- Dahlgren Naval gun
- Yorktown Mortar

These cannons are functional works of art and I'm so pleased with mine I wanted to give John a bit of publicity at the same time I display it here.  He sells these four models via eBay under seller name:  bestmodelcannons AND direct from his own website:  www.bestmodelcannons.com

OR you can contact him directly via email:  jej1861@comcast.com

Back to the 24 pounder... a 1:10 scale museum-quality black powder firing model cannon faithful to the design of the original. 

I also opted for the 3 piece brass tool set, walnut ball rack and set of lead balls...all made to the same quality standard as the 24 pounder.

The 11.2 inch barrel is machined from solid industrial brass bar...not a casting, and it WILL fire the cast lead .56 caliber balls, so it's definitely not a toy.

The wooden carriage is made of quality American walnut and the metal hardware is solid brass.  The bore size is a over one half inch diameter and the model weighs a hefty 6 pounds overall. 

I kind of like the fact that it's 100% American Made of American sourced materials by an American modeler.

Though built to be fired, I have not yet done so, maybe when the weather gets nicer.  For now it is displayed on my shelves along side my steam engines and in my opinion it looks great!

The Naval 24 Pounder...a bit of history by John Joline

Two centuries ago, “freedom of the seas” was an empty expression unless you had the strength to ensure your freedom. In the early years of the United States, it was the naval 24 pounder and the ships that carried them that commanded respect for the new republic. Privateers, Barbary Pirates and British ships-of-the-line all learned about the severe damage that these long, powerful guns could inflict upon them.

American naval construction in these early fragile years was concentrated on building a class of frigates that were bigger, stronger and more heavily armed than the ships of other navies. The U.S. frigates could outrun and outmaneuver the ponderous ships-of-the-line that could defeat them. Any hostile ship that might be fast enough to catch the U.S. frigates would become easy prey under severe broadsides from the American ships.

The U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), the vessel shown above and from which this particular cannon was patterned, was one of the very first frigates to use the 24 pounders. The gun arrived at its’ name by the 24 pound cannon ball that it fired. The Constitution carried thirty of these long guns as its’ main battery on the gun deck as well as using them aft for stern chasers.

Typical of the American-made naval guns of the period, the 24 pounder was lighter and had longer range than similar cannon used by foreign navies.

Ideally, the 24 pounder would be served by a gun crew of 10 or 12 sailors. The casualties of battle would too often reduce this number, sometimes leaving no more than 4 or 5 of the original gun crew keeping the piece in action.

A full, well-trained crew could fire, swab the bore, load the 6 pound charge of black powder, load the 24 pound round shot, ram this home, run the gun out, aim and fire again all in about a half-minute. This was a rate that was almost twice as fast as the Spanish and French frigates of the day.

Although they were equaled by the British in the high rate of fire, the Americans relied more individual gun-aiming than the opponents in the Royal Navy, thereby gaining an important advantage in accuracy.

While the maximum range was a mile and a half for the naval 24 pounder, most targets were engaged at ranges of a few hundred yards or so. At these ranges, the firepower delivered was astonishing and so was the total destruction.

To be on the receiving end of a broadside salvo from a gun deck of 24 pounders at their best working range, was a far-from-pleasant experience.