A Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Naval Swivel Cannon, 1760’s to Early 1800’s. Near Identical to Another Recovered From The Shipwreck of HMS Industry Wrecked of St Augustine Harbour, Florida, in 1764

Swivel cannon were used principally aboard the Man o’war, ships of the line and sailing ships, serving as short-range anti-personnel ordnance. They were not ship-sinking weapons, due to their small calibre and short range, but could do considerable damage to anyone caught in their line of fire. They were especially useful against deck-to-deck boarders, against approaching longboats bearing boarding parties, and against deck gun crews when ships were hull-to-hull.

Just returned from three days of intensive hand cleaning and conservation in the workshop.

Due to their relatively small size, swivel guns were highly portable and could be moved around the deck of a ship quite easily (and certainly much more easily than other types of cannon). They could be mounted on vertical timbers (pillars) which were either part of the ship's structure or were firmly bolted to that structure along either side, which provided the gunner with a reasonably steady platform from which to fire. Their portability enabled them to be installed wherever they were most needed; whereas larger cannon were useless if they were on the wrong side of the ship, swivel guns could be carried across the deck to face the enemy.

The small size of swivel cannon enabled them to be used by a wide variety of vessels, including those too small to accommodate larger cannons, and also permitted their use on land; they were commonly issued to forts in North America in the 18th century, and Lewis and Clark took one with them on their famous expedition into the American interior in 1804..

Being such a compact size, this wonderful cannon is eminently suitable for interior display, and would make a superb feature for any gentleman's study or office, or in fact any suitable area within any kind of residence, however limited for space. British Man o'War sailing ships like HMS Endeavour, HMS Bounty, and similar, commonly had upward of six such cannon mounted around their gunwale. They were used to signal landing parties etc., also as a defence against pirates or similar 'hostiles', and by flagships to signal other vessels in a fleet. Weighing-in at around 1/2 to 1-cwt, a couple of seamen could ship, or un-ship, these cannon as & when required. The last photo in the gallery is from a near identical cannon still with it's wrought iron swivel intact, recovered from the 1764 wreck of the Industry, the Royal Navy ship lost off the harbour of St. Augustine, Florida, America, just after the Spanish ceded La Florida to England at the end of the 'seven years' war in America and Europe.

21 3/4 inches long, bore 1 1/4 inches

Code: 24750