Breech Loading Parrott?

[Santee1821]

Below is the relevant page in Warren Ripley's excellent Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War. I've looked one of Augustus Cooke's books which is available (badly) digitized on Google Books, but I did not see the illustrations that Ripley reprints here.

It is an early version of an interrupted screw breech.

 

[Rhea Cole]

The breechloading Parrotts are relics of what historians call the "Old Navy" period post Civil War & the turn of the Century.

NavSource "Old Navy Steam & Sail Index" USS Pensacola listing has numerous photos of that ships usually long service history. Launched 15 August 1859. Stuck from the naval register 23 December 1911.

Under 'Recognizable Features' it states specifically that, "Did not have a gun deck pivot gun / pivot gun port added during the 1880's."

Armament one 11" Dahlgren Smoothbore, sixteen 9" Dahlgren smoothbores.

In Alexandria Harbor in the photo of the Pensacola does not show a deck gun mounted. Same is true in San Francisco circa 1880. A photo dated 1880 firing her guns at anchor indicate a conventional armament firing from gun ports fore & aft. The onboard photos do not include the presence of a swivel gun.

I intended to find a photo of the swivel gun on the Pensacola when I looked her up. That ship had a remarkably long & varied service life. Didn't find what I was looking for, but that is what makes it interesting, ?no?

I have no dog in a citation tit for tat fight about the armament of the Pensacola. I do encourage you all to check out the link.


Link:

Miscellaneous Photo Index

This Naval Sea Systems Command article is about the cannons of Trophy Park. The 60 pound breechloading 60 pound Parrott was modified in 1878 before being mounted on the practice ship USS Wyoming at the Naval Academy until June 1884.

Link:

Cannons at Trophy Park

Note: This has been a very interesting search. CWT is a lot of fun that way.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Under 'Recognizable Features' it states specifically that, "Did not have a gun deck pivot gun / pivot gun port added during the 1880's."

Armament one 11" Dahlgren Smoothbore, sixteen 9" Dahlgren smoothbores.

From the book 'The American Steel Navy' by Cdr. John T. Alden USN (Ret.), page 8 as mentioned in post #4...

https://www.amazon.com/American-Steel-Navy-Photographic-Introduction/dp/0870212486/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

U.S.S. Pensacola
Armament
1885
twelve 9-inch smoothbores
two 80-pounder breech-loading rifles
two 60-pounder breech-loading rifles
two 20-pounder breech-loading rifles

Amazon.com

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[Rhea Cole]

From the book 'The American Steel Navy' by Cdr. John T. Alden USN (Ret.), page 8 as mentioned in post #4...

View attachment 522256

https://www.amazon.com/American-Steel-Navy-Photographic-Introduction/dp/0870212486/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

View attachment 522259

View attachment 522257

U.S.S. Pensacola
Armament
1885
twelve 9-inch smoothbores
two 80-pounder breech-loading rifles
two 60-pounder breech-loading rifles
two 20-pounder breech-loading rifles

View attachment 522260

Amazon.com

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

All right.

 

[Santee1821]

It turns out that it is the 1880 edition of A Text-book of Naval Ordnance and Gunnery by Augustus Paul Cooke which contains information on the breechloader Parrotts. It also has information on the conversion of 11-Inch Dahlgrens to 8-inch MLR.

The book may be found digitized here: https://books.google.com/books?id=vTZ92PqoNlgC

The illustrations below are from the linked book pages 81 and 237-240. Note, whereas I shared photos of 60-Pounder BLR Parrotts in Laconia, New Hampshire, the book primarily covers the "80-Pounder BLR". This was a former standard 100-Pounder (6.4-Inch) Parrott which was called an 80-Pounder after its conversion. Caliber remained 6.4 inches.

The diagram shows the steel sleeve which was inserted into the breech.

 

[Rhea Cole]

It turns out that it is the 1880 edition of A Text-book of Naval Ordnance and Gunnery by Augustus Paul Cooke which contains information on the breechloader Parrotts. It also has information on the conversion of 11-Inch Dahlgrens to 8-inch MLR.

The book may be found digitized here: https://books.google.com/books?id=vTZ92PqoNlgC

The illustrations below are from the linked book pages 81 and 237-240. Note, whereas I shared photos of 60-Pounder BLR Parrotts in Laconia, New Hampshire, the book primarily covers the "80-Pounder BLR". This was a former standard 100-Pounder (6.4-Inch) Parrott which was called an 80-Pounder after its conversion. Caliber remained 6.4 inches.

The diagram shows the steel sleeve which was inserted into the breech.

View attachment 523473

View attachment 523474
View attachment 523475

View attachment 523476

View attachment 523477

The "Old Navy" period between the Civil War & 1900 is fascinating. The advances in metallurgy & machine tooling were amalgamated with a thousand years of craft. Puddle steel's qualities were dependent on the skill of the puddler, for example.

Dont know how many rounds I have seen fired from a steel sleeved Parrott rifle. I had no idea that a routine technique for repurposing Parrott rifles.

There is always something to learn on CWT.

 

[Belfoured]

The "Old Navy" period between the Civil War & 1900 is fascinating. The advances in metallurgy & machine tooling were amalgamated with a thousand years of craft. Puddle steel's qualities were dependent on the skill of the puddler, for example.

Dont know how many rounds I have seen fired from a steel sleeved Parrott rifle. I had no idea that a routine technique for repurposing Parrott rifles.

There is always something to learn on CWT.

I agree. The irony is that from a larger perspective, the USN was behind other navies' technological development during that period in much the same way that the Army's field artillery was behind some other nations'. It always happens when the bean counters and Congress decide to go cheap.

 

[Rhea Cole]

I agree. The irony is that from a larger perspective, the USN was behind other navies' technological development during that period in much the same way that the Army's field artillery was behind some other nations'. It always happens when the bean counters and Congress decide to go cheap.

The Civil War Monitors that were taken out of ordinary & reactivate for the Spanish American War speak volumes to your point. There is, of course, the strategic question of paying for a blue water navy to do what & why to consider.

Of course, in 1906 all of it was junk after launch of HMS Dreadnaught.

 

[Belfoured]

The Civil War Monitors that were taken out of ordinary & reactivate for the Spanish American War speak volumes to your point. There is, of course, the strategic question of paying for a blue water navy to do what & why to consider.

Of course, in 1906 all of it was junk after launch of HMS Dreadnaught.

The irony is that the US only got off its collective [ ] in the late 1880's because two South American navies were outclassing it with pre-dreadnoughts bought from the UK (Brazil) and France (Chile). Whatever it takes ...

 

[Rhea Cole]

The irony is that the US only got off its collective [ ] in the late 1880's because two South American navies were outclassing it with pre-dreadnoughts bought from the UK (Brazil) and France (Chile). Whatever it takes ...

One of my all time favorite books is 'Dreadnought.' The combination social, technical & naval history is unique.

How Queen Victoria's grandchildren managed to screw the divine right of kings up so thoroughly defies all logic!

 

[USS ALASKA]

Sirs, was there ever an official name for the breechloading system on the Parrotts like there was for British guns?

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[Belfoured]

Sirs, was there ever an official name for the breechloading system on the Parrotts like there was for British guns?

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

You might find this article from the Proceedings January 1880 issue interesting (that monthly magazine, by the way, is one of the great benefits of membership in the USNI).

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1880/january/our-rifled-ordnance

 

[rebelatsea]

It turns out that it is the 1880 edition of A Text-book of Naval Ordnance and Gunnery by Augustus Paul Cooke which contains information on the breechloader Parrotts. It also has information on the conversion of 11-Inch Dahlgrens to 8-inch MLR.

The book may be found digitized here: https://books.google.com/books?id=vTZ92PqoNlgC

The illustrations below are from the linked book pages 81 and 237-240. Note, whereas I shared photos of 60-Pounder BLR Parrotts in Laconia, New Hampshire, the book primarily covers the "80-Pounder BLR". This was a former standard 100-Pounder (6.4-Inch) Parrott which was called an 80-Pounder after its conversion. Caliber remained 6.4 inches.

The diagram shows the steel sleeve which was inserted into the breech.

View attachment 523473

View attachment 523474
View attachment 523475

View attachment 523476

View attachment 523477

At Woolwich Arsenal the red hot guns were lowered into a pit containing oil, according to witnesses. the resulting flame shot 100plus feet into the air! Sadly all gone now as the site has been redeveloped for the most part.

 

[rebelatsea]

At Woolwich Arsenal the red hot guns were lowered into a pit containing oil, according to witnesses. the resulting flame shot 100plus feet into the air! Sadly all gone now as the site has been redeveloped for the most part.

Out of interest, not converted to breech loading , but sleeved and rifled to 7", here are 68pdr 95cwt Dundas guns still extant in Australia. It's a shame that all the ancilliary sights, controls and breechings aren't present (I bet we all know why they aren't) but at least the weapons survive.