USS ALASKA
Major
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2016
Fort Stevens Review
Friends of Old Fort Stevens
Fort Stevens State Park
Summer 2019
Three Issues: Winter, Spring, & Summer
The Long Road From Cast Iron Coast Defense Guns To Ones Of Forged Steel And The Impact On The Harbor Defenses of The Columbia
D. Lindstrom
As the United States fought the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy, as did many other nations, defended their harbors and coastlines with cannons made of cast iron. Furthermore, early on the Civil War demonstrated that fortifications made of masonry were history, as enemy cannon balls quickly demolished them. The new technology was to construct earthen parapets behind which cannons were installed. The hope was that most of the enemy's incoming cannon ball shots would simply bury themselves in the dirt. Regardless of more reliance on earthen parapets to protect cannons and cannoneers from the enemy, there was mortal danger lurking inside the surrounding parapet. Once in a while a cast Iron cannon had a defect causing it to burst on detonation, wounding and killing the cannoneers. As cast iron cools, it tends to shrink. When there is not enough metal available, shrinkage of cast iron products will lead to holes in the casting. Back in the day there wasn't any way to tell if a cannon had such a defect or not. A cannon could be detonated a thousand times without any problem, and then on the very next time the barrel would burst with dire consequences. Another example of casting problems is while two cannons made the same way were sitting side by side, one would burst and not the other. Due to a unique cooling technique, the Rodman cannon was far more reliable, but not totally immune. The rifled Parrott was one of the worst for bursting.
Please use above link.
Cheers,
USS ALASKA
Friends of Old Fort Stevens
Fort Stevens State Park
Summer 2019
Three Issues: Winter, Spring, & Summer
The Long Road From Cast Iron Coast Defense Guns To Ones Of Forged Steel And The Impact On The Harbor Defenses of The Columbia
D. Lindstrom
As the United States fought the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy, as did many other nations, defended their harbors and coastlines with cannons made of cast iron. Furthermore, early on the Civil War demonstrated that fortifications made of masonry were history, as enemy cannon balls quickly demolished them. The new technology was to construct earthen parapets behind which cannons were installed. The hope was that most of the enemy's incoming cannon ball shots would simply bury themselves in the dirt. Regardless of more reliance on earthen parapets to protect cannons and cannoneers from the enemy, there was mortal danger lurking inside the surrounding parapet. Once in a while a cast Iron cannon had a defect causing it to burst on detonation, wounding and killing the cannoneers. As cast iron cools, it tends to shrink. When there is not enough metal available, shrinkage of cast iron products will lead to holes in the casting. Back in the day there wasn't any way to tell if a cannon had such a defect or not. A cannon could be detonated a thousand times without any problem, and then on the very next time the barrel would burst with dire consequences. Another example of casting problems is while two cannons made the same way were sitting side by side, one would burst and not the other. Due to a unique cooling technique, the Rodman cannon was far more reliable, but not totally immune. The rifled Parrott was one of the worst for bursting.
Please use above link.
Cheers,
USS ALASKA
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