Naval salutes

[mobile_96]

Presently reading Mary Livingston's The Diary of Medal of Honor Recipient Miles N. Oviatt-A Civil War Marine at Sea.
Found that a 21 gun salute was fired when 1st entering a foreign port, more when the captain of another vessel boarded, again when a U.S. or foreign consular boarded a ship. I've noticed close to a total 50 shots being fired on some days.
Seems like a lot of powder being used up over the time of a cruise.
So, how much powder is usually used for a singe gun salute?

 

[AndyHall]

Traditionally, 21 guns is the absolute maximum, reserved for a heard of state or a salute to a nation. Lesser dignitaries should received fewer "guns," but always an odd number.

There are others salutes, such as to the 50 states, one gun for each.

Saluting charges would be substantially less than those used for live ammunition, but I suppose it could add up over time.

There's a great scene in Forrester's Beat to Quarters/Happy Return, where the Central American madman El Supremo demands a 23-gun salute, more than King George himself would receive. This bothers Hornblower a great deal, until he rationalizes that a 23-gun salute is meaningless.

 

[TinCan]

Also, when a foreign vessel approaches an American one it is customary for each ship to dip their colors to each other. However, the American flag is never dipped first.

 

[ole]

Kinda wonder how such traditions are started. And almost become insulting if ignored.

 

[TinCan]

The US Navy uses 40 mm saluting cannons which fire either a 3,086 grain charge of cannon grade black powder, or in confined spaces a 771 grain charge is used.

The Navy, or more correctly, the Continental Navy, started the practice of military gun salutes in the United States as on Nov. 16, 1776, the American warship Andrew Doria fired a cannonball-less salute of 13 guns, one per each colony, on entering the harbor of St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies. Well the Dutch, checking the courtesy book, answered with a 9-gun salute, which was what is required for the warship of a visiting republic. Since then the Navy has been the caretaker of saluting gun traditions.

 

[AndyHall]

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

The Navy, or more correctly, the Continental Navy, started the practice of military gun salutes in the United States as on Nov. 16, 1776, the American warship Andrew Doria fired a cannonball-less salute of 13 guns, one per each colony, on entering the harbor of St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies. Well the Dutch, checking the courtesy book, answered with a 9-gun salute, which was what is required for the warship of a visiting republic. Since then the Navy has been the caretaker of saluting gun traditions.

.... The First Salute, by Barbara W. Tuchman. (About more than just this incident, but that's where she drew the title from.)