Cannon (ship's guns; about 1350-1850) Muzzle-loading, smooth-bore guns fired by a slow match and propelling a solid round ball made from cast iron or (before 1600) stone. Small cannon were part of naval armament by the 1350s and were used to damage enemy riggibg and sailors. By the 1480s, larger guns, cast from bronze or iron (from the 17th century), fired heavy missiles that could pierce an enemy vessel's hull.
The largest cannon weighed as much as 8,000 pounds, were 12 feet long, had openings eight inches across, and fired balls weighing up to 68 pounds, Worked by three to six men, each gun could fire about eight shots in an hour. On sailing ships, cannon were fired from the main deck or through gun ports on one or two lower decks. They were mounted on small wheels, run out for firing, and brought back for reloading. Smaller swivel guns were used against borders.
Gunnery (the art of firing) did not significantly change until the 1850s. Long-range artillery fire played a very small part in naval warfare. Cannonballs did little damage at long range, and cannon fire was highly inaccurate. No two guns – or cannonballs – were exactly alike, and gunpowder also varied. The loose-fitting balls did not emerge on a true center line, and the recoil changed the setting at each firing. There were no sights, and guns could not be traversed from left to right. Although most guns could reach several thousand yards, the maximum effective range was 200 to 500 feet. Significantly, the expression "a long shot" was adopted by gamblers. (resten av artikeln handlar om taktik och sånt. Jag vet inte om det är intressant för tillfället, och dessutom skriver jag av det här för hand...)
Jag kan ju ingenting om sånna gamla leksaker...
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