Vulgar words in Artillery Through the Ages - A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America (Page 1)
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~ ~ ~ Sentence 591 ~ ~ ~
Furthermore, midway of the 1500's, Henry II greatly simplified French ordnance by holding his artillery down to the 33-pounder cannon, 15-pounder great culverin, 7-1/2-pounder bastard culverin, 2-pounder small culverin, a 1-pounder falcon, and a 1/2-pounder falconet.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 594 ~ ~ ~
(pounds) (pounds) (pounds) Rabinet 1.0 300 0.3 0.18 Serpentine 1.5 400 .5 .3 Falconet 2.0 3 9 500 1.0 .4 Falcon 2.5 6 0 680 2.0 1.2 Minion 3.5 6 6 1,050 5.2 3 Saker 3.65 6 11 1,400 6 4 Culverin bastard 4.56 8 6 3,000 11 5.7 Demiculverin 4.0 3,400 8 6 Basilisk 5.0 4,000 14 9 Culverin 5.2 10 11 4,840 18 12 Pedrero 6.0 3,800 26 14 Demicannon 6.4 11 0 4,000 32 18 Bastard cannon 7.0 4,500 42 20 Cannon serpentine 7.0 5,500 42 25 Cannon 8.0 6,000 60 27 Cannon royal 8.54 8 6 8,000 74 30 Like many gun names, the word "culverin" has a metaphorical meaning.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 659 ~ ~ ~
The English language has inelegantly descriptive terms for the three degrees of "fortification": (1) bastard, (2) legitimate, and (3) double-fortified.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 661 ~ ~ ~
Spanish double-fortified culverins were charged with the full weight of the ball in powder; four-fifths that amount went into the legitimate, and only two-thirds for the bastard culverin.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 665 ~ ~ ~
This table compares the three degrees of fortification used in Spanish culverins: Wall thickness in 8ths of caliber Vent Trunnion Chase Bastard culverin 7 5 3 Legitimate culverin 8 5-1/2 3-1/2 Double-fortified culverin 9 6-1/2 4 As with culverins, so with cannon.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 687 ~ ~ ~
_Fortification of sixteenth and seventeenth century guns_ ------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------- ¦ Thickness of bore wall ¦ ¦ in 8ths of the caliber ¦ Spanish Guns +-------+---------+-------+ English guns ¦ Vent ¦Trunnions¦ Chase ¦ ------------------------+-------+---------+-------+--------------------- ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ Light cannon; ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ bell-chambered cannon ¦ 6 ¦ 4-1/2 ¦ 2-1/2 ¦ Bastard cannon.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 688 ~ ~ ~
Demicannon ¦ 6 ¦ 5 ¦ 3 ¦ Common cannon; common ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ siege cannon ¦ 7 ¦ 5 ¦ 3-1/2 ¦ Light culverin; common ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ battering cannon ¦ 7 ¦ 5 ¦ 3 ¦ Bastard culverin; ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ legitimate cannon.