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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:27 am 
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Location: Cypress, TX
The Brutus was a schooner armed and commissioned in February 1836. She was 180 feet in length with a 22 foot beam and carried a “long 18-pounder and nine short guns”. She sailed on a cruise that caused havoc along the Gulf shore and Yucatan coast, taking the conflict into Mexican waters while capturing several prize ships. In her short career the Brutus did her share to help the Republic of Texas through its stormy infancy.

In October of 1837 a tremendous gale swept the Texas coast, destroying a number of structures and wrecking a score of ships. The Brutus was mentioned as being “considerably injured”. Contemporary reports stated that she was left grounded near Williams Wharf in Galveston.

In 1884 the harbor near William’s Wharf was being deepened when the dredges uncovered two of the Brutus’ guns and a section of her frame. They were mounted in the yard of John Stoddart Brown, a prominent Galveston businessman but disappeared during the great 1900 storm that leveled much of the city. In 1963 the 18-pounder was discovered during the construction of a service station. As of this date it exhibited at the Seaport Museum on the Galveston “Strand”.

I was recently commissioned to make a worm, ram rod, and sponge for this 10’ long, 4900 lb., 18 pounder. These have joined the display of the big cannon at the museum.
These rods are huge and easily the biggest I have ever made. Holding a 10’ long rammer, with a 5” diameter head on it makes one really consider what it must have been like to service a cannon like this on the deck of a moving ship.

I like the feeling of having my work join such a historical piece.

In this hobby of mine, I have taken great satisfaction knowing that the cannon carriages and implements I have made, could still be around in hundreds of years.

I took these pictures when I delivered the rods to the museum.
Zulu


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:17 pm 
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Location: Skagit Co WA
!!!

Words escape me.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:28 pm 
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ZULU: Would you share any information you have about the original carriage/mount for the piece. If the photos show the original , how was the piece trained and advanced to fire? I get the midline mounting point and the swivel feature but can't get my mind wrapped around the serving routine :confused:

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:48 pm 
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newtooth wrote:
ZULU: Would you share any information you have about the original carriage/mount for the piece. If the photos show the original , how was the piece trained and advanced to fire? I get the midline mounting point and the swivel feature but can't get my mind wrapped around the serving routine :confused:



newtooth,
The mount is just a stand that someone made up many years ago and it's not even a little close to what it is supposed to look like.

I believe this gun sat on a carriage that had a pivot point in front and wheels in back that traversed a circular track. This could spin from port to starboard.

I would really like to find some kind of drawing. but I don't think I'll be able to.
That was a common type of carriage in the Civil War. Here is an example of a Civil War barbette carriage that I made. Note the wheels in the rear on a make shift piece of track and the block in the front that has a pin sticking up out of it so the carriage rests on the pin. Since the carriage is sitting on the pin, you won't be able to see it.
Zulu

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