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