The Breechloading Rifle of Columbus
This little breechloading rifle was manufactured in 1863 by engineer W.J. McAllister using the wheel shaft of the sunken riverboat John C. Calhoun at the Columbus Naval Ironworks Company. Warren Ripley measured the bore at 2.75 inches. Ripley also gives the length overall as 61.25 inches, though he states that this doesn’t include the breechblock link (pg. 181).
USS Olympia - Protected Cruiser of the New Navy
USS Olympia was commissioned in 1895 at a time when wooden steam and sail ships of the “Old Navy” still actively cruised as part of the US Navy. She represents the “New Navy” and the end of the time period that this website actively covers. She is a unique survivor of the late 19th Century US Navy and a national treasure in need of our support!
5.3-Inch Parrott Breechloaders in Laconia, New Hampshire
Two US Navy 5.3-Inch Parrott Rifles originally manufactured as muzzle-loaders in 1864-1865 but converted to breechloaders in the 1870s are preserved and displayed on original carriages in Laconia, New Hampshire.