The 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Gun at Carrickfergus Castle
Low Moor Ironworks 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun displayed at Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. Photo by David Pollock.
A Low Moor Ironworks 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothboore Muzzleloading Gun displayed at Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. The carriage is stamped 1860 - a possible date of manufacture for the cannon. The photos in this post are courtesy of page subscriber David Pollock. Many thanks to him for sharing them with us all!
The 68-Pounder was produced in different lengths and barrel weights, however the 95 Hundredweight 10-foot long type was by far the most common in service. The 95 hundredweight model was first manufactured in 1846. It's weight, 95 Hundredweight, is 10,640 pounds. It's bore measured just over 8-inches in caliber (I've seen 8.12 inches). The cannon fired a 68-pound shot with as much as a 16-pound propellant charge in service.
With my focus on US Navy ordnance, I find it interesting to compare the 68-Pounder to the US Navy's 9-Inch Dahlgren which weighed about 9,200 pounds and could fire a roughly 90-pound shot using a 10-pound service charge of propellant. (13-Pound charges were approved during the Civil War for close actions with ironclads.) However, the 9-Inch Dahlgren was conceived of as primarily a shell gun that had the capability of firing shot when necessary.
Low Moor Ironworks 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun displayed at Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. Photo by David Pollock.
Information about the cannon stamped on the carriage.
Low Moor Ironworks 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun displayed at Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. Photo by David Pollock.
Low Moor Ironworks 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun displayed at Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. Photo by David Pollock.
