Jump to content

TIL, today I learned....


Bevo&Pevo

Recommended Posts

20 hours ago, Tex Long said:

TIL

 

monkeyballs.jpg

Maybe. But also probably not.

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/brass-monkey.html

Quote

It has often been claimed that the "brass monkey" was a holder or storage rack in which cannon balls (or shot) were stacked on a ship. Supposedly when the "monkey" with its stack of cannon ball became cold, the contraction of iron cannon balls led to the balls falling through or off of the "monkey." This explanation appears to be a legend of the sea without historical justification. In actuality, ready service shot was kept on the gun or spar decks in shot racks (also known as shot garlands in the Royal Navy) which consisted of longitudinal wooden planks with holes bored into them, into which round shot (cannon balls) were inserted for ready use by the gun crew. These shot racks or garlands are discussed in: Longridge, C. Nepean. The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships. (Annapolis MD: Naval Institute Press, 1981): 64. A top view of shot garlands on the upper deck of a ship-of-the-line is depicted in The Visual Dictionary of Ships and Sailing. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1991): 17.

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

As someone that has sailed a traditional sailing warship, for a time, has stood at the spot (on the deck of the Victory) where Lord Nelson fell, and fired cannons in Greenwich, Portsmouth, Newport and Lisbon (almost Cadiz), I offer these observations:

1.  Those mf’ers are heavy.  If they started rolling around once, I bet changes were made such that it didn’t happen again.  Victory had 32 pounders (cannons that fired 32 pound cannon balls).

2.  They were at sea.  Oftentimes the Atlantic, which can be nasty.  The ships rolled around a lot.  The notion that these cannon balls we’re sitting around watching the thermometer drop and then, “voila!” sorta defies common sense.  Imagine the ship bouncing and rolling around a bunch.

3.  Most of these sailors were uneducated.  The saying about the British Navy was it was run by rum, sodomy and the lash.  I doubt they spent much time thinking about metal thermodynamics.

I think people like the story because it blends a little history with a little salty talk.  There is more interesting and better history about naval warfare.  Some of it salty too. 

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...