Cannonball: history and types

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

The first cannonballs were invented in antiquity - only then the artillery shell was not made of metal, but was an ordinary stone of a more or less rounded shape. Later, with the advent of cannons, the cores began to be cast from molten metal in the form of a solid cast round body. The cores were the best projectiles for destroying the wooden decks of ships or for hitting a living enemy.

Cannonball

Cannonballs were one of the first projectiles used in firearms. Along with them were only shot and buckshot. But the nucleus began its history in ancient times. Stone shells began to be used in antiquity for mechanical artillery. The first cannonballs, which were made specifically for cannons, were exactly the same as those for stone-throwing machines. Such cores were made from processed stone, and gunsmiths tried to give the material a round shape not by hewing (in order to avoid bumps and bevels, which greatly affected the flight path), but in a very interesting way - with the help ofrope wrapping. A little later, stone cores began to be replaced by lead ones, which immediately became widespread among military weapons.

Calibration

In the 15th century, the cores began to be cast from cast iron. Their powerful weight had a beneficial effect on the length of the gun barrel - it was possible to increase it by 20 calibers. Initially, the caliber was not given much importance - when charging, the main thing was for the core to fit in the barrel of the gun, but whether it would be normal or too small - it doesn’t matter. Soon, gunsmiths came to the conclusion that the speed and trajectory of the cannonball directly depend on the correctly selected caliber. It was then that the first calibration scale appeared. This made it possible to adjust the size of the core to the barrel of the gun, making it slightly smaller.

Thanks to these changes, the core received maximum momentum during the explosion of gunpowder, flying out to the maximum distance. This is how the cannonball began to improve from the military side.

Kernel device

Few people know that the cannonball had multiple devices. Pay attention - in some historical films, the cannonball does not just break the wall of the building or the side of the ship, it also explodes. Do not confuse a solid cannonball and a bomb of the same shape. The difference was that the bomb was hollow inside. Gunpowder was loaded into it, and a wick was removed from a special hole. The fuse was set on fire, the cannon fired a projectile, and on contact with the surface it exploded.

But not only was the cannonball device a few centuries ago. Hardened cannonballs were widely used in military operations. The bombs did not always explode at the right time, sometimes the fuse burned out right in the barrel of the gun, tearing it apart.

What is a red-hot core?

Heated was the name of the core, which was heated in a special furnace before firing. This was done so that when the hot core hit the wooden surfaces or the deck of the ship, the wood would catch fire. And imagine what the result was if the red-hot metal fell into a barrel of gunpowder. A little later, the cores acquired an even more advanced look. Small metal balls were folded into specially made metal meshes. During the explosion, the mesh was torn. And the balls, like bullets, scattered in different directions, which led to even greater damage and casu alties. The only inconvenience experienced by the shooters was uneven surfaces. If the muzzle of the cannon tilted down, the cannonball would roll out to the shooter right under their feet. Because of this, at first, a lot of soldiers died, who simply did not have time to run back to a safe distance. Soon this problem was solved with the help of special props - wads.

What is the difference between bombs and projectiles?

The difference between bombs and simple projectiles was of great importance. Firstly, the weight of the cannonball was taken into account - the heavier it was (and the cannonballs were completely different in weight - from 2 kilograms to several hundred), the more destruction was expected from it. Outwardly distinguish where the grenade is, and wherethe core, it was possible only on the ears for the convenience of loading, which were made only at the bomb. Grenades were used exclusively for firing at the enemy, as well as for the destruction of field structures. Bombs also destroyed strong fortresses, ships or walls of a besieged city. Incendiary projectiles soon replaced the red-hot cannonballs. The bomb was filled with an incendiary mixture, fastened with special brackets, and a filter was brought out.

A little more about cores

So, we have learned what the structure of a cannonball is. It can be monolithic, hollow, stuffed, filled with an incendiary mixture. We also learned that the shells differed in structure and weight. And cannonballs (photos of which differed depending on the country) were an element of heraldic symbolism. On the coats of arms of different classes, they depicted from several cores to a neatly folded pyramid of shells.

The interesting facts include the following. The cores lying near the famous Tsar Cannon weigh about two tons each. Of course, you cannot shoot them, as they are completely hollow inside.

But in the Czech Republic, a cannonball has been preserved that got stuck in the wall of a house from the time of the Seven Years' War. The shell is covered with rust, but no one is going to take the relic out of the building. But not so long ago - just a couple of centuries ago - luminous nuclei were invented. The shells were fueled with white sparkler powder, and when they flew in the middle of the night, they were very clearly visible.