A British gun sat ready to fire for over 230 years, until the NYPD stepped in.
It may be over 200 years since the Revolutionary War came to an end, but the British almost got a chance to fire one last shot in New York this past weekend. An antique cannon that has spent the last 100 years on display in New York City's Central Park was undergoing restoration when workers discovered that the cannon has been loaded and ready to fire for over two centuries.
The artillery piece was donated to the city after it was salvaged in New York's East River from a sunken British ship. The cannon was capped with a concrete stopper and put on public display in Central Park from in around 1860 until the mid 90s, when it was brought indoors to keep it from being vandalized.
The cannon was loaded over 230 years ago before the ship that was carrying it sunk, and has remained ready to fire ever since. Approximately 800 grams of fire-ready black powder, some cotton wadding, and a cannonball were sealed inside before NYPD officers disarmed the gun. Let's file this one under "That Could Have Been Bad."
It makes you wonder how many other old war relics are lying around out in the world ready to blow. Here in Georgia you can still find random Civil War artifacts lying around in the wilderness.
Fappy: It makes you wonder how many other old war relics are lying around out in the world ready to blow. Here in georgia you can still find random Civil War artifacts lying around in the wilderness.
Probably more than anyone of us would feel comfortable with. It's kind of like the landmine problem; weapons of war don't surrender once one side wins, they just sit and wait to to kill something.
In this case, I doubt the cannon would have been able to successfully fire the ball, given its deteriorated condition. I imagine if the black powder had been ignited, the cannon itself might have just turned into a giant bomb, which could be even more deadly.
Fappy: It makes you wonder how many other old war relics are lying around out in the world ready to blow. Here in georgia you can still find random Civil War artifacts lying around in the wilderness.
Probably more than anyone of us would feel comfortable with. It's kind of like the landmine problem; weapons of war don't surrender once one side wins, they just sit and wait to to kill something.
In this case, I doubt the cannon would have been able to successfully fire the ball, given its deteriorated condition. I imagine if the black powder had been ignited, the cannon itself might have just turned into a giant bomb, which could be even more deadly.
I was thinking the same thing. Kind of like when an antique gun backfires DX
Fappy: It makes you wonder how many other old war relics are lying around out in the world ready to blow. Here in Georgia you can still find random Civil War artifacts lying around in the wilderness.
You call your public schools a wilderness? Things must be harder down there than I thought.
That thing won't be firing any time soon, even if it was loaded with gunpowder. Look at the state of it!
Worst case scenario, and I mean an incredibly unlikely if even possible worst case scenario, it blows itself up if someone had tried to set it off deliberately.
It might have been a danger 200 years ago, but now it's far, far too damaged to pose a threat.
There's a story ready to write itself. A comedy about a British cannon accidentally going off into some schmo's apartment in New York sparking a war with the Brits.
It might have been a danger 200 years ago, but now it's far, far too damaged to pose a threat.
Decidedly deteriorated bronze tube, filled with gunpowder, held in place by a large metal ball? That's not a cannon, that's a fragmentation grenade. Pretty sure we can call that a threat. Also do keep in mind that by that time the British navy was in the habit of using pre-packed charge dishes, as they were waterproof. that, in combination with it being sealed by a cannonball, pretty much ensured it didn't get wet.
It might have been a danger 200 years ago, but now it's far, far too damaged to pose a threat.
Decidedly deteriorated bronze tube, filled with gunpowder, held in place by a large metal ball? That's not a cannon, that's a fragmentation grenade. Pretty sure we can call that a threat.
Wasn't it water-damaged? That gunpowder can't still be combustible after all that time. gunpowder certainly isn't water proof and if it spent nearly 200 years outside...
Wasn't it water-damaged? That gunpowder can't still be combustible after all that time. gunpowder certainly isn't water proof and if it spent nearly 200 years outside...
Edited that in as after-thought, but I'll just say it again: if you check the video, you'll see a copper dish holding the gunpowder, much alike a cookie jar. That's a cartridge, used by the British navy to make the loading process faster, safer, and more reliable. The advantage over the cloth sacks used before was that - you guessed it - they were water-proof.
I can assure you. After that time the powder has degraded to the point where if it was going to off, it would have. Once you add moisture to black powder it tends to not burn. 200 years of sitting dormant in a wet environment like Manhattan, the powder is useless.
However, cannons are one of those awesome things that will always work no matter what. As long as the Breech is clear and undamaged it will fire. No moving parts, no way for it to mechanically fail.
Fappy: It makes you wonder how many other old war relics are lying around out in the world ready to blow. Here in georgia you can still find random Civil War artifacts lying around in the wilderness.
Probably more than anyone of us would feel comfortable with. It's kind of like the landmine problem; weapons of war don't surrender once one side wins, they just sit and wait to to kill something.
In this case, I doubt the cannon would have been able to successfully fire the ball, given its deteriorated condition. I imagine if the black powder had been ignited, the cannon itself might have just turned into a giant bomb, which could be even more deadly.
I was thinking the same thing. Kind of like when an antique gun backfires DX
Looking at the article it was CAPPED. So that was just a bomb on display.... Still active..... "look kids that could kill you right now!"
Fappy: It makes you wonder how many other old war relics are lying around out in the world ready to blow. Here in georgia you can still find random Civil War artifacts lying around in the wilderness.
Probably more than anyone of us would feel comfortable with. It's kind of like the landmine problem; weapons of war don't surrender once one side wins, they just sit and wait to to kill something.
In this case, I doubt the cannon would have been able to successfully fire the ball, given its deteriorated condition. I imagine if the black powder had been ignited, the cannon itself might have just turned into a giant bomb, which could be even more deadly.
You're forgetting the part where it was capped with concrete, or am I missing some piece of vital info that is currently making me look stupid?
Fappy: It makes you wonder how many other old war relics are lying around out in the world ready to blow. Here in georgia you can still find random Civil War artifacts lying around in the wilderness.
Probably more than anyone of us would feel comfortable with. It's kind of like the landmine problem; weapons of war don't surrender once one side wins, they just sit and wait to to kill something.
In this case, I doubt the cannon would have been able to successfully fire the ball, given its deteriorated condition. I imagine if the black powder had been ignited, the cannon itself might have just turned into a giant bomb, which could be even more deadly.
I was thinking the same thing. Kind of like when an antique gun backfires DX
Zhukov: Can black powder sit around that long and still be, y'know... boom capable?
no particular reason it shouldn't be although black powder is renowned for being a stubborn and unstable product, and if it gets wet or contaminated with other chemicals it becomes unpredictable but would rarely self ignite in our cannon here i guess some of the chemicals could have reacted with the charge casing but that would be a minimal loss of reactants my guess is it would still detonate if you used a charge cap on it and probably fragment the cannon tube into some nice shrapnel
most modern explosives, by contrast are very stable and require serious punishment or contamination with harsh corrosives to explode you literally cannot detonate c4, for example without a detonator cap you can shoot it, set fire to it, hammer it, stamp on it melt it, dissolve it into a goop with acids ect ect, but only a blasting cap will deliver enough shock to set it off
McMullen: I think this highlights a really important issue that isn't being talked about enough: artillery control legislation.
... Well played sir. Well played.
Have a cookie. (I'm afraid it's an invisible one.)
OT: I know it probably would have exploded like an overly large frag grenade, assuming the gunpowder is still viable (which, as some people have pointed out, could actually be the case), but a part of me wishes they'd tried to fire it.
And, well, huh. There's been a genuine British military presence in New York for 200 years. Does this mean we can claim to have been occupying New York? Maybe just Central Park?
EDIT:
ritchards: Hey, hey, hey, disabling that is a serious blow to the second amendment. The NRA will be all over them for daring to make a weapon safe!
Nah, it's ours (British), and we don't have a second amendment, so it's cool.
Radoh: There's a story ready to write itself. A comedy about a British cannon accidentally going off into some schmo's apartment in New York sparking a war with the Brits.
Forget about a comedy. That could be the premise for the next Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - The American Revolution: Part 2 - This time it's personal: FUCK YEAH AMERICA! Edition
Seriously though, I'm so glad they caught this. With the way the cannon had been capped, and as finicky as black powder can be, the thing was basically a bomb waiting to go off.
Radoh: There's a story ready to write itself. A comedy about a British cannon accidentally going off into some schmo's apartment in New York sparking a war with the Brits.
Forget about a comedy. That could be the premise for the next Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - The American Revolution: Part 2 - This time it's personal: FUCK YEAH AMERICA! Edition
Seriously though, I'm so glad they caught this. With the way the cannon had been capped, and as finicky as black powder can be, the thing was basically a bomb waiting to go off.
Yeah, it would definitely fit the current trend of satirising the Modern Warfare series, that's for sure.
Radoh: There's a story ready to write itself. A comedy about a British cannon accidentally going off into some schmo's apartment in New York sparking a war with the Brits.
I woulda laughed far too hard, people were vandalizing it apparently?
Just imagine if those vandals had managed to set this two hundred year old pipebomb off in their faces. xD
Loaded Revolutionary War Cannon Discovered in Central Park
A British gun sat ready to fire for over 230 years, until the NYPD stepped in.
It may be over 200 years since the Revolutionary War came to an end, but the British almost got a chance to fire one last shot in New York this past weekend. An antique cannon that has spent the last 100 years on display in New York City's Central Park was undergoing restoration when workers discovered that the cannon has been loaded and ready to fire for over two centuries.
The artillery piece was donated to the city after it was salvaged in New York's East River from a sunken British ship. The cannon was capped with a concrete stopper and put on public display in Central Park from in around 1860 until the mid 90s, when it was brought indoors to keep it from being vandalized.
The cannon was loaded over 230 years ago before the ship that was carrying it sunk, and has remained ready to fire ever since. Approximately 800 grams of fire-ready black powder, some cotton wadding, and a cannonball were sealed inside before NYPD officers disarmed the gun. Let's file this one under "That Could Have Been Bad."
Source: CBS via Geekosystem
[Image credit: Gigi4791]
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