Changes in the role of the people Flashcards
why was reform needed in the 1790s?
Poor performance in the war of independence
1780s ship building
Ships still commissioned during peacetime
Middleton’s initiative
Coppering
expensive but effective
Royal ordnance
improved quality of guns
Blomefield policy on Naval Guns
every gun had to be fired 30 times before installed
firing mechanism had to be flintlock
Carronade
Shotgun fired grapeshot short-range quick to reload broader angle of fire
Intention of carronade
used on merchant ships
fired from deck so didn’t take up carrying capacity
First use of carronade on frigate
1782 HMS rainbow
Carronade action 1795
HMS Glatton armed entirely with carronades
devastated French ships in Indian Ocean
Carronade Battle of Trafalgar
2 Carronades on HMS Victory cleared top gun deck of French battleship
Why did use of carronades decline?
Long distance guns became more accurate
When were carronades phased out?
1851
first successful use of rockets
attack on Boulogne
October 1806
24 cutters fired 2,000 rockets at the city.
Effects of the congreve rocket
Physical effects limited
psychological effects more drastic
What were rockets used for?
ship to shore bombardment
Views on rockets in army
opposed
inaccurate and frivolous
Why were rockets discontinued?
Inaccuracy
stored poorly
advances in steel artillery
Armstrongs artillery developments
breech loading
cannon
why was breech loading better
quicker and simpler
what problems was Armstrong’s new cannon aim to overcome
slow loading barrel wear and poor accuracy
How did Armstrongs new cannon overcome these problems?
breech loading
projectiles coated in soft metal
Why weren’t Armstong’s guns used?
more maintenance needed
higher level of training
maxim gun
1884
600 rounds a minute
crew needed to move it set up and service