previous post next post  

Coast Artillery

By The Armorer on May 6, 2005 | | Comments (57) | TrackBacks (1)

The pictures of the stuff in the Phillipines having made JTG giddy, let's try this.


Canadian Coast Artillery - thoughtfully provided by CAPT H. If you want a hi-res version, click here.


Anybody know what (I'm guessing perhaps a sight) went in that dovetail on top of the breech?

Share This Article:

Share |

Categories:

1 Trackbacks

TrackBack this entry at http://www.thedonovan.com/cgi-bin/mt41/mt-tb.fcgi/3997

Home Defense from Dog Snot Diaries on May 6, 2005 5:42 PM

I decided to splurge today and add a member to my family of home defense. Since John makes me drool with the majority of his posts, I'm hoping to return the favor.... Read More

57 Comments

By Justthisguy on May 6, 2005 4:17 PM
Giddy? *Giddy*!? I'm ec-[obscene present participle]-static! Mmm, Whitworth! (I think) 'cause of the extra mass on the breech crank. Of course, I could be wrong, but what the hey, Armstrong and Whitworth did eventually get together to make cool guns and frighteningly ugly airplanes.
 
By Justthisguy on May 6, 2005 5:49 PM
That dovetail seems too huge for any sight. Maybe a crane for loading the thing?
 
By Neffi on May 6, 2005 7:40 PM
I'll second JTG's guess- a davit to assist loading the shell. And I believe that's a Garrison Sliding Carriage(TM)...
 
By John of Argghhh on May 6, 2005 9:02 PM
That's a pretty good guess. Gonna hafta dig out the references.
 
By Neffi on May 6, 2005 9:59 PM
Hmm... I'm gonna apologize here. Some may consider this to be mere semantics, but- JTG's 'guess' on that there dove-tail was not a guess, but a considered opinion. A "guess" is kinda like a wild shot at hopefully, maybe, being in the ballpark... My bad... heh. Gotta get up at zero-dark-thirty tomorrow, so - night all
 
By SangerM on May 7, 2005 12:18 AM
Any chance that's a top loading gun, and the slot is for feeding the projectile or power bags? into the breach which is then screwed in? A blow-up of the gun makes it look like a shell could heve been slid in from the top, up under that steel band, just foward of the slot, note the half-circle cut-out in the band and how it looks hollow beneath it... Just wonderin'
 
By David S on May 7, 2005 3:27 AM
I once saw this model of Whitworth demonstrated on the History channel (a show about forts, IIRC). The area on top is where the breechblock rests when the gun is opened. The breechblock slides vertically in to the slot, then the screw is cranked down to hold it in place. When the piece is opened, the crew lifts the breechblock out and lays in in that top slot so it is out of the way of the rammer. The screw is hollow down the center so the shell & powder can be loaded. In the picture, it looks like there is a shell sitting in the screw, as though waiting to be rammed.
 
By John of Argghhh on May 7, 2005 9:50 AM
Neffi - snark snark snark snark. Everybody else - thanks! This is a particular model of gun I've no familiarity with at all.
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 10:16 AM
Oh? And my 'considered opinion' is somehow snark-worthy, compared to your own base iggerance? And you a cannoneer, to boot... for shame.
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 10:53 AM
ps... Castle Argghhh! is #6 on Google for "Whitworth gun" heh
 
By kat-missouri on May 7, 2005 4:44 PM
breech load, screws and slides...my kinda conversation.
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 5:08 PM
Hi Kat- let's not forget the whole length-versus-girth issue. Some say a mortar will do the job; others like the longer barrel for it's reaching capacity. Both will easily penetrate the target, but finding the ideal combination of the two... well, that's the trick, eh?
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 5:35 PM
Kat, I read what you wrote. Shame on you. You trying to make the PG-17 all incontinent and phobic and PTSD-ish or sumthin'? Next thing, I betcha we'll be hearing about Barbette Mountings. The shame! P.S. Neffi, please don't encourage her!
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 5:56 PM
No Barbette Mounting here! It's all out in the open, with this breechloader and bare-chested breechloader! Manly Guys Doing Manly Things There, that should give Kat something to swoon upon. I prefer cute female sonarmen with glasses, m'self.
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 6:20 PM
Hiya JTG... why would the PG-17 be concerned with a discussion on artillery? I mean, c'mon- breech-loaders became the standard because its faster and more efficient to ram your load in from the rear, rather than down the throat. And those big ol' iron balls were just too much too handle when things got hot and furious... ps- I don't believe Kat from Mizzou needs or requires encouragement from the likes of me...
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 6:26 PM
Well, Neffi, then you should stop doing it, maybe? Some people seem to have no sense of social limits, and can sometimes take suggestive statements and run away with them mentally. Not that I know anybody like that. I categorically deny that I mostly never do it because I'm not as good at it as some obviously depraved people.
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 6:50 PM
JTG- pracice, practice, practice! Or you'll never earn your Obvious Depravity badge. Such a help at the supermarket; check-out lines just seem to melt away in front of you... heh
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 7:45 PM
Be careful what you wish for, Neffi, for, as the saying goes, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn Pro!" Check out this, and tell me I haven't gone from depraved to disgusting. Can you pick out Kat in this picture? Hey, guys, I really do appear perfectly normal IRL! Honest!
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 7:57 PM
Confucious say... "Everyone seem normal, until you get to know them" ...or was that Will Rogers?? I allus confuse the two. If'n I had to take a chance, Kung-fu Kat would be the one stiff-arming the sailor over the wall...
 
By John of Argghhh on May 7, 2005 8:09 PM
This is no fair. *I* can't get the finagle-danged site to open!
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 8:14 PM
Yup, heel of hand is recommended by all, for driving nose-bone fragments up into brains of rude pipple. Didja notice the the two "normals" seem to be losing the fight against the sailors and "girls who like sailors"? Oh, and I dunno what detail of the female body lights off yer favorite fetish, but this Cadmus fella is a superb draftsman when it comes to bottoms. I mean, even some of the boys... Let's not go there, except to say that that artist was an artist, and maybe a little fixated, when it came to drawing images of human bottoms.
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 8:17 PM
Dang, JoA! It's like, .mil, and all!
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 7, 2005 8:20 PM
Yeah, I know. But for whatever reason, I can't get there from here. Never have been able to. Even from behind the .mil firewall at work. Heh
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 8:23 PM
NRL can read minds these days, you know. Maybe if you started thinking nice thoughts about sailors, they'd let you in.
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 8:56 PM
Umm, JoA, have you thought of firing up an AOL bisk in a laptop, sneaking over to yer absent neighbor's house, plugging yer phone plug into his customer interface (AKA "steal phone service here" jack), while nobody's looking? Always assuming you'd previously wiped your machine clean. I mean, redlegs tend to be honest and straightforwards, but sometimes you just have to be devious and pretend to be somebody else. Those Navy sites are too hilarious not to be shared among all of the services, dammit!
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 9:15 PM
Well, Neffi, to tease JoA some more, I do think that the second person from the left in that picture, the one between the Grandma type and the "normal" guy, has the most lusciously, lasciviously, and, yes, lewdly drawn bottom of any woman in that picture. What do you think? Hey, far as I'm concerned, she has the ass of Venus!
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 9:21 PM
Could be... my eye was drawn by the brandy flask being offered by the civvie. Yer certainly right that le artiste has a flair for curvaceous bottoms... hm- fleets have 'bottoms', and the flask implies 'bottoms up!'. The incumbent sailor is on his bottom, and the one going over the wall soon will be. The only character not bottoming in some way is the dog...
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 9:24 PM
...and of course the grannie- who, from her look, has seen it all before, eh? Sailors were the same in her day, ya'know
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 9:33 PM
The Grannie is obviously green with envy, and regretful about missed opportunities when she was young. Sigh! As am I. Double Sigh!!
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 9:38 PM
JTG, rue not your missed opportunities! The fleet will be in again next week hehehe (ducks for cover)
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 9:50 PM
Not in this town! Besides which, cute nerd chicks tend to get snapped up quickly, and there is not a large number of them, to start with. I'm afraid that my unattainable internet Naval female Sonar Nerd crush is destined to remain forever unrequited.
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 10:03 PM
I like the cute nerd chicks myself. But you may be handicapping yourself by hoping for a sonar op... I mean, c'mon- there are X number of sonar operators; of them, a much smaller number are female. Divide that small number by 'cute nerd', and then extrapolate your chances of meeting her... if she's single and available. Libraries are good places to meet be-spectacled, cute nerd chicks... and there's one in your town. Where is that, anyhoo?
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 7, 2005 10:08 PM
Did someone say "Cute Nerd Chick?" That's me! *raises hand and waves wildly*
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 10:11 PM
Lioness!!!! We were worried bout ya- you haven't been snarkin' around. Welcome back...
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 7, 2005 10:12 PM
Hi, guys! It looks like I missed a fun discussion. :) Anybody still here?
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 7, 2005 10:13 PM
Hi! Had a rough week. :(
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 10:13 PM
...um, yer not a sonar operator, perchance? Cuz if so, JTG may have a proposition for ya
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 7, 2005 10:18 PM
No, sorry. :( Just another reason to regret my civilian status, I guess... ;)
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 10:21 PM
Dinna regret, lassie- yer a teacher, that's purely as good as a lecherous, beer swilling, rifle-slinging military goon. (ahem) How ya bin, girlie?
 
By Justthisguye on May 7, 2005 10:33 PM
Oh, Hi, FbL, was just gonna answer Neffi. What I was going to say to Neffi is, that boys and girls are on differently-shaped bell curves, that is, that there are more weird men, both in good and bad ways, than there are weird women. You know, if you like Mozart, you have to put up with Manson. Most women seem to be, well, uh, normal. If you want a non-normal woman to hang out with, well, yer competing with some very competent guys. That said, the 3 or 4 wimmin who have deigned to keep company with me for any time at all were right weird: One asked me if I rocked. (She did.) Another was even more literal-minded than I, and kicked me out of bed for breathing too loudly. Another had masculine spacial-visualisation skills, and made a good living as a draftsman for a while. Even wimmin with autistic tendencies, or traits, got fed up with me. Maybe I have weird nature and bad nurture? I dunno. Dang! I can't believe am baring my soul like this! Shall I punch "send"? Y'all will know if ya see this.
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 7, 2005 10:39 PM
LOL at Neffi! I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult, haha! :)
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 10:50 PM
Good call JTG- for hitting send. Sounds like yer out there and 'calling the raise' wit the chicks. I can raise the ante with tales of some wierd ones, too... I really dunno about your statement bout most women being 'normal', though... in my own experience women are as screwed up as men, and normality is as you find it- which is usually bouncing off the walls and trying to find the exit.
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 11:07 PM
Hey, I was able to help two of those wimmin to arm themselves, so it weren't all bad. I'd trust either of them to walk behind me with loaded piece in hand more than I would yer average neurotypical woman, so I think it worked out alright.
 
By Neffi on May 7, 2005 11:12 PM
...mmmmmmmmmmm... woman with a piece. My favorite.. nice rapping with you guys- gonna hit the sack now. Gotta be up with the sun... salut!
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 7, 2005 11:20 PM
Well, JTG, can't speak to you being normal or not (I'm definitely NOT one to judge), but you seem to fit in just fine around here, despite your protestations. :)
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 11:36 PM
Well, FbL, now that Neffi has retired, and won't do any more annoying provocations on account of not being here, maybe we can sit back for a moment, like grownups, and think about what we're doing. Oh yeah, to start with: Is it even *possible* to get back on to the original topic. More important, how do we arrange that John of Argghhh! gets a look at what's behind those nasty perverted Navy links?
 
By Justthisguy on May 7, 2005 11:53 PM
Well, FbL, we're just in the elementary stages of the investigation, of why JoA cain't look at history.navy.mil, which is a crying shame. Any ideas which might help us here? Have his kid look the data up at school and mail it home? Or something? I trust you've seen the funny stuff yerself. Yeeks! Like Neffi (that pervert) I find myself becoming very sleepy. 'fraid I must withdraw, and say nigh t night, folks!
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 8, 2005 12:09 AM
Night, JTG. I didn't mean to bail on you, but my ISP went squirrely. Have a good night. :)
 
By Neffi on May 8, 2005 8:59 AM
Wow- I progressed from Obvious Depravity to Annoyingly Provocative Pervert... in my sleep! Man, I'm good... heh
 
By kat-missouri on May 8, 2005 1:47 PM
Dang, missed the fun. I would probably be the chick giving the palm of the hand to the nose or chin (whichever it was). I require at least a modicum of courtship before the grope. LOL Cannons and mortars each serve their purpose my dear boys. It is all in the load and accuracy of the gun crew that makes a difference.
 
By Justthisguy on May 8, 2005 10:47 PM
Kat, that's what I figured. Faint heart never won fair lady, rude approach gets painful consequences. (in an ideal world)
 
By Justthisguy on May 8, 2005 10:53 PM
Say, where did The Donovans go? Are they working, or having fun, or being sick and grumpy, or otherwise looking out for their interests instead of ours?
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 9, 2005 8:14 AM
Um, JTG, yes. I took a blog-break this weekend.
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on May 9, 2005 9:21 AM
So, it's no longer the weekend... ;) Where's the goods?
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 9, 2005 9:34 AM
Heh. Finally I can see the art JTG links to.
 
By Punctilious on May 9, 2005 11:43 AM
Hi JTG. You gotta prioritize. Cute, being in the eye of the beholder, can generally be enhanced or negotiated. Nerd, however, is a core value learned from an early age!
 
By redleg on May 13, 2005 5:24 AM
most likely a direct fire telescope, as most coast artillery fires LOS