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An Exception

By Boquisucio on April 30, 2011 | | Comments (15)
Ah - Me thinks I found the one and only part of the Royal Wedding, that Massa John may like.



The 21-Gun Salute.

Boq

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15 Comments

By NevadaSteve on April 30, 2011 9:09 AM
I thought a 21 gun salute would have, silly me, 21 guns. Here you just have the same three guns firing seven times. Is it a budget thing or is it the way it's always been done?
 
By Skip on April 30, 2011 9:33 AM
Normal here I think would be seven guns three times.
 
By John (Not The Armorer) on April 30, 2011 10:09 AM
The significant number is the number of "BOOMs" not the number of tubes providing them.

Twenty on being the traditional highest number used as a ceremonial sign of respect, reserved for heads of state or other really big wigs.  Lesser numbers allowed for lesser mortals.
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 30, 2011 11:01 AM
What they said... with the added caveat that every US veteran also gets 21 Guns - at their funeral, by rifles, by volleys.  Big wigs get 'em by eaches.

I would note they fire slower than we do.  And we don't give individual commands to the gun shot by shot.   The XO, watching his stopwatch, simply points to each gun in turn.  You have 3-5 rounds extra, in case of misfires.  When there's a misfire, the XO immediately shifts to the next gun (in good drill, the crowd would never notice the delay).  The misfiring gun drops from the sequence, and immediately redistirbutes their ammuntion to the other guns.

And everybody hopes the misfire isn't just a slow-fire....

One thing about videos of this sort of thing - the bass element of the salute doesn't come through, only the high frequency stuff does.  You can *feel* a 21-gun salute.
 
By Adad Ronin on April 30, 2011 12:01 PM
I once had the chance to watch the Royal Horse Artillery, the guys in the clip above, fire a salute in Hyde Park, London. They came galloping over the rise, in ceremonial uniform, guns, limbers and all. The pulled the guns into firing position, dismounted, fired, limbered up the guns, mounted, and galloped off. It was all done in best 19th Century style, though the guns are, I believer, early 20th Century 17 pounders. Great fun.


 
By GunnerMk42 on April 30, 2011 12:41 PM
Due to budget cuts in the ministry, this is the only remaining battery, and they just expended 10 percent of their allocated ammo for this year.
(snark off/)
gunner
 
By Mark Matis on April 30, 2011 12:42 PM
Might be nice if the survivors of the individual being saluted could direct the aiming of the guns...
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 30, 2011 1:57 PM
Mark - yer a bitter, bitter Airdale.

AR -- those are 25-pounders.  The 17-pounders were anti-tank guns (not that you couldn't use them for saluting).
 
By Larry on April 30, 2011 2:35 PM
The RHA ceremonial troop uses Ordnance QF 13-pounders.
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 30, 2011 2:42 PM
Larry - as may be - but the guns in that video are 25-pounders, are they not?  With that muzzle brake, and the tube on top of the recoil cylinder, not below it?

Oh - wait, you're referring the ARs comment, not the video.  "Never mind," as I was conflating the two in my response to AR.
 
By Mark Matis on April 30, 2011 4:26 PM
John:
Is there any other kind?
}:-]
 
By TwoFiveZulu on April 30, 2011 8:17 PM
In relation to the timing of the shots, the Brits do seem to fire more slowly than we did. I did a lot of salutes as a career Gunner's Mate. The US Navy usually uses two guns, and the Chief in charge of the gun crews chants an old rhyme that goes with the salute and keeps the guns firing on time.:

If I wasn't  Gunner, I wouldn't be here.
Port gun shoot NOW !
If I wasn't a Gunner I wouldn't be here,
Starboard  gun shoot NOW !

 
By SFC D on May 1, 2011 9:13 PM
Begging your pardon, Sir John... "3 volleys" are specified for military funerals, not 21 guns.  It is usually 3 volleys of 7, although that is not required.
 
By Paul on May 2, 2011 11:42 AM
I have also seen the RHA doing their thing.  The officer running the timing also has a litle leather wallet with a sort of cribbage board and pegs to keep track of the shots.  Apparently that specific item has been in use for over 100 years.
 
By MCart on May 3, 2011 1:40 PM
I'm dissapointed, I don't hear anything going downrange.