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The ship's main gun battery consisted of two large wrought-iron, breech-loading
cannons called "bombardetas" that fired 8-cm diameter shot. The barrel
was made of several strips of iron forge-welded into a tube reinforced
with alternating wide bands and narrow hoops of wrought iron. |
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To fire the gun, a ball wrapped in cloth was placed in the breech and
a chamber containing the powder charge was dropped in the slot behind
the barrel and rammed against the breech by driving the quoin, a wooden
wedge, into place. Each cannon had several breech chambers, permitting
rapid loading and firing. |
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The space between the planks is caulked with tar and bit of rope to
make the deck watertight. |
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The barrel was lashed securely to a heavy oak bed stock fitted with
low wheels to facilitate moving and aiming the cannon. |
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Side of the ship is called the gunwale; the other side of the ship
would have been about 20 feet to the left. |
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The ship also had a matched pair of haquebuts or hand cannons, considered
outdated early in the 16th century. It is possible the haquebuts were
fired from the ship's fighting top-crow's nest or from the bow of the
ship's boat. |
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In order for water to drain away, the deck curves gently from a high
point at the centerline king plank, just under the butt of the bombardeta
gun carriage, to the gunwales. |
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Ships of the period typically carried as many as seven anchors. The
largest is called the sheet anchor, or "anchor of salvation." This anchor
was stored in the ship's hold and was found on top of the ballast mound.
With the exception of the ship's boat anchor, all others were missing.
The anchor's shank was broken by the violent explosive charges set off
by treasure hunters. |
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One of three types of breech-loading swivel guns which the ship carried.
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