Firing the 30-pounder rifled Parrott cannon: Fort Pulaski, GA

This video shows a demonstration I witnessed of the firing of a 30-pounder rifled Parrott cannon at the Fort Pulaski National Monument, Savannah, Georgia on June 13, 2015. I got a good view of the demonstration by sitting on the rampart of the fort. While I had the camera focused on the gun crew, waiting for the firing, I kept saying to myself, “Don’t flinch, don’t flinch!” I managed to keep the camera steady when the shocking blast came. Proud of myself. 😊 The actual report was much louder than it sounds in the video. My digital camera gagged on a sound that loud (automatic gain control). The demonstrators had first fired the 12-pounder howitzer you see in the background. The audience liked that. The 30-pounder report was MUCH louder. The audience REALLY liked that and applauded loudly. I silenced portions of the video to eliminate wind noise. No projectile, no (visible) recoil. The cannon is called a 30-pounder (not 30-pound) because the shell it fired weighed a nominal 30 pounds. It is called a rifled cannon – as opposed to a smoothbore cannon – because spiral grooves are cut into the inside of the barrel. The grooves cause the projectile to spin in flight, improving its accuracy and range. “Parrott” refers to Robert Parker Parrott, who invented the cannon type in 1860. Parrott cannons can be recognized by the reinforcing wrought iron band shrunk onto the breech of the guns. They ranged in size from 10-pounders to giant 300-pounder guns. The 20-pounder was usually the biggest Parrott cannon used in the field, i.e., mobile. Bigger guns would be used in fortifications and in the Navy. Parrott cannons had a poor reputation for safety. 30-pounder Parrott rifled cannon: Bore diameter: 4.2 inches Length: 126 inches Weight: 4,200 pounds Weight of shell fired: 29 pounds (also fired a 24-pound bolt) Usual charge: pounds black powder Range: 6,700 yards (3.8 miles) at 25 degrees elevation Flight time: 27 seconds Full crew: 9 If you like cannon firing, see my video of the 12-pounder howitzer firing at Fort Laramie in Wyoming: If you are watching this video, you must be interested in the American Civil War. So you’d probably enjoy Book 1 and Book 2 in my Gavin MacKenzie Civil War Naval Adventure series: The Carolinas: Duel at Hampton Roads: ---------- Enjoy the video! And I hope you’ll click on my smiling subscribe button. And visit my website for details on all my Western and Civil War novels, as well as links to information on the Old West, the Civil War Afloat, fiction writing, etc. Look for the “Duel at Hampton Roads“ icon at the end of the video. I also have a direct link at the end of this video to my video on Fort Pulaski itself and its capture in the Civil War: But I have lots of videos in various categories on my YouTube channel: Jim