15" Smoothbore Rodman Gun - Fort Pickens - Pensacola, FL
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member hummerstation
N 30° 19.637 W 087° 17.479
16R E 471995 N 3355087
15" Smoothbore Rodman Gun mounted on a center pintle barbette carriage.
Waymark Code: WMVBM4
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/28/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member bluesnote
Views: 4

This 15" Smoothbore Rodman Gun is located atop the Tower Bastion on the western side of Fort Pickens. A 15" Rodman like the one displayed was installed here in 1868. Its purpose was to protect the entrance to Pensacola Harbor. It was never fired in combat.

"Rodman gun" refers to a series of American Civil War–era cannon designed by Union artilleryman Thomas Jackson Rodman. The guns were designed to fire both shot and shell. These heavy guns were intended to be mounted in seacoast fortifications. They were built in 8-inch, 10-inch, 13-inch, 15-inch, and 20-inch bores. Other than size, the guns were all nearly identical in design, with a curving bottle shape, large flat areas with ratchets or sockets for the elevating mechanism. Rodman guns differed from all previous artillery because they were hollow cast using a water cooled core, a new technology that Rodman developed that resulted in cast iron guns that were much stronger than their predecessors. (As a retired foundry engineer I would love to have seen one being cast.)

This Rodman gun is mounted on a wrought iron coastal defense carriage. Served by a crew of 15, this smooth-bore gun could fire a 434 pound ball a distance of 4.5 miles.
What type of artillery is this?: 15" Smoothbore Rodman Gun

Where is this artillery located?: Monument grounds

What military of the world used this device?: USA, CSA

Artillery is no longer operational: yes

Still may work: no

Date artillery was in use: Not listed

Date artillery was placed on display: Not listed

Parking location to view this Waymark: Not Listed

Cost?: Not Listed

Are there any geocaches at this location?: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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Recent Visits/Logs:
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theHostas visited 15" Smoothbore Rodman Gun - Fort Pickens - Pensacola, FL 04/02/2018 theHostas visited it
Benchmark Blasterz visited 15" Smoothbore Rodman Gun - Fort Pickens - Pensacola, FL 12/30/2014 Benchmark Blasterz visited it

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