Cannon on a Depressing Carriage - Gibraltar
Posted by: 
denben
N 36° 08.693 W 005° 21.186
30S E 288291 N 4002583
The repliqua of a cannon mounted on a depressing carriage invented in February 1782 by Lt Koehler and used in the Great Siege of Gibraltar, is located in Grand Casemates Square, Gibraltar.
Waymark Code: WM17KYK
Location: Gibraltar
Date Posted: 03/06/2023
Views: 6
"The Koehler Depressing Carriage was a novel type of gun carriage invented in 1782 by Lt George Frederick Koehler of the Royal Artillery. It was devised to enable cannon to be fired at a steeply downward-facing angle and was made necessary by the peculiar circumstances that the British Army faced during the Great Siege of Gibraltar between 1779–83. The carriage saw active service during the siege, when it was used to support the British counter-bombardment of Spanish and French artillery batteries during the successful defence of Gibraltar. Its success made Koehler famous and has been commemorated in a number of different forms over the last 230 years." (
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The plaque on the base of the monument bears the following text: "MUCH DIFFICULTY WAS EXPERIENCED DURING THE GREAT SIEGE IN FIRING DOWN ONTO SPANISH WORKS ON THE ISTHMUS. LIEUT. KOEHLER INVENTED THIS DEPRESSING CARRIAGE WHICH WAS MOUNTED AT PRINCESS ROYAL BATTERY IN FEBRUARY 1782 AFTER EXPERIMENTS IN THE PRESENCE OF GENERAL ELIOTT.