The Parrott rifle gun is a rifled gun loaded from the barrel. Massively used during the American Civil War .
The cannon was invented by Robert Parker Parrot, a graduate of West Point . He left service in 1836 and became the Superintendent of West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. In 1860, he created the first "Parrot weapon" and the corresponding projectile. The invention was patented in 1861.
Content
Manufacturing
The gun was made of cast iron and steel. Cast iron was good material, but too brittle. Parrot decided to strengthen the cast-iron barrel with a layer of steel. Similar tools were produced earlier, but Parrot developed a special welding method that helped to avoid many defects.
The guns were made either from cast iron and fastened in the breech by pressed iron hoops, or from strips of forged iron, which were wrapped on top with other strips, twisted in a spiral, and then welded together under the influence of high temperatures. The latter method was used, as a rule, to produce a 3-inch Parrot gun, which had an impact range of 1830 yards and a maximum range of 4000 yards.
- [1]
Combat use
The appearance of the Parrot rifled guns immediately changed the principles of fortification and coastal defense. The shelling of Fort Pulaski was indicative, where the guns showed their effectiveness against stone walls. In this battle, the damage from the 30-pound Parrots surprised both sides of the conflict.
In the battle of Entitem in 1862, the federal army used 42 guns of Parrot, the army of the Confederation - 36 guns.
The Brook Cannon
Types of guns
| Type of | barrel length | weight | shell | amount of gunpowder | maximum firing range | projectile flight time | team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.9-dm Arm. Parrot | 73 dm | 816 kg. | 4.5 kg shell | 0.45 kg. | 4,600 m at 20 degrees | 21 sec | 6 |
| 3.0 dm Arm. Parrot | 74 dm | 783 kg | 4.5 kg shell | 0.45 kg. | 1,670 m at 5 degrees | 17 sec | 6 |
| 3.67-dm Arm. Parrot | 79 dm | 814 kg. | 8.6 kg shell | 0.91 kg. | 4,000 at 15 degrees | 17 sec | 7 |
| 3.67-dm Arm. Parrot | 81 dm | 814 kg. | 8.6 kg shell | 0.91 kg. | 4,000 at 15 degrees | 17 sec | 7 |
| 4.2-dm Arm. Parrot | 126 dm | 1 900 kg. | 13 kg shell | 1.47 kg | 6,100 at 25 degrees | 27 sec | 9 |
| 4.2-dm Navy Parrot | 102 dm | 1 610 kg. | 13 kg shell | 1.47 kg | 6,100 at 25 degrees | 27 sec | 9 |
| 5.3-dm Navy Parrot | 111 dm | 2 460 kg. | 23 kg or 27 kg shell | 2.7 kg | 6,800 at 30 degrees | 30 sec | 14 |
| 5.3-dm Navy Parrot (breechload) | 111 dm | 2 378 kg. | 27 kg shell | 2.7 kg | 6,800 at 30 degrees | 30 sec | 14 |
| 6.4-dm Navy Parrot | 138 dm | 4 412 kg. | 36 or 45 kg shell | 4.5 kg | 7 140 at 30 degrees (80-lb) | 32 sec | 17 |
| 6.4-dm Navy Parrot (breechload) | 138 dm | 4 657 kg. | 36 or 45 kg shell | 4.5 kg | 7 140 at 30 degrees | 32 sec | 17 |
| 8-dm Navy Parrot | 146 dm | 7 500 kg. | 68 kg shell | 7.3 kg | 7,300 at 35 degrees | 180 sec | ? |
| 8 dm Arm. Parrot | 146 dm | 7,500 kg. | 91 kg shell | 7.3 kg | 7,300 at 35 degrees | ? | ? |
| 10 dm Arm. Parrot | 156 dm | 12,200 kg. | 140 kg shell | 12 kg | 8,200 at 30 degrees | 202.5 sec | ? |
10 pound Parrot 10 pound Parrot 20 pound Parrot 20 pound Parrot
In the literature
The Parrot’s weapon was mentioned by Jules Verne : “Naturally, they [the Americans] introduced their bold, sometimes daring ingenuity, into artillery science. Hence, their giant cannons, much less useful than their sewing machines, but just as amazing and even more admiring. Everyone knows the unusual firearms of Parrot, Dalgrin and Rodman. Their European colleagues Armstrong, Palizer and Trey de Beaulieu could only bow before their overseas rivals [2] . " In the novel “From the Earth to the Moon in a Direct Way in 97 Hours and 20 Minutes”, his heroes order materials for his gun at the Cold Spring factory, where Parrot worked.
Notes
- ↑ Mal K.M. Part II. Infantry and artillery. Chapter 2: Arms and tactics of artillery // Civil War in the USA (1861-1865): Development of military art and military equipment. - Mn. : Harvest, 2000. - P. 115. - (Military Historical Library). - ISBN 985-13-0184-1 .
- ↑ J. Vern. Sobr. Op. in 6 vol. T. 1, “Modern writer”, M., 1993
Links
- The 10 And 20pdr Parrott Rifle
- Shooting from a 10-pound Parrot, Part 1 on YouTube
- Shooting from a 10-pound Parrot, part 2 on YouTube
- Parrot gun video on YouTube
- Confederate Artillery, 11-minute YouTube video