SCOTLAND, UK (23 Jan 2003) -- Archaeologists have recovered an extremely rare 17th century cannon from the wreck of the 'Swan', a Cromwellian warship lost in 1653 during a battle off the Isle of Mull. Dr. Colin Martin of the University of St Andrews, who discovered the historic cannon after 10 years excavating the Swan, believes it may be a "drake" and the only one of its kind still in existence. According to Dr. Martin, the cannon has the initials of John Browne who developed the revolutionary "drakes" in the 1620s as the royal gunfounder for King Charles I. "At first sight it looks like a very ordinary cannon, with two inscribed marks" said Dr. Martin. "One records its weight of 3 cwt 2 qtrs 23 lbs (totalling 415 pounds)." "The other consists of the letters 'IB' set on either side of the touch-hole. These are the founder's initials, and are almost certainly those of John Browne, King Charles I's royal gunfounder. In the 1620's Browne developed a completely revolutionary new type of gun, one which was much lighter for the weight of shot it fired, allowing more to be carried on the king's ships," added Dr Martin. The cannon recovered from the 'Swan' has an 82 mm bore (3 1/4 inches) and fired a 4-pound shot. "John Browne cast drakes in both metals, including the 92 bronze drakes (plus 10 non-drakes) cast for Charles I's mega- battleship 'Sovereign of the Seas' in 1637," said Dr. Martin. "The 'Swan', built in 1641, was the 'Sovereign's' much smaller sister, and was the last ship to be built for Charles I before he was overwhelmed by the Civil War. Her guns were exclusively iron." | | Dr. Colin Martin raising cannon with lift bags. Archaeologists at the National Museum of Scotland and St Andrews University hope their work to preserve the historical gun will confirm that it is the only iron "drake" still in existence. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
