Martello Towers, firepower and tactics?

[Flamingo]

Hi

Strange question for a first post, would any of the experts know much about 24 pounder shot from the Napoleonic era, and what would have been most ilkely to have been fired from the 24 pounder mounted for 360 defence on the Martello Towers of the era.

My personal theory is that chain shot would have been fired at the rigging and sails to disable the ship, then heated shot would have been fired at the "body" of the ship (facilities to heat shot were available) to set it on fire. I'm presuming it would not have been feisable to heat the chain shot, please correct me if wrong.

Also, would shells have been used at at to fire on ships, and I'm presuming that the effective range of Shrapnel would have meant it not being used except as defence against attacking ground forces.

Thanks for any advice, I've googled it, but havn't managed to find a definitive answer.

Cheers!

[rod and serpent]

We have a few Martello Towers up near Magilligan training camp in Co Derry.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there
Did Shrapnel exist in that timeperiod? Some chain shot was loaded in a muslin bag so couldn't readily be heated.Other types of chain shot were simply loaded as double or triple-linked shot, with just a piece of wadding between it and the charge.
regards
Gttc

[Bosco]

Hi there
Did Shrapnel exist in that timeperiod? Some chain shot was loaded in a muslin bag so couldn't readily be heated.Other types of chain shot were simply loaded as double or triple-linked shot, with just a piece of wadding between it and the charge.
regards
Gttc

My understanding was that was what grape shot was.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapeshot

[GoneToTheCanner]

The Shrapnel round of WW1 fame was a type of round that operated on a clockwork mechanism to blow a mass of iron or lead shot of about .45 calibre, out of a "parent" round, that was fired from conventional 12 or 18 pdr field guns.The shell was fired and in theory, it's clock timed out over the heads of the enemy and fired the mass of shot out of the front of the shell, including the fuse cone and the holder of the lead balls, all of which served to inflict horrible wounds on massed ranks of infantry.They were not very effective against dug-in troops but were still used in millions in that war.
Grape shot was either loose musket balls or balls held in a muslin or cotton bag or even lumped together in wax.It was also the case that desperate gunners would load horseshoes, farrier's nails and even gravel and scrap metal for really close-quarter action.
regards
GttC

[Connaught Stranger]

Chain shot was two cannon balls joined by a length of chain, fired from the same cannon,

the idea being the shot would swing around one another's axis of flight,

scything down men & horses on land, or ripping sails and masts of ships down when used by the Navy.

The idea of trying that method with red hot cannon balls and chain, in my opinion would have a large

possibility of the weakest link in the chain breaking in flight causing the cannon balls to go anywhere.

Connaught Stranger.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Some chain shot was dumb-bell shaped shot, linked in pairs or threes, that would open out in flight for the same horrific effect. There were also various attempts to fill hollow cannonballs with powder to provide HE but it was very difficult to prevent premature explosions or failure of the powder to ignite.
regards
GttC

[Flamingo]

Thanks for that guys, confirmed what I thought

[apc]

I think he said Fire chain shot first then fire heated canonballs not heated chainshot:confused:

[hptmurphy]

I think he said Fire chain shot first then fire heated canonballs not heated chainshot

Chain shot would have been used to 'de-rig ' a sailing vessel. heated cannon balls a forerunner of incendiary. The Chain shot would have been of very limited range , where as the cannon balls would have had greater range but would have limited effect unless it made direct contact.

So to disable a vessel pending boarding or destruction chain shot would have been the preferable option, in the case of running battles where boarding was a secondary objective and destruction the primary the heated cannon balls would be ideal.

The preffered option not to detroy the vessel as most were worth money to the captors in the form of 'prize money' and were often sold by the captors to the highest bidder..ebven the enemy if the price was high enough. Destruction was the last resort as ships cost money and he who could spend less and end up with the most ships won the war.

[Flamingo]

One would presume that the hampering / destruction of an invasion force (the primary role of a Martello tower) would have taken precedence over prize-money!

[hptmurphy]

One would presume that the hampering / destruction of an invasion force (the primary role of a Martello tower) would have taken precedence over prize-money! :

the prize money would only apply to ships crews so yes You are correct in your assumption

[Flamingo]

Just to tidy up the thread, I found this scale of equipment for a Martello Tower (English south coast) from 1818 -

An 1818 survey noted that Martello Towers were stocked with the following ammunition and materials:

* 100 rounds of solid shot
* 20 rounds of case-shot
* 20 rounds of grape-shot
* 20 common shells
* 20 8-lb powder cartridges
* ½ cwt (25kg) of slow match
* 40 junk wads

The shot and shell would have been used against the invading fleet and landing craft, whilst the case-shot and grape-shot would have converted the cannon into a large shotgun, showering landing troops with lethal musket balls and fragments of metal. Such shot was proved tobe devastating against massed infantry on the Napoleonic battlefields.

ref: http://www.martello-towers.co.uk/sou...n/armament.htm

No mention of chain shot (so much for that theory then!). Junk wads are used with heated shot.

A few sites also refer to the East Coast Martello towers storing 30 barrels of gunpowder, but I have no idea how many shots this would be good for, maybe someone else knows how much powder a 24 pounder used per shot.

Thanks again for the help and comments.