Shooting a front loading black powder canon with self made black powder

[Gert Odendaal]

I will ask Johan to chrony the muzzle velocity of the projectile and give the weight as well, the target was hit at a distance of 80 meters. Jacques van Dyk did the shooting ...Flat water Bill , please explain the double head eagle term???

 

[flatwater bill]

Hey, Gert........................from the days of the pirates................."two headed angels".................two iron balls connected by a length of chain. When fired at short range, they were said to be best for taking down rigging on an opposing ship.......preventing them from fleeing the close quarter battle. As opposed to "chain and grape".........which one can imagine as an antipersonnel deck sweeper. Ever since I visited Porto Bello, and read about Captain Henry Morgan, the irony of his pleasant term, "two headed angel" for something decidedly unfriendly, caught my attention. A fathom (6') of chain connecting two 18 pounders and loaded in a single cannon might have been more appropriately called something worse......................good shooting......................Bill

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Bill, thank you very much...yes, I have seen this device when watching the Black Sails movie..it really is a destructive device and I do not want to be on the receiving end of a "two headed angel" ...