Forgotten History: World's Biggest Black Powder Cannon - a 100-Ton Gun

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The largest muzzleloading black powder cannons ever built were the Armstrong 100-ton guns which saw service with the Italian Navy and with British coastal fortifications on Malta and Gibraltar. They were purchased by the Italians first, to outfit a pair of new super battleships, each vessel having two turrets with two of these guns in each. To avoid being outclassed, the British ordered two guns for installation to protect the Grand Harbor of Malta and two more to protect Gibraltar. Today one survives at each location, and we are visiting the Rinella Battery in Malta, which was built to house one of the Maltese guns.
These guns had a maximum range of 8 miles, and was capable of piercing 15 inches of iron armor at 3 miles. It had a 17.7 inch (45cm) bore fired a 2000 pound (900 kg) shell with a 450 pound (200kg) charge of black powder. The gun itself weighed approximately 102 tons, and with its cradle and a shell the whole assembly came in at 150 tons.
Aside from the massive scale of the piece, the most interesting part of its design is actually the loading machinery. Because of the titanic size of the gun and ammunition, Armstrong designed a fascinating hydraulic reloading facility which makes up the body of the fortress in which the gun is set. A pair of steam engines drove a pair of hydraulic accumulators, which provided hydraulic pressure to move the gun on its carriage, to douse the barrel after firing, to hoist ammunition into position for loading and power a 60-foot (18m) ramrod to mechanically ram the charge and shell into place. Two mirror-image reloading galleries under the fortification operated in turn, giving the gun a sustained rate of fire of 1 round every 6 minutes - at least until its 120-round barrel life was exhausted.
I am grateful for the Malta Tourism Authority's assistance in helping to make this visit and video possible, and would also like to give special thanks to Simon, our awesome reenactor guide!
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N Oracle #36270
Tucson, AZ 85704

[@Zestence]

"If you're interested in having this one yourself, there's a link in the description below to rock island catalog page"

[@keeperofthecheese]

Collection only.

[@UniversalGuides]

two thumbs up for the lol

[@alexadad2005]

Built before 1889, so no FFL required.

[@frankbauerful]

Of course the law requires it be delivered with a 100kg red plastic plug in the muzzle.

[@roku_nine]

Sold for $320,418 (handling & shipping cost not included)

[@ZombolicBand]

New guy: Will i lose my hearing from firing this, sir? Veteran: WHAT!?

[@jayski2378]

I can relate lol

[@billwessels207]

A friend of mine during WWII served on a Tin Can as a Yeoman (that means that he fired expert on a typewriter) and his battle station was a 105mm, the biggest piece on a Tin Can. Most of the others were 20mm. A 105mm at sea is the equivalent of a pea shooter. About useless unless you count using for antiaircraft. They never used hearing protection. They all became severely hearing impaired. The sound would resonate throughout the ship and affected everyone aboard.

[@Bluesnipible]

@Clarissa 1986 ?

[@samuelgolian3535]

I think loosing one`s hearing was the least of their problems, I imagine anyone standing near would be turned int pulp when it fired :-D

[@carbon1255]

And your teeth.

[@UGSETH2]

I realise i'm spoiled when i half-expect him to shoot it..

[@rusumner-fergusson8747]

Me too

[@giga-ratsey1420]

I mean you can go there and fire cannons, just not that one sadly

[@johndododoe1411]

It's probably worn out. 4 test fires/year times 20 years, plus a few extra tests, gets pretty close to a 100 shot barrel lifetime.

[@MrAsus3571]

Yeah I felt entitled to lol

[@mjspice100]

It’s no longer capable of being fired. Fort Rinella was left derelict for a number of years and thieves stripped the cannon for metal parts to sell for scrap. A lot of essential components were lost and cannot be replaced.

[@sohamsengupta6470]

I love how this gun literally has this absolutely glorious cutting edge hydraulic mechanism to load it and then there's literally a guy pulling a cord to fire it and destroy his eardrums

[@nmotschidontwannagivemyrea8932]

I wonder if they enlisted guys who were already deaf just to be the cord pullers

[@clownworld4655]

This really isn’t unusual at all. The modern artillery guns we use in the American military use a cord to fire. It’s so you can be far enough away to not get severely injured or killed by the gun recoiling. I’ve fired a 115mm recoilless cannon and it literally just had a button on the side that you slap

[@sohamsengupta6470]

@@clownworld4655 Sure, but neither of those have a charge of some four sacks of black powder lmao

[@clownworld4655]

@@sohamsengupta6470 that makes zero difference. If anything the modern cannons are far more brutal

[@sohamsengupta6470]

@@clownworld4655 You're telling me that the report of one artillery cannon firing is louder than four whole sacks of black powder?

[@simonmgustafsson]

Meeting Ian in person and showing him around the Battery was amazing and so much fun! You are more than welcome back at any time! If you come to visit again we will have done even more to restore the Battery to it's former glory! Best wishes and I hope to see a bunch of your fans come here and enjoy a day with us!

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Thanks!

[@matthayward7889]

You have an exceedingly cool Job 😊

[@paulcheney4114]

What a great video thanks for your information you have a great job

[@andrewp8284]

Simon Gustafsson thank you for showing Ian/us around! It was really interesting.

[@neilhightower2270]

Simon Gustafsson thank you for helping make this awsome video possible

[@buttons157]

Disassembly is always the best part. It seems to have been forgotten this time.

[@karlchenkarolinger5799]

@Roderick storey Not a musket. Its rifled

[@ParanoidMaster]

​@Roderick storey Irony can be a tough nut to crack, right?! ;)

[@mikebay9967]

If you have a spare tactical nuke you can disassemble it yourself...

[@sumvs5992]

Wasnt enough space on the camera to do a 3 week long time lapse.

[@ZGryphon]

Imagine the size of -ballpoint pen- Universal Disassembly Tool it would have taken to do that.

[@tkmushroomer]

Armstrong, The big guns seller: Well hello there, would you like to buy this 100 ton cannon? Me: Yeah, sure but.. how am I going to load it? Armstrong, The big crane seller: Well hello there!

[@d3vitron779]

Stonks

[@adityaroy1946]

Apple of that time

[@rodhandermott1413]

And you’ll need a stand to hold your 100 ton cannon won’t you?🙂

[@RubSomefastOnIt]

of course, you will need to have a crew trained, one for firing and one for loading and one for maintenance, here are our prices for a full training course and literature.

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

Which is Ironic as Armstrong himself absolutely hated these guns, he much preferred working on smaller regular artillery.

[@arm279145]

“If you have this shotgun in the garden, no one dares trespass” I really like that turn of phrase lol

[@arm279145]

@Knight-Sgt. Reyes it’s 2021. Nothing surprises me these days

[@vadimkavecsky3698]

If you ever ran out of ammmo for this cannon, you could load smaller cannon into this one and fire it.

[@jontee3437]

Lol I would think a 30 pound parrot rifle barrel would do well as a long range projectile. Probably would have a high ballistic coefficient due to the shape.

[@moosemaimer]

Time the fuse just right and you could have it fire in midair! Oh, why did Mythbusters have to end...

[@vadimkavecsky3698]

moosemaimer Or the small cannon could fire first while inside, followed by a big one. This way you have 19th century full auto 150ton cannon.

[@devreed5931]

Vadim Kavecsky best comment

[@Chebva]

Vadim Kavecsky Hell yeah man. No more ammo, just load in a bulldozer.

[@carmelpule6954]

Eighty years ago I was born about two miles away from that 100-ton gun and I spent my youth at Rinella playing with other children in that Fort, which in those days hardly anyone ventured to go there. Under and around the gun there is an underground area which is quite large and in those days some building contractor or the Military had housed all his building structural tools in there. We played about in that area for about 10 years with no one caring about its historic value. Very close by, there is a Fort Ricasoli and also the area where they have a film facility. I saw the water gigantic water tank being built for Raising the Titanic and also saw the model being raised. The level of the tank was such that it blended with the real sea at the background. The model itself was quite impressive. Also, I saw some scenario from "The Gladiator ". My brother has one of the air-cooled radial engines which they used at the film facilities to make storms and wind with it. It is a 550 Hp aircraft engine. There is so much to see and the historic places could be more appreciated by both the locals and the tourists. Some years later at the age of 16, I went to Chatham Dockyard and then attended the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. I used to go to Bambrough Castle, which I learned that it belonged to Lord Armstong, the man who built the 100- ton gun and other armaments. Later on, in life I went to Barmbarough Castle where I was hosted by Lord Armstrong relations, his grandson I believe, but I am not sure. My wife, my daughter and I were given the run of the castle and it was a very pleasant surprise that I was treated so nicely by the relatives and descendants of Lord Armstrong who build the 100- ton gun, near which I still live to this day at Kalkara!

[@teatonaz]

Thanks for sharing this. Long(re) life my friend. Cheers.

[@TarmanTheChampion]

Bad ass! I live not too far from fort casey in WA state & its always fun to do turret crawls

[@joshuatate5671]

Wow

[@scottydouglass1892]

@@TarmanTheChampion I am pretty sure every kid in Washington has been to Camp Casey. Flagler, Fort Stevens in Oregon, all so cool for any kid, no matter their age.

[@andyman8630]

my father was from there and spoke of the Axis air raids when he was 5(ish) grazzi hafna

[@T33K3SS3LCH3N]

The escalation in guns afterwards was even more insane. The peak in naval artillery were the 9x460 mm guns of the Yamato class, each having a 150 ton barrel, firing a 13-ton broadside up to 42 km/26 mi. At up to 2 shells per minute, rather than reloading 6 minutes like this one.

[@AndrewGivens]

It wasn't al *that* mad compared to this period, when you consider that the ships of the 1940s generation were 45,000 to 60,000 tons displacement, carrying these high-power 16s and super-heavy 18s, three to a turret - but the monster-gun design generation of the 1870s to late 1880s were 'mere' ten- to eleven-thousand tonners (Fourteen in the case of the massively-engined 'Italias'), carrying a quartet of these pre-nuclear megaweapons, making each piece a *far, far* greater percentage of the entire fighting machine's mass overall. The 40s behemoths were safely inside the day's envelope - these ones just tore through theirs with abandon.

[@georgeheld1901]

The Battery Steele on Peaks Island in Maine had 2 massive 16 inch guns back in the 40s, and they only fired once as a test, but they broke every window on the island

[@PALACIO254]

That's great I love stories like this

[@nicholassansouci2840]

Been there many times with my brother. The view from on top of the battery is absolutely beautiful

[@jeffbruh3253]

Is it conceal carry?

[@idooopstv9823]

Little on the big side for a concealed carry, maybe a truck gun?

[@bassmith448bassist5]

I keep one of these under the seat of my old Dodge D100.

[@bingbongabinga2954]

Not large enough for planetary defense so kind of concealed carry.

[@davidca96]

lel sup Jeremy

[@user-fo2xx3qh2b]

But does it take a glock mag

[@fien111]

"We missed the ship, Major!" "Bugger! We'll just have to live with the tidal wave the missed shot created sinking it instead. Not very gentlemanly, but such is war"

[@briananthony4044]

Actually in war back then it wasn't unusual at long ranges to only hit your enemy once for every 100 rounds fired. so line of battle ships had a large number of guns, up to 70 per side. With the monster guns that came along 2 to 4 major calibre guns became the norm. One advantage the fort had was that it was elevated high on a cliff so it could fire down on the enemy, who due to limited elevation of their own guns, couldn't fire up at the fort. I think the calibre of the 100 ton Armstrong gun was 17.6 inch. A 2000 pound shell was about the same as a later 15 or early 16 inch breech loading guns

[@Adiscretefirm]

Half the crew would die from the sudden dehydration associated with terminal diarrhea seeing that shell coming towards them.

[@Retrosicotte]

@@briananthony4044 Not so with this gun. Visited it quite recently, they have records showing that it achieved essentially a 100% hit rate on training shots against ships they put out in the bay. It being so static and predictable was a huge benefit.

[@paavobergmann4920]

@@briananthony4044 From what I´ve read, both sides in the battle of Jutland had hit rates of about 1-2%, so under battlefield conditions on ships, that "one hit per 100 shots"-rule held way into WWI

[@DSSlocksmiths]

This is even cleverer than I first thought - and I thought it was pretty damned clever already! The idea behind the water accumulator is that you can leave the entire thing ready to go, but cold. In the event of something occurring, you then fire up the steam engine. You have 4 shots before that thing needs to be in full steam. Otherwise you'd have to keep the steam engine fired up 24/7 for as long as you needed it to be ready. This way you wouldn't. Brilliant.

[@robertsneddon731]

The accumulators store energy and release it in short bursts to carry out various tasks like operating the lifts and the rammers. Stationary steam engines of the time typically weren't powerful enough to drive anything substantial by themselves directly. A lot of old steam-powered machinery from that period such as swing and lift bridges, dockyard cranes etc. used hydraulic accumulators to provide stored energy when needed, using it up in short bursts at intervals. It's just that our normal vision of steam power from those times is of steam locomotives and marine engines and they obviously needed to provide power for hours at a time to keep trains and ships on the move. For jobs like this a small steam engine plus accumulators was a better bet.

[@AmericanThunder]

Pretty cool video! It's amazing how quickly land and naval large gun technology progressed up into 1940s. The 16" rifles used on the US Iowa-class battleships fired a 2700 lb shell using 660 lbs of powder, breech loaded, from a 120 ton rifled barrel soft mounted with recoil compensation, with a range of 24 miles and accurate enough to hit a target the size of an office building at maximum range. The barbette assembly including the turret mounting 3 barrels weighed 2500 tons.

[@robertsneddon731]

The Iowas and indeed all of the big-gun battleships weren't that accurate -- here's a link to an actual "fall of shot" chart for test firings from BB-61, the USS Iowa itself after it was upgraded in the 1980s to use modern radar sighting and firecontrol systems (the NGFS). The "office building" used as a scale reference in the chart is the Pentagon in Washington DC, reputedly the largest such building in the world for a long time. 36,000 yards is just over 20 miles, not the theoretical maximum range of the 16"/50 guns. fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/bb-61-dnsn8709176_jpg.gif I suspect this was a "rigged demo" test with the Iowa stationary in reasonable weather conditions, not hammering along at nearly thirty knots in rough seas trying to engage an enemy force which was also dodging and weaving, making smoke etc. Really, WWII was the end of the big-gun battleships, most of which were sunk by submarine torpedoes and/or aerial bombardment from carrier-based aircraft which stayed well out of range of the dinosaur's mighty cannons.

[@ClarenceCochran-ne7du]

The whole 100 years from 1820 to 1920 saw such huge leaps in technology, especially related to large and small firearms. It's literally mind boggling how quickly new systems were developed and then quickly discarded as even newer technology evolved. I've spent 40+ years studying this era, and still feel I've only scratched the surface.

[@alexanderhyder3199]

"It was a really embarrassing experience for the Italian navy, and in fact it took them almost a decade to get over it." Basically the entire military history of modern Italy in one sentence.

[@ergbudster3333]

Clearly you didn't read Catch 22. In particular the passage about the cackling old man in the whorehouse.

[@MrCmon113]

They did well in the unification war though.

[@DaroriDerEinzige]

@@MrCmon113 Yeah, so good that Prussia said "Well, go f... yourself, Italy. Thanks for absolutly nothing." after the War ... ô.ô'

[@Tommyg-rq6lj]

Even tho i'm italian i'll have to agree with you on that Still we make food better than you

[@Tommyg-rq6lj]

@Baron Von Grijffenbourg god i frickin'love you

[@lukaszpokoju]

This is the real life Death Star! “Italia is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don’t worry, we will deal with your rebel ships soon enough. You may fire when ready…”

[@callehammar2743]

You fool! Deathstars are on the UK offensive weapons list!

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

"I will make it legal."

[@callehammar2743]

Good Luck!

[@wierdalien1]

Commie Hater no the deathstar laser is. You can have the death star.

[@JohnLeePedimore]

R.I.P HMS Alderaan.

[@thatguy1909]

I'm just impressed by the lack of wind noise through the mic.

[@maverick9708]

That museum guy is a legend, one of my favorite cameos 😂

[@aryanson]

An old saying , The British sailors loves their grog, while the French sailors drink Champaign, while Italian sailors stick to port.

[@robrocksea]

?Hmm strange I thought the French drank Wine. :)

[@tSp289]

I do like how the English language is still full of low-level naval sass e.g. 'Dutch courage', 'Dutch tilt'

[@freebeerfordworkers]

@@tSp289 Actually "Dutch courage" is what English and later British soldiers called the gin issued to them before battle. About the time gin was invented English soldiers were allies of the Dutch as they fought for independence against Spain and were first issued with gin. It made the prospect of death and mutilation in the near future less horrible. It was never intended as a slur on the fighting abilities of the Dutch which the wars of the 17th century gave them reason to respect.

[@tSp289]

@@freebeerfordworkers Er, it kind of was. As with 'dutch tilt' or 'dutch angle' referring to a skewed angle, usually used in films now. It implies drunkenness, as does 'dutch courage'. Brits took up gin pretty enthusiastically, but that doesn't stop it being a point of mockery. Also I suspect you're not from Britain if you think that respecting someone and taking the piss are mutually exclusive. See the number of military jokes and stereotypes about everyone from closest allies, to different branches of the British military who absolutely relied on one another, to their most dangerous enemies. No one is spared. If Dutch courage is alcohol, British courage is humour.

[@freebeerfordworkers]

@@tSp289 My source was a book by Correlli Barnett, one of Britain's leading historians beyond that, it's not something I think it's worth spending time arguing about.

[@miatafan]

“So we need a big gun” “How big?” “As big as they make them, then make it bigger”

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

"How big?" "YES!!!!" 😄😄😄😄

[@ammarokla7217]

Then there is the Schwehrer Gustav.

[@Icetea-2000]

@@ammarokla7217 Yeah, being DOUBLE as wide as the whole SHIP these guns were placed on

[@KittSpiken]

The framing the gun behind you before walking up and revealing how far away it has was and how big it is was perfect.

[@kyraptor2521]

So wait. Your telling me they had ships with 4 of these things on them? H O L Y S H I T

[@LaLloronaVT]

A single volley I imagine would nearly flip the ship lol

[@unlink1649]

humans have built a lot of angry boats

[@shukterhousejive]

@@LaLloronaVT If they need to retreat they point the cannons to the back and fire away like the tank in Vice City

[@syedferoz2188]

These were actually turrets a modern concept of cannons but not technically cannons these fired shells like howitzers the largest known cannon was an ottoman 110 pounder designed by a Hungarian engineer for Mehmet the conqueror the cannon ball itself was 110 pounds imagine the weight of the cannon it took 5 elephants to transport and 5 men to just load the ball oh and the dardanelles cannon was 1.8 ton and the ball itself was 1 ton lol

[@dean2930]

@@shukterhousejive pure gold 🤣🤣🤟🏻

[@CheckMySix]

The Ultimate Machine Gun.. This is the true definition of a Machine Gun,a gun that requires an actual machine to fire it.

[@bruin1771]

Someone needs to let the NRA know so they can lobby some.shit and lawyer the AK back into existence

[@liberationwasalie2982]

@@bruin1771 never gonna happen

[@bruin1771]

@@liberationwasalie2982 a boy can dream a boy can dream lol. Honestly I'm not an individual whose concerned about over arching gun laws. There are enough storys about crazy finds of firearms stashes.

[@SlothDemon-fi3pi]

Any gun's a machine.

[@johnmadow5331]

Is this gun required Form 10 to import to the US or transfer under

[@SuperDiablo101]

Can you imagine how LOUD this must have been....and because those poor Italians talk with their hands they wouldn't be able to cover their ears

[@kinaj6972]

@@keencolios591 Exactly. That is why they talk with their Hands.

[@saranoxxis]

@War Zone Caesar was stabbed 23 times

[@jakeshaw6827]

Lol

[@keyboardwarrior6296]

@War Zone That probably had more to do with celts living and breeding in Roman territory over the past 1500 years. Gestures were intregal to their language, and likely would have vestigial remnants as more celts had latin as a first language.

[@keyboardwarrior6296]

@War Zone Caesar died because he was traitor abusing the roman system to pay his debts and glorify himself at the expense of the very foundation of their republic.

[@MrZog33]

"If you have a problem, use a gun, and if that don't work, use more gun" This phrase is the meaning of this gun

[@yellowmonkee0]

The Maltese are such cool people. I loved my visit there, great food, great wine and a cultural heritage the would put other countries to shame. ❤️ MALTA!

[@magnusbrecha8466]

If my ears are not decieving me, the guide´s accent is swedish :)

[@Wotsitorlabart]

@@magnusbrecha8466 I do believe your ears are deceiving you.

[@AnimalMother98]

Guide definitely isn't Maltese (I'd know being Maltese myself)

[@SuperAWaC]

eight miles. EIGHT MILES. with black powder. good lord.

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

SuperAWaC Pretty incredible for sure, but it doesn't have a bayonet lug. Mark against Armstrong there 😕

[@seanhanson418]

It can actually shoot farther than that but 8 miles is the distance to the horizon. Supposedly.

[@ramjb]

theoretical range with max powder charge. Realistically at those times hitting anything at anything beyond point blank was pretty much a hail mary. The battle of Lissa (the battle Ian refers to at the intro of the video where the Italians got smacked) was fought at ramming distances (and I'm not kidding, there were several ships sunk by ramming), which points out how difficult it was to hit anything at any meaningful range. It wasn't until the 1910s, with the new Fire Control Systems, rangefinders and mechanical plotting tables, that fighting at long range was a possibility. Even Tsushima was fought at pretty close range (using WW1 and WW2 standards, that is). It's true that coastal artillery being land based (thus more stable and with finely and accurately prepared fire tables) had a much better accuracy than naval based guns. But even then, and by the 1880s, hitting anything of the size of a ship beyond a couple miles was more of a prayer than anything else...compound that by the fact that you're shooting once each 6 minutes and you have a real problem between your hands. TL:DR: yeah, 8 miles theoretical range. Useless at anything but point blank. Sure that the gun looks impressive, but as for it's true usefulness, let's say it was...very limited.

[@simonmgustafsson]

ramjb You don't have to hit the target to make the cannon effective. They could fix a timed fuse on the end of the shell, which was filled with even more gunpowder, and have it detonating over, besides and even UNDER the target. The shockwave and the shrapnel would do the work without hitting the target.

[@simonmgustafsson]

An interesting fact is that not all the gunpowder would ignite and was launched forward. Maltese hunters would then go around in front of the gun and collect the gunpowder for their shotguns.

[@goofyfoot2001]

Over five minutes in and he still hasn't lit it up yet. Was hoping for a ballistics gel test.

[@meareweird7714]

I am waiting for the mud test!

[@videoviewer2008]

That's a different channel.

[@dude93able]

Give it to Paul Harrell for his meat target. He'll let us know if it fits his hand also.

[@christianstoll8160]

:-)

[@christianstoll8160]

LOOL was just thinking the same thing...

[@keithbrown2458]

That canon is very impressive but like you I’m most impressed with the automated loading system I never knew anything like that ever existed thanks so much for sharing, just amazing

[@ganggamm3674]

2:18 there’s a cloud smiley face to the left of his head

[@JimFortune]

So, when does it go up for auction?

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

First, we have to find a 19th century steamer ship to transport it.

[@edi9892]

Jim Fortune Sorry, UPS refuses to deliver it saying it's too big...

[@lycossurfer8851]

Better yet, can I get overnight delivery on it?

[@WolfePaws]

@edi "While you were out, we left your packages with your neighbour Unintelligible Squiggle"

[@hungryfilms3707]

I dunno I'd check fed ex for the shipping cost

[@roderickwhitehead]

Essentially, this was the Minuteman III missile silo of the 1880s.

[@MG-wi1eq]

R.C. Whitehead I love exploring the Nike missile sites in my area.

[@rubeusswagrid2511]

Ive heard Adidas is secretly working on something to rival them.

[@51WCDodge]

Along with Britians own Super Battleships HMS WArrior and HMS Black Prince, built in response to La Gloire. Warrior is in preservation at HM Dockyard Portsmouth along with other distingushed company HMS Victory and The Mary Rose. Warrior was outffited with 1836 Colt .36 revolvers (Check details for me folks!) Colt built a factory at Vauxhall in London to manufactuer them.

[@noecarrier5035]

An excellent parallel. I wonder if men like Ian will be wandering around the ruins of missile silos in a century or two's time, talking about how impressive it was that they could deliver a few hundred kilotons of energy to targets five thousand kilometres away, considering the era... ?

[@kovona]

5 km max range though.

[@setbellic6916]

As someone who really has no interest in guns at all, (some interest in general history), I find Ian's presentations fascinating. It's not just the discussion of the weapon but the background and context that he can include that makes them so interesting. Showing their place in history, and this is an excellent example. That he is now being invited to places to show stuff is a testament to the quality of his presentations. Great stuff.

[@dNIGHTCROWLERb]

This was like having a tour in a museum, thanks for the experience Ian and the guy with a really cool Accent 👍😊

[@SynchronizorVideos]

I've seen videos on this before, but everyone else only focused on the cannon itself. I agree with Ian here; the loading systems are the real magic of this installation. Brilliant stuff for the 1800s.

[@jameswroe2403]

Armstrong had a house near Newcastle which ran on hydro-electric and hydraulics. Have a look at Cragside House on google.

[@SpudfudXD]

@@jameswroe2403 I lived in rothbury a 2 min walk from cragside, its an impressive manor

[@Antigonus.]

The bell boys at the hotels in Malta really go the extra mile.

[@craigstewart6194]

Ἀντίγονος I was going to say theater usher.

[@lycossurfer8851]

Actually they go about 5 miles on a full charge...........

[@charaznable2379]

Gun designer sounds like donzi,selling boats to smugglers then to officials to catch the smugglers

[@JohnDoe-ee6qs]

Char Aznable he was was doing the same thing with ships too, selling to both sides. a naval arms race is good for business especially if you are supplying everyone.

[@simonmgustafsson]

That is the uniform used by the Royal Maltese Artillery in the Fort during the 1880s. The pill-box with a yellow band was used for stationed artillery while the ones with a red band was for mobile artillery.

[@CaptainMustanG4089]

the sheer size of this is absolutely mind blowing, I would've loved to watch the firing process (but not doing the work)

[@fernav71]

Great video. I travelled back in time and felt myself like a "steampunk gunner". Thank you

[@JackedRado71]

“Ok” -Ian McCollum, 2019

[@Ameritard]

"Ok" x106

[@capralmarines4043]

Guide: Says something about the Cannon Ian: *OK*

[@theshankman8682]

Guide: yes, exactly

[@ohhellno747]

Take a shot for every Ok

[@Tufhhuyy]

@@ohhellno747 ok

[@DIEGhostfish]

Ian I don't think that's a support beam in that reloading hole, I think it's a "Keep those damn kids out" beam.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Yeah, probably.

[@goldenstarmusic1689]

11:30 my goodness the acoustics of that chamber are intense, it would be amazing to get impulse responses there

[@crazywowgoer]

imagine what it would have sounded like in there when it fired.

[@marleyboy7732]

This was really interesting. Can't imagine the process in a rush when this was in action. I'm impressed if this thing actually took down a ship from a long distance. Aiming must have been a nightmare.

[@dodoz25]

So, when's the mud test?

[@whyjay9959]

It's self-cleaning!

[@farmerboy9029]

Why Jay r/whoosh

[@lepathewarrior4445]

Legatus Lanius Bait or did you whoosh yourself

[@51WCDodge]

Umm , that happened when the gun was being shipped from Woolwich Arsenal to proofing at Shoeburyness. They manged to drop the gun off it's barge when loading. It spent 9 days on the bottom of the River Thames. The Times newspaer , AKA The Thunderer was not imprssed, the worlds most expensive gun dropped, and said so on it's front page.

[@EuropeYear1917]

@Snake in a Box 1 Mud test will commence when Karl arrives on site... and when they can get a ship filled to the gunwales with thick enough mud to do the test. Oh, and even then it might be delayed, as they'll have to wait for the army of drunk dudes with milsurp small arms (most likely the Varusteleka employees) to show up to cover the gun... since Ian and Karl might just have some trouble doing it single handedly in a timely manner with as big as that mofo is!

[@derekdziobek5998]

Hmm... black powder muzzle-loader? This cannon might actually be legal in California.

[@michaelkane6797]

Depends on how many rounds the magazine holds...

[@jomama2078]

Ghost cannon

[@CruelestChris]

No it's got a hundred-round magazine and therefore is clearly an assault weapon.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

@@CruelestChris "assault"

[@CruelestChris]

@War Zone Fortress cannons do. In the original meaning of magazine, as in "a room where the ammunition is stored." That are the joke.

[@Martin_Adams184]

A VERY good documentary. Everything is explained so clearly, and the pacing and detail of delivery explains everything very well indeed. Thank you!

[@patlilburn5251]

That was the coolest thing I’ve seen on this channel ever. I agree, the loading system is the best part, and I also agree with the remark that to ordinary citizens in 1880 the whole thing would be like sci-fi. I try but fail to imagine what it must have been like to be within a mile of that thing when they fired it, and do I ever wish I could tour one of the ships that housed 4 of them. WELL DONE!!

[@PallasGamer]

love how its playing "Rule Britannia" inside the reloading bay at 9:20

[@MaskHysteria]

"Modern Italian Naval Victories", the book, is about as long as "How to Boil an Egg"

[@jannisnothen1972]

Legend

[@germannoobgaming]

@Johnny RoadTrain what?

[@fshn4x4]

Unless it's "navel victories"...those slick bastards know their way around bellybuttons.

[@nicolaywoods3578]

And the best comment ever. EVER!

[@MAGNO82]

Mmm naval rome empire command the world for 1000 years. Thats seems sufficiently for a book. :D american : people with short story and short memory . Lol

[@smilingcat1703]

Small mathematical note for you guys. If my information is correct, the standard rifle used by the British at the time would be a 1853 Pattern Enfield or the Snider Enfield conversion which used about 50 grains of powder. This cannon used approximately 3.15 million grains or about 63,000x the powder charge of a standard rifle.

[@polynom1al]

The historical context provided in your videos makes them so amazing to watch. Thank you for conveying both the impressive engineering that went into each artifact but also the historical context that makes them important. Love your videos!

[@Doomsday_Report]

19:20 "Hello, Italy? Our gun still works. Kind regards, Britannia."

[@rogerpoca7428]

That is the single best example of english cockiness anyone can come with

[@darienalizieri6941]

@@rogerpoca7428 lmaoo

[@charlesbaker7703]

Deference at its best!

[@majormassenspektrometer]

Shooting footage is missing.

[@captainfoxythepiratefox7024]

XD the guy even said if they shot once it would destroy the windows in the near town XD so i hate to live next to the cannon XD

[@crimsonhalo13]

With that paint job, I think Ian's afraid to admit it shoots mustard instead of cannonballs. Maybe we can sell it to the place that holds the record for World's Biggest Cheeseburger?

[@PeriapsisStudios2000]

I think the camera got crushed by the shockwave when Ian fired it.

[@jamespuffer2889]

I know Ian’s videos, I know he is using real facts, real statistics, and even real numbers, but my brain cannot fathom this gun actually firing. The sheer mechanics are astounding. You can sink a ship with 15” steel, 3 miles away, and even be able to score significant hits against lighter ships up to 8 MILES away! That is incredible engineering, nonetheless way back in the 1880’s. Very, very cool and very, very big gun.

[@worldpeace1822]

“This gun was hi-tec at its time” and “This gun became basically obsolete when introduced” Hmmm.. ;) History is fun.

[@besacciaesteban]

The hidraulics and steam systems were still top of the notch, it's just the gun itself that became obsolete.

[@robertfritz9916]

The Maltese guide was excellent and helpful. Good for him. Fun video!

[@BMW7series251]

Agreed.

[@bastianmeisen1796]

His english is pretty good, didnt really need subtitles even in the echo-less rooms

[@haraldpettersen3649]

Robert Fritz - Okey 👍

[@mwangikimani3970]

An incredible feat of engineering - especially the loading system - given the technology available. Absolute genius.

[@Ass_of_Amalek]

I'm pretty sure that none of that system was innovative, it was just big. I think the real tricky part would have probably been the construction of the cannon. there's a technical drawing of a cross-section of the cannon that shows that it's constructed of many interlocking bands of steel (or wrought iron, I'm not sure), and they all would have been huge and very difficult to shape and assemble. the machinery used in the factory to build the gun (furnaces, cranes, power-hammers etc) would have been much more impressive than the machinery required to operate the gun. you can find videos on yourube of factories forging giant steel objects. the machinery is extremely impressive, and it would be even more so if it had to be powered on site by coal-fired steam engines.

[@bjornsvalling1066]

Those Victorian engineers! Delightful video, thanks Ian.

[@loganstewart7065]

“Note: this would be very bad” thank you for the helpful anecdote. I would not have guessed a 20 ton round at point back range would be “very bad”

[@ggdk2865]

It's one ton, I think?

[@BoloH.]

I wonder if these were shipped in huge crates with ACME logos on them.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

Beep beep

[@iaial0]

Instantaneous delivery ✓ * Gets squashed by a container *

[@johnwunder3521]

Wiley E Coyote bought a couple of these @ acme surplus

[@m1tanker64]

Joni - Brilliant response!

[@Gbejna]

As a Maltese, it's always cool to see some of this stuff get more attention! Fun fact: the bridge shown at the very start of the video (to enter the fort), was originally a retractable bridge (basically the 19th century steampunk version of a medieval drawbridge), known as a Guthrie rolling bridge

[@fennviktorvich]

Damn neat.

[@Perktube1]

I love how this is all just literally steampunk. It gives some legitimacy to the idea. Plus is like to know more about these ww2 war rooms.

[@dzonbrodi514]

That was immensely cool Ian, many thanks for showing us.

[@ianallan8005]

Armstrong’s rotating bridge (as you call it) is the Newcastle Swing Bridge. It used to be powered by the same accumulator system as your gun (flat plate with a circular shaft, lifted by steam).

[@princesseponyboy1971]

I love the fact that rule Brittania is playing in the background of the engine room

[@sleepyrasta14820]

🇬🇧

[@deathtdow]

•TheKaisTzar • 'The British Empire is eternal!' and it will rise again, stronger and more powerful than before.

[@teatonaz]

British Empire will rise again,...< - - great they you can help more with standing up to Russia and China,... need all the help we can get.

[@blueband8114]

Forgotten weapons and Ian never cease to amaze me with the great content of there show. This was great.

[@pulluppng1938]

Their

[@blueband8114]

Charlie Scene thank you, please allow me to atone for my sins. I shall head off to my shed, and thrash myself soundly.

[@pulluppng1938]

Andy Uk yeah why not

[@benparsons4979]

Let me point out some other mistakes, so you may further punish yourself - Forgotten *W* eapons - Th *eir* - *channel* Now change it before I kill you

[@pulluppng1938]

Yeah Ben is absolutely right

[@bigbud6842]

That reloading station is incredibly impressive but I feel like I've seen lots of cannons and artillery of a similar size, they must be from a much later period in history though.

[@nickdougan394]

And I think you'll find that they were breech loading. Making massive muzzle loaders was the "steam punk" bit.

[@jblps]

I like to imagine the steam engine was just for show and they had to use the 40 soldiers to manually pump the pressure every time.

[@killraven123]

A forgotten weapons video and a cup of coffee are the best accompaniments to breakfast.

[@herpderpherpd]

Couple of things: 1) It's nice to see Robert Webb found a job in historical tours 2) The guy who pulls that string WAS the best paid soldier in the garrison, his payment was in firing the biggest derp gun in history to that point

[@jackglossop4859]

God it really does look and sound like him

[@TheWeasel19]

I LOVE your coverage of cool history like this. PLEASE keep it up!

[@amtree4140]

I wonder if anybody back then knew that what they were working on (i.e. this cannon) would eventually be turned into a museum. That'd be pretty cool.

[@mikef4832]

The guy that had the job to pull "the string" must have gone deaf in 1 shot, or had been chosen because he was already deaf (or because his commanding officer hated him) XD. I cannot imagine the concussive force you would feel standing right by that monster. Probably shakes you to the core. The whole system has a Very, Very cool design especially for its age.

[@kbanghart]

Brutal

[@scowler92]

The string-pullers probably had joint problems, cracked ribs, ruptured spleens, appendixes...

[@taggartlawfirm]

Mike F who actually AIMED the damn thing...???

[@tritowerdesigns4481]

@@taggartlawfirm right. The scale of the reloading system is impressive but how do you fine tune the accuracy of somthing that large?

[@Hrodn]

What was omitted from the video is that the gunner who fired the gun hid in a little cut out in the wall to help reduce the percussive forces on himself. Still, it isn't something I would like to do. Also, when the gun was being test fired, residents in the area were advised to open their windows so that they weren't broken.

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

Thank you for the subtitles. Much appreciated. What a beast of a gun!!

[@joebond5012]

Fantastic video. How they managed to build that in those days is totally beyond comprehension. Thanks to all involved for sharing.

[@vierfufzig9713]

Museum Dude: *Sir, are you having a stroke or something ?* Gun Dude : *Okey*

[@rob9873]

My ballistic calculator said ERROR when I tried to enter this cannons data in.

[@daryljohnson6333]

When he was holding that wire at 6:11 I thought it was a firing wire and he was gonna light one off. Lol

[@well_as_an_expert_id_say]

You have such incredible videos, I'm truly thankful for this channel. Thank you guys.

[@Necroskull388]

One round every six minutes for something of that size is actually really, really impressive. I thought it would be like, one round every 20 minutes or one round an hour.

[@SolidTaylor]

Well, Ian actually did it. He finally found the most epic forgotten weapon ever made.

[@tombrennan6312]

Fort nuts are familiar with the gun even if gun nuts aren’t.

[@ethanprendergast6853]

I went to Fort Rinella a couple of years ago on my holiday to Malta and seeing the Armstrong Gun in person was unbelievable. The fort also do musketry, cavalry and artillery displays. The staff are highly knowledgeable and fantastic at bringing history to life. I’d definitely recommend anyone to go see it because I know I’ll certainly go again 😄

[@ryanbuckley3314]

Wow. What an immense infrastructure. Such an awesome piece of history. Thanks for all the cool videos, everyone!

[@macbuff81]

This was an awesome segment. I'm not a gun nut but I love learning about the history of the tech and the historical context. Oh, the scenery also looks very nice! I need to visit Malta

[@ianpomfret4876]

"It would fire the cannon right into the fortification [Note: this would be bad]" My sides

[@SuicideNeil]

Malta: We need more Dakka! British Military: Will this do? Malta: _noice..._

[@baker90338]

Britain arms company: 100 tons (or tonnes?) of pure earfuck. Malta: GIB ME EARFUCKS

[@baker90338]

How much fenrisian ale are you on? Your forgetting that glass is able to be used to increase the gold per square area by painting it on the glass. Also it allows for also a increase in the cathedral look of imperial ships by having stained glass windows.

[@baker90338]

the geth are also Abominable Intelligence, so that means their opinions don't matter... and should be destroyed ... with a orbital bombardment. ignore my expedition into the grey pyramids

[@justsomeamerican2301]

the seeds of heresy have been sown .

[@baker90338]

get the bolt pistol....

[@fourthplanet]

This is one of my favorite videos of yours. I enjoy all of them but this one was especially cool. Thanks!

[@cmcconn100]

Ian was more in AWE of this than anything I've ever see him review. It's pretty dang cool so I definitely empathize with him. Imagine the size of the smoke cloud when you fire it.

[@teabagmcpick889]

9:00 The English harnessed the power of steam to drive the Industrial Revolution. The Italians thought of coffee.

[@Ye4rZero]

The Africans first thought of coffee.

[@teabagmcpick889]

@@Ye4rZero But sadly not pressurised steam, thereby missing the punt when it came to industrialisation & subsequently missing the point of the original comment.

[@Solnoric]

Well I mean, this thing is basically a colossal espresso machine.

[@approachinggnosis4613]

Ye4rZero lol bud..

[@raffaeleirlanda6966]

Teabag McPick Well, English tried to make a steam tea machine. They failed... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Have a good espresso people... 😀😎😘

[@DiscordOfDave]

“There was danger of shattering windows in the city alongside here.” Makes me wonder how many injuries occurred just from operating the freaking thing.

[@hans2406]

In those times human lives were not so important. Like in certain countries now.

[@MegaRazorback]

I can answer that for you and it's a low number, 0 recorded injuries..It was never fired in combat, it only had 4 firings a year to make sure it was working/up to spec but what Ian failed to mention in regards to the 4 guns is this, only three actually survived at first due to the gun at the Napier battery being destroyed during fire trials, the crews operating that one were firing a shell every 2.5 minutes and cracked the barrel badly leading it to become too hard to hard to repair so they used that gun as foundation for a building...The gun at the Victoria battery was moved to replace it as the military deemed it a more effective site.

[@MrCmon113]

@@hans2406 It was 1880, not 2000 BC.

[@ZGryphon]

Worth keeping in mind that hearing loss wasn't considered a line-of-duty injury in those days, and I'm pretty sure the gunners involved in the regularly scheduled test firings would have suffered some.

[@flamethrowercandle2354]

@@hans2406 out with it. What coutries were you referring to and what's your political angle dutchie boy?

[@ucheekpo8593]

Thanks Ian I really appreciate to see this old canon it's very cool although we did not have to see it fire but you did a great job.

[@gburke3001]

This is now, one of my favorite channels!!! Awesome content!!!

[@muninrob]

Is it just me, or would those be a PERFECT percussion instrument for the 1812 overture?

[@51WCDodge]

Actually I have used blank 450gm black powder charges in 25Lb gun at Woolwich for just that purpose. The windows across the river shimmered after firing. I asked the H&S Officr was she worried? Her reply was 'No that side of the river isn't my responsobilty'.

[@fuzzynurse]

There are 16 cannon shots in the overture, all in the last 3 minutes if I recall correctly. With a 6 minute reload time, you'd need to have 16 of them for the performance. OR... just one and seat the audience REALLY close. That way, they'll be deaf and rolling around in pain and won't care that the performance ended after only one shot.

[@immikeurnot]

The ultimate flash-bang.

[@51WCDodge]

@@fuzzynurse 16 precisley timed shots! Thebells that acompany can be anywhere you like.

[@martentrudeau6948]

What a great history, the British empire, the Italian nation, the Maltese island, its people and a very big gun, that island has a lot of history.

[@coldandaloof7166]

2 years and this never came up in my feed till now! What an awesome video.

[@blxtothis]

A terrific presentation and an awesome story, well done. I’ve holidayed in Malta and didn’t know that was open to the public… next time!

[@Dreska_]

"OK" - Ian

[@4968ace]

lol

[@BA-gn3qb]

We went from: "Hey, what's this string for? Oops!" To: "Hey, what's this button for? Major Oops!"

[@TrivialTax]

Sound quality is superb! Good job!

[@ste309w]

Brilliant video. After watching it, we visited Fort Rinella this summer while on holiday in Malta. Really interesting place to visit. The staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. Highly recommended a visit if you're in that part of the world.