Posted on 03/15/2018 5:58:26 AM PDT by C19fan
On June 13, 1898, the cruiser USS Vesuvius crept within one-mile of the Cuban coastline and began launching explosives from her monstrous compressed-air cannons — quietly, as far as the Spanish soldiers ashore in their fort knew until the shells landed. The nighttime shore bombardment targeting Santiago was Vesuvius’ first combat mission.
She still remains one of the strangest warships of the modern era. A custom-built “dynamite gun cruiser,” Vesuvius had a unique arrangement of three 15-inch pneumatic cannons capable of launching 550 or 200-pound shells with a jolt of compressed air. Fascinating from an engineering perspective, Vesuvius’ cannons penetrated into her hull at an angle — effectively making the cruiser a giant, floating triple gun.
(Excerpt) Read more at warisboring.com ...
That’s interesting! I’ve never heard of this and I appreciate your sharing it!
Thank you! (-:
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