The Guns of USS Kearsarge in 1894
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The Guns of USS Kearsarge in 1894

When the USS Kearsarge grounded and sank on February 2nd, 1894 she was carrying two 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifles, four 9-Inch Dahlgrens, and one 5.3-Inch Breech Loading Rifle. This post looks at historic photos of USS Kearsarge, photos of preserved cannons similar to those lost aboard the ship, and photos that may show the current disposition of the cannons at Kearsarge’s wreck site.

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The 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifle of USS Richmond in Lambertville, New Jersey
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The 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifle of USS Richmond in Lambertville, New Jersey

A US Navy 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifle which served in the 1870s and 1880s aboard the famous Civil War ship USS Richmond is displayed in front of a Civil War Memorial at Mary E. Sheridan Park in Lambertville, New Jersey. The cannon was converted from an 11-Inch Dahlgren in 1877. (The cannon had been originally cast in 1863.)

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The Manufacture of US Navy 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifles from 11-Inch Dahlgren Shell Guns
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The Manufacture of US Navy 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifles from 11-Inch Dahlgren Shell Guns

An excerpt from Augustus Paul Cooke's A Text Book of Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Prepared for the Use of Cadet Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy describes the manufacture of 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifles from existing 11-Inch Dahlgren Smoothbore Shell Guns. The post includes cutaway illustrations from the book and photographs from preserved Dahlgren cannons.

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The Cannons of Denver’s City Park
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The Cannons of Denver’s City Park

Three Civil War era cannons have been displayed near the Pavilion at City Park in Denver, Colorado since 1897. They are an 11-Inch Dahlgren, a 6.4-Inch Parrott Rifle, and a 13-Inch Mortar. They surround a statue of Robert Burns.

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The Cannons of Trophy Park
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The Cannons of Trophy Park

Norfolk Navy Yard Trophy Park in Portsmouth, Virginia displays a number of Dahlgrens and Parrott Rifles from the mid 19th Century US Navy. Some are displayed as they were manufactured. Others received modifications and conversions in the 1870s. Many thanks to Flickr user Jimmy for the permission to use these photos.

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The 11-Inch Dahlgren of Eldon, Iowa
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The 11-Inch Dahlgren of Eldon, Iowa

An 11-Inch Dahlgren, “W. P. No 29”, is preserved in a cemetery in Eldon, Iowa. This cannon immediately follows in sequence the two 11-Inch Dahlgrens of USS Monitor (W. P. Nos 27 & 28) now being conserved in Virginia.

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The 11-Inch Dahlgrens of USS Monitor
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The 11-Inch Dahlgrens of USS Monitor

Two 11-Inch Dahlgrens carried by USS Monitor are undergoing preservation in the Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Visitors can see the original cannon from a viewing gallery overlooking the conservation lab, and they may see recreations of the turret in the gallery.

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USS Keokuk’s Dahlgren and the Rodman Carriage
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USS Keokuk’s Dahlgren and the Rodman Carriage

The 11-Inch Dahlgren at White Point Garden near Charleston, South Carolina is mounted upon a carriage for a 10-Inch Rodman. One of the two Rodmans now on the ground at Fort Moultrie may have “donated” the carriage. Looking at the cannon and the carriage, one can see how they were used together.

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What happened to USS Keokuk’s Other Dahlgren?
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What happened to USS Keokuk’s Other Dahlgren?

After the war, one of the Dahlgrens of USS Keokuk was left near Fort Moultrie and then around 1900 it was moved to White Point Garden. The Dahlgren which had been at White Point Garden was lost some time after the war. Whatever happened to it?

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8-inch Dahlgren Rifles at Patriot’s Point
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8-inch Dahlgren Rifles at Patriot’s Point

Four Dahlgren 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifles are on display outside of Patriots Point Soccer Stadium. These cannon were converted to rifles in 1879-1880 from 11-Inch Dahlgren Smoothbores which had been cast at Builders Foundry in Providence, Rhode Island in 1863.

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USS Santee - A Frigate of the United States Navy
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USS Santee - A Frigate of the United States Navy

USS Santee - designed after the War of 1812, built slowly in the 1820s-1850s, seeing active service at the beginning of the American Civil War, and serving many years as a school ship for the United States Naval Academy, was a beautiful frigate whose history reflects the changing technology of naval ordnance. This website is named in her honor.

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