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.
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.)
“The Converted Eight Inch Muzzle Loading Rifle” by Lieutenant Duncan Kennedy, U.S.N.
An 1877 article in Proceedings by Lt. Duncan Kennedy describes the process by which 8-Inch Rifles were converted from 11-Inch Dahlgren Smoothbores. The text of that article as well as historical and recent photographs of Dahlgren cannons are given to illustrate the article.
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.
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.
The Naval Cannons of Exeter, New Hampshire
Four US Navy Cannons are displayed in Exeter, New Hampshire: an 11-Inch Dahlgren, a 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight, and two 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds
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.
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.
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.
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.
Aiming a Dahlgren: The Gunnery Artifacts of USS Monitor and USS Cumberland
Gunnery Artifacts related to the use of Dahlgren cannon are on display at the USS Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. This post looks at a historic photo to explain the artifacts.
“The Battery” at White Point Gardens - Then and Now
Explore early 20th Century (1900-1910) and present day views of the American Civil War Cannons at White Point Gardens in Charleston.
John Dalhgren’s Heavy Smoothbores for the US Navy
An overview of John A. B. Dahlgren’s heavy smoothbore cannon designed and created for the US Navy.
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?
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.
XI-Inch Dahlgren at Lake Bluff Park in St. Joseph, Michigan
A beautifully preserved 11-Inch Dahlgren is on display at Lake Bluff Park in St. Joseph, Michigan. (Photos in this post are the work of Chris Light as uploaded to Wikimedia and are used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike International License 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The 11-Inch Dahlgren of USS Keokuk
The surviving 11-Inch Dahlgren from USS Keokuk is on display at White Point Gardens in Charleston, SC
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.