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 9-Inch Dahlgren and 8-Inch Rodman at Fort Sill
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The 9-Inch Dahlgren and 8-Inch Rodman at Fort Sill

The US Army Artillery Museum at Fort Sill offers the unique opportunity to directly compare an 8-Inch Rodman to an 9-Inch Dahlgren. In presenting these two cannon side by side, the visitor to the museum is able to see the approach of both the US Navy and the US Army to produce shell guns capable of also firing solid shot. The Photos in this post were taken by Flickr User “rcaustintx” in 2019. They are used with his permission. Many, many thanks!

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The US Navy Cannons of Townsend Park in Oyster Bay, New York
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The US Navy Cannons of Townsend Park in Oyster Bay, New York

Three American Civil War era United States Navy cannons sit surrounding a bandstand in Townsend Park in Oyster Bay, York. The three cannons are a rare 50-Pounder Dahlgren Rifle, a 5.3-Inch Parrott Rifle converted to a breechloader, and a 30-Pounder Parrott Rifle which saw service aboard USS R.R. Cuyler during the American Civil War. These photos were provided by another individual and are used with permission.

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The Dahlgren Boat Howitzers of Hanover, Massachusetts
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The Dahlgren Boat Howitzers of Hanover, Massachusetts

Two US Navy 12-Pounder Bronze Dahlgren Boat Howitzers are displayed in Hanover, Massachusetts flanking an 1878 Monument "Erected by the people of Hanover in grateful memory of her sons who died in the War for the Preservation of the Union."

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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 Naval Cannons of Fort McClary, Maine
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The Naval Cannons of Fort McClary, Maine

Three US Navy cannons are displayed at Fort McClary near Kittery, Maine: a 9-Inch Dahlgren Shell Gun, a Bureau of Ordnance 8-Inch Shell Gun of 6,500 Pounds, and a 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight. Fort McClary shows several stages of US Army seacoast fortifications and is beautifully situated overlooking Portsmouth Harbor.

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The 9-Inch Dahlgrens of Rollinsford, New Hampshire
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The 9-Inch Dahlgrens of Rollinsford, New Hampshire

Two 9-Inch Dahlgrens are displayed in Rollinsford, New Hampshire in front of a monument to local Union veterans. One of the cannons may be the only surviving 9-Inch Dahlgren manufactured by Bellona - in 1858. The Bellona Dahlgren is mounted on an original iron Marsilly carriage. The two cannons and their mounts are well maintained and nicely displayed.

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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 Claremont, New Hampshire Soldiers’ Memorial
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The Claremont, New Hampshire Soldiers’ Memorial

Two US Navy Bureau of Ordnance 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds are displayed at Broad Street Park in Claremont, New Hampshire alongside a statue memorializing war dead which was placed in 1869 (though the cannons were likely placed between 1890 and 1910). This post includes a list of the soldiers memorialized and their service.

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The Dahlgrens of the Washington Navy Yard
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The Dahlgrens of the Washington Navy Yard

Dahlgren’s shell gun and boat howitzer designs formed the core of US Naval armament during the American Civil War. It is fitting that three of his designs are displayed at the Washington Navy Yard: a 9-Inch Dahlgren Shell Gun, a 12-Pounder Boat Howitzer, and a 20-Pounder Bronze Rifle.

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