HMS London

[Smithbrown]

Interesting story with the background to HMS London, lost in the Thames in the 1660s

http://www.divernet.com/home_diving_...ck_thefts.html

Smithbrown

[Smithbrown]

You can see the cannon- very nice bronze piece on this video
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-12980240

smithbrown

[Kenosha Kid]

Article about appointed guardians of the wreck :

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/8952...pwreck/?ref=mr

Article, less than 4 hours after the above one, about a theft of a cannon from the HMS London :

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/8955..._wreck/?ref=mr

[bronzecannons]

I know one of the guys who recovered some cannons from that wreck back in 2008. Those were extremely rare Cromwell and Peter Gill cannons. They contacted the London Armory about those and as soon as the authorities got word of them they pretty much confiscated the cannons immediately and told the divers they would pay them a fair price for them but in the end they were just paid peanuts for those rare cannons. Kinda pissed the guys off.. that's for sure. See some of the photos below.
Tony

[Saturna]

Wow, I would love to take a fiberglass mold off the lower one, and make a replica for display.

[Smithbrown]

Peter Gill cannon? Now that is rare- I don't think I have ever seen one from him. I assume oneday they will surface our from the Armouries

Smithbrown

[bronzecannons]

Yes, and the Cromwell's were even more rare because of something that he did during his service really pissed someone off so in order to remove his history from the records, they ordered all crests and any other identifying info on any and all Cromwell cannons to be physically removed. The Cromwell cannon Vince found still had all the Cromwell crest and info on it and that's what made this cannon worth a hell of a lot of money.
TW

[Smithbrown]

I have to disagree with you here. What you say was true thirty years ago, but in the 1980s the Armouries bought a Cromwellian cannon from the Netherlands, complete with shield. After that in the intervening years another half dozen have turned up, some with, some without the arms (you could see where they had been cut away). Mind you, these are all iron, so if this one is bronze, that is something really special (as opposed to just special!).
However I have never, ever see a Peter Gill cannon- he had a short career in the 1590s, early 1600s and died young. That I am looking forward to seeing sometime, somewhere, in the future.

Smitbrown

[bronzecannons]

I have to disagree with you here. What you say was true thirty years ago, but in the 1980s the Armouries bought a Cromwellian cannon from the Netherlands, complete with shield. After that in the intervening years another half dozen have turned up, some with, some without the arms (you could see where they had been cut away). Mind you, these are all iron, so if this one is bronze, that is something really special (as opposed to just special!).
However I have never, ever see a Peter Gill cannon- he had a short career in the 1590s, early 1600s and died young. That I am looking forward to seeing sometime, somewhere, in the future.

Smitbrown

Yes, it's bronze.
TW

[Smithbrown]

Well... Bronze would make it unique; can't think of any other bronze guns from the Cromwellian period; and as far as I know, the only bronze guns were cast for the Naseby. That is an exciting prospect. As I said, someday they will presumably be published or displayed. Let's hope soon.
Smithbrown