L' Hermione Armed and Dangerous!

[Thagarr]

I just ran across this vidoe posted on Youtube by a French TV station showing volenteers helping to install L' Hermione's guns. In total, she had 27 cannon, twenty-one 12-pounder cannons, and six 6-pounders. Each cannon weighs 1 and half tons, and was poured at the Foundry SAFEM, L’Isle-d’Espagnac near Angoulême. You can see a short video of the cannon being poured HERE!

For more information head on over to their blog HERE!

 

[Hylie Pistof]

I wonder why the odd number of guns? Where would that single cannon have gone?

 

[Captain Armstrong]

It's possibly for extra space in cabins? The original vessel should've had 26 x 12pdrs and up to 16x6pdrs. 6x6pdrs might've been the official number, but when there was the space, gunports, and tonnage (as is certainly the case with hermione) captains often added more guns on the quarterdeck and forecastle. As frigates(especially French ones) grew larger around this time, it was often intended by design to be this way, despite bureaucratic restrictions

 

[Post Captain]

There are pretty strict stability rules for passenger sailing vessels these days. Sticking to a lower number of quarterdeck guns would certainly reduce the top hamper significantly, especially with the full-sized rig and real iron guns.