#581 Heated Combat
Fun Fact #581
Heated Combat
When it comes to Cannon history one of the most interesting ammo types was “The HotShot”. The concept was simple: take a solid Iron ball and heat it to “Cherry Red” (around 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit) then carefully load and fire at your opposition. This actually proved far more effective at setting fires and would continue setting fires for a time after striking the enemy, proving highly effective against ships and structures.
The trick however came in doing this without serious burns to your cannon crews or premature detonation of the firing charge. While some advancements such as stuffing wet clay in between the ball and the charge were developed to lower the possibility of accidents, it was still seen by The Royal Navy (UK) as too great a risk resulting in it being banned from their naval vessels and viewed as a war crime punishable by death.
America seemed to miss that Memo however, or more accurately Johnathon Williams (first Chief of Engineers for the US Army Corps of Engineers) informed the US military of this weapon. He also brought the designs for the stationary furnaces from France, and a stolen Norwegian Mobile Furnace cart. These improvements were quickly implemented finally giving the US Forts an edge against the British Navy, and The USS Constitution got to work setting the British Navy (Such as the HMS Charon). The British responded by nicknaming American cannoneers “Hot Shots” and the name has survived in pop culture to this day. Yet the last significant usage of heated-shot was in 1862 when the first battle of Ironclad ships happened as part of the American Civil War. The CSS Viginia (Confederate) and The USS Congress (Union) found their cannons couldn’t peirce each other’s ships, but The Virginia won the battle when they switched to heated shots, setting The USS Congress’ deck on fire.
Image of one of the last remaining Heated-Shot furnaces in The US. located at Fort Jefferson on The Island of Garden Key which is a part of Dry Tortougas National Park (The Westernmost Island chain in Florida).
