Existing comment:
The Great Guns of the Fort...
The Rodman Cannons
The guns in front of you are the heaviest cannons ever mounted at Fort McHenry. The largest fired exploding projectiles weighing 440 pounds. Mass-produced they represent the "coming of age" of America's iron industry. A special process developed by Thomas J. Rodman, enabled them to cool from the inside out giving them durability and their distinctive bottle-shaped appearance.
Installed in 1866, the Army improved the Rodman Guns with rifling (grooved barrel) a decade later. The Hydraulic cylinder and bumpers coated with rubber were added in 1888. Obsolete not long after they were installed, they were fired only for ceremonies such as the Fourth of July and Defender's Day. |