Ram Rod Head, 9-Pounder
Description
9-pounder gun ram rod head. Turned wooden object. Shaped with a groove one third of the way down and a rim shaped near one end (the same end). The figure ‘9’ carved on one end.
One of the most important tools for loading and firing the guns was the flexible rammer. Made of thick rope it had a wooden rammer head at one end and a sponge at the other. This combination tool was alternately used to ram home the cartridge and shot during loading and then to wet-sponge the bore of the gun after it had been fired before reloading once more. The advantage of this flexible method was that ramming and sponging could be carried out with the gun port closed or with the gun ‘run in’. This was for use in close engagement with the hull touching that of the enemy; in these conditions the long wooden handle could not pass out of the gun port in order that the inner end could enter the mouth of the gun, but the flexible rope could be worked in. This obviously took more time and was only used as a last resort.
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Object Detail
Diameter: 100mm (3 15/16")
Weight: (0.3kg)