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Originally Posted by Philip
...The description was not from a siege memoir, but rather focuses on the pre-siege test-firing of the largest gun (named Basilisc...
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News for me: i realized that Basilisc was a type of large cannon and not the name of Mehmet's beast. The famous "Tiro de Diu" kept in the Lisbon Military museum (to revisit) is equally tagged as a basilisc.
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Originally Posted by Philip
... only managed three shots daily, and became inoperative after several weeks...
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Oh boy, given all troubles managing this monster, cited above and under, it takes a lot of determination to include it in the operations. If only the Sultan had to maneuver it himself
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Originally Posted by Philip
...Which brings me to admit an oversight that I made earlier -- in that the bombards used in Europe, with their forged wrought iron stave-and-hoop construction, were quite a different breed of cat from Orban's creations. The period documentation indicates that Mehmet's siege cannon were cast -- in the case of Basilisc, in a foundry at the Ottoman capital...
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Timelines are more or less coincidental. Around this period the Duchy of Burgundy, the greatest military power around, engaged in relations with the Portuguese Kingdom and great numbers of material were received, namely 134 fire mouths (cannons), from which some were in bronze. It is evident that this material was used in the North African campaigns, when looking at the Pastrana tapisseries. It is natural, quoting General Barata that, soon after, between end Dom Afonso V realm and beg. that of Dom Manuel I (1480-95) bronze cannon manufacture was initiated in Portugal.
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Originally Posted by Philip
... Although Basilisc has not survived, a huge Turkish cannon made just a decade or so later has -- the so-called Dardanelles Gun which can be seen today at Ft. Nelson, above Portsmouth. It's safe to conclude that its construction mirrors that of Orban's designs (he didn't live beyond the year of the siege)...
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I was reading about this one the other day; among some confusion over both being 'allocated' to the Constantinople siege episode, the Dardanelles one would have being cast by Munir Ali in 1464, notwithstanding in an Orban's fashion. Also its weight is impressive; when coming to comparisons like that with the Mons Meg, we are talking about more than the double weight, despite their other specs being (almost) similar. Alright, the Mons Meg is in iron and this one is bronze, but the difference, i guess, resides more in its massive (thickness) construction.
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Originally Posted by Philip
... Even more remarkable is the fact that this gun, and smaller ones of the era still existing in Turkey, are of two -piece construction, the chamber section is screw-threaded into the barrel proper with remarkable precision for the day. Amazing! ...
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Yes, this idea to build it in two halves, apparently to facilitate its transport, is genius ... screwing cog rings and all. What one may be not so sure of is if, while this was a rather smart logistic asset, its susceptibility to gases escaping would not be a serious issue.
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