We Tested 1700s and 1800s Royal Navy Weapons! (Pistols, Cutlasses, Grenades!)
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
- 'We Tested 1700s and 1800s Royal Navy Weapons! (Pistols, Cutlasses, Grenades!)'
On 21 October 1805, the British Royal Navy clashed with the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies at Cape Trafalgar, northwest of the Strait of Gibraltar, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars.
On display at the battle was a varied arsenal of weaponry - from boarding cutlass’ to flintlock pistols and explosives. In this video, History Hit presenters Luke Tomes and Louee Dessent spoke to weapons expert and fight director Keith Wallis to find out more about the weapons and how they were used.
You can watch the documentary 'Life and Death in Nelson's Navy' over on History Hit TV right now: access.historyhit.com/videos/...
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#historyhit #battleoftrafalgar #royalnavy
You're about to board an enemy ship at the Battle of Trafalgar... which weapons are you taking with you? ⚔💣
I would jump off. I am a coward
I am a Retired Infantry Officer from the United States Marine Corps and as you know historically we are Naval Infantry so I would have my Mamluk Sword and a Brace of Pistols! Leading my Fellow Marines we would have the ship under control in No time at all!!
I think you’d have to have a nock volley gun, nice way to make a hole. Can’t forget my Kukri either.
@@gopaladas
Suprisingly, it seems that most sailors of the day couldn't swim. So jumping would have almost certainly been a suicidial move.
err...The Royal Marines/Navy...?
Very interesting. The battle of Trafalgar was fought in almost a calm wind barely 5 mph so the huge loss of life was a direct result of the time it took for ships to engage and disengage. This worked to the advantage of the Royal Navy who were superbly trained. The French and Spanish fleets had been blockaded for years in ports without any sea duty.
Doubt it would have made much difference. The RN had got the measure of fleet actions by this time. The French and Spanish would have been out classed, regardless.
@@doug6500 The gunnery skill of the Royal Navy is testament of this, they could on average reload and fire in 90 seconds on top of having a flintlock mechanism for their guns. As opposed to the combined French/Spanish navy who took on average 5 minutes to reload and fire, on top if using a less reliable fuse firing mechanism leading to a delay from when you lit the fuse to when the gun fired, making the shots less accurate. Doctrine for the French navy was also to shoot for rigging instead of hull as was the case for the Royal Navy, which was much more effective. The only thing the French really had going for them in ship to ship combat was that their musket gunnery was much more effective.
Don't forget, you would also have marines with muskets, stationed in the fighting tops, shooting down at the enemy's deck: that's how Nelson was killed.
About the French and Spanish warships, thus was done by infantry battalions detailed for sea duty.
That's honestly were I would like to stand - best chance of survival
@@obiwanfisher537 but what if the masts were shot down… TIMBER!!! remember masts were a major target for disabling ships so… I wouldnt want to be sniping from those things…
@@shieldclubrydawg1614 Yeah, but better than being on the deck still. Especially during boarding when most people focus on killing each other and no one is shooting the cannons at the masts anymore
@@obiwanfisher537 Best chance of survival? 🤣🤣
As kids come bonfire night we'd make pistols from copper pipe , black powder and fuses from bangers with acorns as balls, they were fairly powerful and packed a punch if you were hit. I don't recommend it.
😂
Lol how very American of you!
Flag pole, black powder from old rocket motors, and marbles were my choice. We only shot it at trees or old boxes. Surprisingly effective and I am still surprised I have both hands.
Those were the days, you reminded me on this bonfire night how I made a firearm with wood, metal tube, banger and fired a steel bolt thru an oil can and into a cement garage wall. Stuck to air rifles after that. I don t think my larents knew.
@@moendopi5430 Yes marbles will put holes in things.
fun fact, in case anyone watching is interested, the boarding axe and wide saber were used instead of more conventional land equivalent melee weapons was because damaging a ship was useful for quick boarding actions. a few men could quickly board and cut riggings then retreat back to the ship. a few men can make a terrible mess of riggings with sabre and axe, immobilizing a ship or severely alowing it down.
As a Retired History Professor and a Retired Infantry Officer from the United States Marine Corps I feel yours is one of the Best and most well researched History Sites on the Internet! EXCELLENT!!! WELL DONE! Keep up the good work and if I can every Help to Consult in any way please feel free to ASK!!
Thanks so much, appreciate it Richard!
@@HistoryHit If I was still in the Classroom I would use your Videos as a teaching Resource that is how much #RESPECT I have for them! Keep up the Great and accurate work! My offer to consult or help in any way was not an empty phrase, if you ever need me just ask! God Bless #LYBM
@@celtichero9 thank you for your service, good Sir!
@@vigunfighter I am quite excited to watch your video, that covers every single aspect you mention in detail. After 2 years doing nothing, you should have had enough time to give us some amazing footage, right, Mister Braggart?
Grenades weren't that high on the sailors' nightmare list. Nightmare #1 would have been the explosion of a cannon on an enclosed gun deck. Nightmare #2 would have been a cannon breaking loose on an enclosed gun deck.
Hence the saying "he's a bit of a loose Cannon"
Even those short cannons weighed a lot and I think they they rolled around where they were not supposed to, could easily crush a leg or an arm or any part of you if it slammed into your body.
Or any kind of fire, especially around the magazine
Im starting to sense a pattern with canons and enclosed spaces hahahahha
Nightmare#1: Being a midshipman on Bucentaure at around 12:45 on that peculiar day. Looking to the stern you do realize that both HMS Victory and HMS Neptune are about to cross right behind your most vulnerable area. That first volley obliterated 197 sailors into a bloody mist on the gun deck of Vice-Admiral Treville's flagship.
Also used were boarding pikes and daggers, many seamen of that time carried daggers and knives of various sorts, just in case!
Interesting demo's guys, thanks for this.
Did you make this in response to the French seizing the British fishing boat the other week ? 😉
😂
Bah... nothing 3 feet of English ash and a bit of goose feather won't sort out.
@@ianmedford4855 I'd say get some elaphant guns from Holland and Holland but ya know Britain.....
Man it's sad how this joke is literally gonna get ruined by people who felt political about now
Doesn't require much to trigger a reaction to a perceived slight commited by either party.
I'm so glad you two didn't listen to your mother when she said "Don't play with that, you'll put your eye out"
Really enjoy the weapons videos.
Have you ever checked the difference between the french and british cannons ? The British at trafalgar had used the gunlock which is the same as a flintlock but for cannons. The advantage was that with a gunlock the gunner could stand behind the cannon. This allowed the gunner to better estimate when the ship was rolling into the right position to fire.
Love the use of fixed perspective to make Penzance harbour look huge in the long shots.
Just a shame we couldn't take it out to sea!
Naval warfare from this era is my current obsession, thank you so much for making this video!
I'm a simple man. I see Trafalgar and I click the thumbs up.
I could image the huge amount of blood on those ships deck
Yes very slippery indeed.
“Blood ran through the scuppers” is a trope when these engagements are novelized.
Flintlocks are so elegant .
DC: And endlessly fiddly, sigh.
My family got my dad one for his 50th birthday a while ago. Its a lot of fun to shoot. But as Pelican1984 said, they are very fiddly. Youve got to be exact about how you hold it to keep the powder in the flash pan.
@@custink22 And the flints shift around, and wear down fairly quickly if target shooting. "Fiddly"
@@KB4QAA oh lord that is so true. I dont know how many times weve had to move or replace the flint in my dads rifle because it didnt spark, or didnt spark enough, or chipped funny and wasnt hitting the frizzen right... Its fun as hell, but its rare that itll get more than two shots in a row before weve got to adjust the flint. Id forgotten about that... My own troubles were mostly because ive gotten into the bad habit of tilting it slightly to avoid the big ball of smoke or the odd flint chips hitting me in the face and ending up moving the powder in the flash pan out of reach of the spark.
Very informative thank you
love this channel
Sitting here the day after Thanksgiving and I stumbled across this video. Good Stuff!
8:45 this is really interesting, having just recently rewatched Master and Commander for the billionth time, I recognize these moves because Jack Aubrey used them! Russell Crowe must've done his research and had a great trainer
Yep. That film is a masterpiece. There hasn't been a more accurate age of sail production before or since.
@@Cailus3542 to quote Maturin from the books "it's the great shame of the world"
Glad i am not alone watching it umpteenth time...
The 'Dutch East Indies Sword' is very similar to the tessack or Sinclair Sabre. I would regard it as being too big to be a hanger.
The second weapon, the 'short sabre' is in fact a bad knockoff of the 'Pattern 1803' Infantry Officer's Sword.
My personal preference for a boarding action would be either one of my Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabres, or my Crimean War-era Naval Officer's Sword by Wilkinson, paired with either a couple of pistols in a harness or (later) a revolver or two. Unfortunately I've just sold my early 19th century Barnett blunderbuss (I'm an antique arms conserver, restorer and dealer).
I am also in the West Country on the Devon/Cornwall border and I occasionally teach military swordsmanship, including Napoleonic cutlass according to Pringle-Green and sabre according to Le Marchant and Roworth.
Hey, you seem knowledgeable about the period. Mind if I ask you a question?
The 1803 Flank Officer's Sabre became the model for the future naval officer's sabres, I believe Commonwealth navies still use them as part of full dress, also a hanger is just a single edged sword, technically most infantry sabres would still be considered hangers. Also a cavalry sabre would be a bit long for a naval confrontation.
@@Vespasian705 no, the naval sabre of the period (1805 IIRC) is quite different, and was replaced in 1827 with a completely new solid Gothic hilt which remains in service today after 2 blade changes.
@@VRichardsn dang, now I want to know the question. This topic is quite interesting!
@@VRichardsn apologies, for some reason despite your comment being before my response to Jack, I hadn't seen it. Yes, please fire away.
Great show and channel
I would have thought that fire caused however would be the greatest terror then reaching any ready powder.
Very inferesting. Thank you!
Very interesting guys, thank you 😊
thanks!
_Awsome bite size content_
You should watch it with the Weapons of Nelson’s navy. Somebody could lose an eye.
😉
Captain!!!
When my grandfather passed away, his friend dry fired a pistol belonging to the first lieutenant Quilliam of HMS Victory.
The most common defensive weapon of the Bri'ish was the "Bo'o'o'wo'ah". Some still use it today.
Legendary
those swords are oddly silent when removed from the sheath. where's the shwinnng sound?
Those were the special ops ones
Great history, for a Great Britain. Now you can't even carry a pocket knife.
Eh, I once crossed a high street in a town in mid-Devon right in front of a police car with a bundle of swords under my arm. I was a bit disappointed that they paid me literally no attention.
You can legally carry a knife with a blade up to 3" if you have a valid reason but unfortunately making large knives illegal doesn't stop gangs using them. Weapons don't kill people, people do.
@@malcolmlane-ley2044 i mean, here in the US, i use my pocket knife almost daily for every day tasks around the house or even at work for various tasks there or while hunting. And prior to my current job, i frequently used my pocket knife in construction or maintenance. These things have been beaten to hell and back. So whenever i hear a government say "you cant carry a knife without valid reason" i always wonder exactly what they mean, because knives are some of the most useful things anyone can carry at any given time. But then again, im a country boy and grew up with knives and lighters and guns around and on my person all the time. Not many city folk understand the need for a good knife at your side.
1976 HMS Bristol small arms locker. There was a rack of about 20 cutlasses. They were shorter than the 1804 model shown in the vid and blunt on both edges.
Why two blunt edges?
@@Sneedster_14 No idea. Maybe the idea is for it to be a crushing weapon and therefore less lethal... or maybe they would be sharpened when the occasion to use them arose. Honestly no idea Ben.
@@TukikoTroy could've been for ceremonial uses. We often find swords that were used for ceremonial use because they were preserved. Swords used in combat often broke or got lost. This is for example the reason why we often think swords are heavy while they were in actuality very nicely balanced and nimble. The ceremony swords are often too heavy or poorly balanced because it doesn't matter to the smith and it saves him a lot of work not removing material.
@@alastor1052 Could be, but there was nothing ceremonial about these, they were very business-like; basically, a steel bar with a guard and a canvas-wrapped handle with the whole thing painted battleship grey (and very chipped at that)
@@TukikoTroy Training swords I bet, fencing was a common sport.
In love that pistol
Grenades were used by HMS Shannon 's Captain ,Captain Sir Philip Broke ,when he closed up with the American frigate Chesapeake.
My dad was a courier during this was.
He was led out from the Nicosi battle ship prior to the first lighting
The 'musketoon' a short barrelled large calibre naval blunderbuss may have been used at Trafalgar? It would have fired a hail of pistol balls with devastating effect although it was a favourite pirates weapon used for clearing decks?.
If you grab the Pistol by the barrel after you fired it you have a pretty effektive warclub.
Is there any battle damage on or in the Victory or has it been cleaned up or replaced?
for the flint lock pistol ... you have a cabin boy carrying 20 to 30 of them preloaded follow you around the battle handing you freshly loaded pistols as you need them
Technique being equal, speed wins.
Personally I wouldn’t mind a boarding pike especially if defending against being boarded vs a cutlass
Are you gonna do a collab with Tod of Tod's workshop? That would be brilliant to see!
Going to go on and on about the Cutlass and Sabre but not mention the Boarding Axe.
Weapons expert and he reffers to a British Lootenant?
Yep, not a Lef-Tenent. Too much time on Hollywood projects...
One of my pet peeves concerning the 'hostile takeover' of US culture. As I often say, every English speaking country in the world pronounces it 'leftenant' ...except one. When they complain about the spelling not matching, I tell them to pronounce 'colonel' then spell it... When dealing with Americans (note, that doesn't include us Canadians), I'm happy to pronounce it their way when referring to them. When discussing Brits, Canadians, Aussies etc, it should be done our way.
Now, having said that, when did the English pronunciation come into vogue? It was originally a French word that we appropriated. At some point a conscious decision was made to pronounce it differently. I'm curious as to when in history that might have been. Before or after Trafalger?
Must've been...exciting. Minus, of course, the threat of death and extreme injury.
I'd like to see Boer War weapons Please? 🙏
What ship are you on? I crewed "HMS" Rose back in 1994 and would love to get to sea on a tall ship again.
Granate. I think that's French for pomegranate, because that's what they resemble.
I would have a big choppa and perhaps an iron bar if I've not got a shoota Ork style. That would probably do
Did they throw the pommel during these battles or...?
I want a pair of them cutlasses
Interesting. Did you encounter any pirates while you were in Penzance?
We searched all the pubs but couldn't find any! 😃
@@HistoryHit thats cos you didn't look in warrens bakery
show the axes pls
I would be taking a cutlass and a boarding axe. You can't board if you can't get past the anti-bording nets and the axe is best at cutting the netting.
I would also want a fair few mateys along with boarding pikes to protect me as I'm working on chopping through their boarding nets.
For cutting boarding nets I would have a partner or two. Someone needs to pull the portion of the net to be cut. While the other one cut the netting. Boarding nets were loosely hung making them had to climb on and to cut.
You mean you're not going to swing across on a rope like a pirate?
How are you mentioning Pringle Green twice and not once mention the use of boarding pikes?
you'd be better keeping the pistol gripped by the handle as opposed to the barrel once it's been discharged; the weight of the barrel makes a better bludgeon than the pommelcap.
But you would probably leave it unusable afterwards
@@KYDEX97 No, using a gun barrel as a bludgeoning weapon is a taught technique in a number of contemporary combat treatise, both for pistols and long-arms and it won't damage the barrel. Hell, some medieval hand cannons had a spike forged into the barrel so the weapon could be used as a warhammer or mace once it was discharged. If the gun breaks it's going to be the wood around the lockwork regardless of which side being swung. Using the barrel actually minimizes the likelihood of damage since the barrel is the strongest component of the weapon.
O’Brian often mentioned “boarding axes” in his books. That just sounds nasty.
I would prefer the axe for boarding. It has more stopping power.
Hey it's my home town in a RUclips video, LFG bois!
Surely a blunderbuss would have made a better boarding weapon or a grape-shot cannon.
one shot
AH: You can buy 3 or 4 pistols for the price of one blunderbuss, and have a cutlass in the other hand.
@@KB4QAA I think that in the scrum of a boarding rush you won't be able to juggle multiple pistols. After the first and only volley to clear a path onto their ship, or beat back the mob storming your ship, I think it goes hand-to-hand very quick.
"The last thing I want to see below deck is one of those things.." the last thing you'll ever see...
Bro, you didn't have to "test" them.
They worked perfectly well, across all the High Seas, for an entire Empire's worth of time.
Imagine the scenes at Trafalgar if shotguns had been used
Interesting how YT algorithm works, I only see One Piece related stuff and suddenly this was in my recommendations😅
The cutlass weighed about a "killing gram" yeah right! :)
i honestly cant even imagine what it was like having to board a ship and kill someone in such close combat. here i am sitting in the comfort of my home
One item tested?
Funny how much of this you can actually see in the movie master and commander
all these weapons are still used in the streets of Penzance, Camborne and Redruth.
What about boarding pikes?
I would have died going over the rail.
6:49 LEFFtenant, not LOOtenant.
How would one outfit a vessel from around 1800 with a modern turret, a complement of missiles and some drones.
I feel like doing some unsporting piracy circa 1800.
Also need a delorian since getting a sail ship up to 88mph is just ridiculous.
You didn't test the grenade
Captain Aubrey used a heavy cavalry saber as his fighting sword.
No he didn't. You're thinking of Sharpe who did indeed fight with a heavy cavalry sword as his signature weapon.
@@heycidskyja4668 I have read the whole maturiin Aubrey series twice.
Jack used a heavy cavalry saber as his fighting sword.
He had his patriotic fund sword and his fine sword too.
A cudgel - rather than a club?
How trained were the sailors though? I thought they were just given weapons and then go and fight?
Of course they had to be trained for fighting. If you just give weapons to some people who have never seen battle or been trained to battle, they would most probably just freeze from terror and panic. Untrained people in battle are quite useless.
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His comments about the axe being inferior... I'm pretty sure it would depend who was using it... Those vikings were pretty handy with an axe!
They were fighting inside a 100 gun ship. A cutlass' flexibility certainly is an advantage in these tight conditions; with the movement of the waves and constant bang when the ships collide.
I use a hatchet everyday but it wouldn’t be my first choice of weapon if you need to be quick a hatchet isn’t much use
I have a Flintlock pistol from around 1800 made by Henry Nock of London. It has the initials 'JC' neatly stamped on on side znd also 4/6 not so neatly pressed into the woodwork. It has a brass trigger guard and ramrod ferrule(?) and is in 0.650 calibre. It is in very good condition. Wonder who JC was, and also the 4/6....serial number? Or perhaps it was in a junk or pawn shop later in its life for four shillings and sixpence? Any opinions, questions. Henry Nock was a well known gun maker, the Volley gun of Sergeant Harper fame in the TV series Sharp was by Mr Nock...so it is an interesting piece
Nock was also the father in law of Henry Wilkinson who started the famous Wilkinson sword company, making some of the finest officer swords of the time.
@@doratheexploder286 I knew there was a connection with Wilkinson Sword, but I did not know that. Thanks. Fascinating stuff. Every time I pick it up I wonder who else has held it. I have a collection of 74 historical pieces ranging from Swords to watches. All have a unique mystery to them.
@@cliverockability3829 can never get enough of old military pieces, I stopped counting when my collection got to over 100 sabers and hangers. Should probably start selling some to fund new and better ones, but I find it hard to part with any of them lol.
@@doratheexploder286 Nice. I have a Sako Nobu Mitso Shin Gunto officers katana. Very nice and signed on the tang.
Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard.
gun
What's the name of the Brig you are on?
Phoenix based in Penzance
How prevalent was the boarding pike in boarding actions? Longer reach than the cutlass.
WHAT ABOUT POINTED STICKS?
@@runlarryrun77 That's basically what a spear is, isn't it. Do a little research on boarding pikes and you will find that they commonly used in boarding actions. They were even mentioned in the video and even illustrated being used in action but the presenters didn't give them much emphasis.
@@runlarryrun77 *"Pointed sticks!? Gettin' all 'igh and mighty, are we? Fresh fruit not good enough?"* 🤣
@@douglaslester6812 Yeah I know what a spear is ffs. I was mocking your geekery. Lucius knows what I was referencing.
@@Lucius1958 I knew someone would get it! It's times like this my faith in the internet is restored... 🤣
For cutting boarding nets use a sharp dirk or large knife. I would have a partner or two. Someone needs to pull the portion of the net to be cut. While the other one cut the netting. Boarding nets were loosely hung making them hard to climb on and to cut.
Naval dirks were quite common. Belaying pins as well if you needed something to serve as a stiletto.
No Blunderbusses???
I do hope your hand was NOT over the side when you fired the pistol! ....just in case.....
I miss Deadliest warrior.
I wish I could remake it, but without so much of the idiotic histrionics and chest-beating.
Well maybe think about the titel, cause this wasnt realy a testing but more a introducing of the weapons.
The first cutlass looks like something you'd use to slaughter a cow. Doesn't look very ergonomic.
were pistols used to fire multiple shots like a shotgun?
Multiple barrel pistols were around, I've seen examples in the armouries of Windsor Castle, but they were expensive, particularly as each barrel was just that, an extra barrel, as well as another extra firing mechanism, and a bit more wood. Don't expect your low-ranking officer or your 'other ranks' to have access to such exotic weaponry.
Not normally. There were small cannons that fired ' grape ' shot. Which was small, uneven lumps of lead or stone. Most Flintlocks fired a single ball of lead. As they take 20seconds or more to reload, once fired they would as shown be used as a club or for blocking sword or axe attacks. Flintlock pistols were pretty inaccurate, even at short distances. The ball or shot would bounce around in the barrel when fired even if a cloth wadding was used as it would burn or separate in the barrel. Also the metal used was softer than that used today and it would wear with every shot fired, this would make the pistol even more inaccurate. Saw a test a few years ago on YT done with Flintlocks and modern weapons over short & longer range short being 20m or less long being 40m. Some were over 10cm off target at only 5m
06:52 It's pronounced Leftenant, not lootenant.
Matron! My pills at the rush please.
Depends which English you are speaking. The channel hosts used American English.
omg
Did anyone give that guy a tissue?
I do hope those swords are replicas, the way the blades are being handled with bare hands. This will cause some nasty stains to valuable original items.
Honestly looking at expert axe fighters I’m not sure I agree with his point about having to commit with the axe (at least more so than with a sword). At least not for any one handed axe. Every example I’ve seen, the most common strike with an axe has been very quick jabs. Remember it’s still heavy and very sharp so jabbing (kind of like flicking it) will yield some pretty nasty results still
Boarding axes were generally used to damage the rigging, first and foremost.
@@Cailus3542 Maybe so but I was specifically talking about fighting with axes. The notion that axe = big, wide swings isn’t really true as far as I understand. A well kept axe would be sharp as a knife, but with a heavier head behind it. You could “jab” it at the enemies and cause significant damage.
Did sailors train in the use of their boarding weapons? That is the one thing you never see in movies. It's not a natural skill and would have to be learned and practiced?
SP: Yeah! And we never see sailors emptying their bowels or urinating in movies either!
Ah in day and age when men were real men. Close combat no holds barred a fight to the death.
Was the flintlock loaded with a round or just gunpowder becuase i noticed you were aiming towards those other boats lol
There was no ball (bullet) in the pistol because there was no recoil.
Modern London issue? 😁