This chest displays some of the objects the ship’s master gunner would have used. The master gunner’s job was to oversee the maintenance, loading and firing of the ships’ guns. His responsibilities included the training of gun crews and ensuring that ammunition was properly prepared. To the left-hand side are three types of shot: bar shot, round shot, and chain shot. Round shot was effective at punching holes in the side of enemy ships, resulting in a lethal spray of splinters and causing panic, injury and death. Enough damage near or below the waterline could cause the ship to flood with sea water and sink.
Bar shot and chain shot were particularly good at damaging masts, sails, and rigging which could prevent the enemy from moving and allow for boarding.
With shot of all different shapes and sizes, gunners needed to be able to ensure they had the right shot for the right gun. This was easier said than done in the heat of battle, so gunners might use a gauge – the wooden object on the far right – to help them measure the diameter of the shot.
At the centre of the chest is a brass object called a gunner’s quadrant. This fine example is based on one described by Niccolo Tartaglia in Nova Scientia 1537, and was used to help gunners position the barrel at the correct elevation to hit the target. The arm was inserted into the barrel and the angle read where the hanging plumb-bob intersected the arc. The mathematics behind artillery was increasingly understood, and on land, quadrants like this were used to great effect. At sea, however, with the pitching and rolling of the ship, it would have been much harder to guarantee accuracy.
Above the quadrant is a simple powder horn, which would have been filled with fine gunpowder and used to prime the guns. A fuse was created by pouring powder down the touchhole at the back of the gun. The fuse was then lit using the linstock below, which allowed a slow match to be held at a safe distance.