Bellerophon Cannon Balls and Garlands

by John

While impatiently waiting for the copper tape to arrive so I can get on with the hull copper plating, I turned my attention to the cannon balls on the top gundeck.

At the 1:72 scale, the 5 point something inch 18 pound balls are just a bit less than 2mm diameter. The original iron balls were cast iron, and gun crews spent time filing the exterior as smooth as possible to reduce wear on the gun barrels, and possibly to improve accuracy of firing.

On HMS Bellerophon and all ships of the line, the balls were stored in shot lockers, low in the centre of the ship, for reasons of stability of the ship, given the many tons of shot which were carried.

If an action was anticipated, the balls were hauled to the gundecks in their hundreds, in rope slings, and placed in wooden garlands which were situated alonside the central hatches. Each gun probably also had a small number of balls in circular depressions in smaller garlands on the bulwark next to the gunport.

When I visited HMS Victory in 1980 and 2019 I had no interest in ship modelling, but I was interested in the mechanics and construction of the battleship and I photographed a garland. The following photo is not mine, but very similar.

Garlands on the gundeck next to the central hatches. Each ball in its own circular recess. HMS Victory.
The carronades on the Victory foredeck had their 68 pound balls in garlands mounted on the bulwark. Those balls must surely have been brought up in a heavy duty sling powered by a manpowered winch. Bellerophon also had carronades, but on the poop deck, and they were probably 32 pounders. Very similar in appearance to the above picture of a reproduction fiberglass carronades on HMS Victory.

But again I digress. Back to the model cannon balls.

I purchased one thousand stainless steel ball bearings 2mm diameter, but when I read about the difficulties in blacking them, purchased 2000 copper balls 2mm diameter. You might wonder about the grossly excessive number, but spares are handy, and 2000 were hardly more epensive than 1000!

Then I practiced blacking the copper balls using “Birchwood Brass Black” and the instructions as published by Pat Majewski on the “Drydock Modeler” website.

I first washed 20 or 30 copper balls in detergent and water in a small lidded plastic container, then carefully tipped out the liquid, avoiding losing the balls down the sink by tipping the final few mls and balls onto some absorbent paper towelling. Then washed the balls with isopropyl alcohol, drained it, and used an air blast to dry the balls. Then tipped in a few mls of the Brass Black and watched the balls go black which I timed at 2 minutes. I could probably have shortened that time and got a less intense black, which I will do in future.

I made the garlands on my CNC mill. That was my second or third method, but I was unsatisfied with measured drilling, and measured drilling in a small XY axis vice. The CNC mill result was accurate, straight, and regular, using merbau timber.

The various length garlands CNC milled into the surface of a piece of merbau to a depth of 2mm. The shot depressions are 2mm diameter. Then I removed the garlands by using my drum sander to remove the unwanted material at the back.
…and glued them into position. Those balls are lead shot, and not used because they are too big at 2.2mm dia.
8 garlands in place
2000 cannon balls

Initially I blacked about 30 balls as a test run, and I was about to do a further 130 or so to fill the garlands.

But I did not. Why?

Well, I want to display my model Bellerophon with the cannons run out, but with no unfurled sails. The only real life situation where that occurred was definitely not a battle or imminent battle situation where the top sails and fore course would be set. And I do not wish to add sails to my model. (nb. still considering that one)

But it could have occurred if Bellerophon was anchored in a home harbour.

….like the painting above where the sails are furled. At home, the gunports would be open, for gun deck ventilation, and the guns run out, for extra deck room.

But, would the gundeck garlands have been loaded with cannon balls?

I suspect NOT.

Maybe there would have been a few balls on the garlands, but several tons of balls high in the hull. I doubt that any captain would have permitted that to occur, in the interests of ship stability and rolling. Plus the increased likelihood of loose cannon balls coming free in rough weather.

So, I will leave most garlands with only a few balls.

Oh, and what about the brass monkeys? As in “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!”.

Brass monkeys were not related to our simian cousins. They were brass triangles shaped to hold 4 cannon balls each near the cannon port. In cold weather the differential contraction of the brass in the monkey and the iron balls sometimes caused the balls to fall off the monkey. Hence the double entendre potentially rude expression.

BUT THEY WERE NOT USED IN THE BRITISH NAVY!