How much damage will an 18th century cannon do to our wooden targets? History Hit's Dan Snow tested out this replica naval cannon on a firing range and the results were shocking.
Trafalgar Day means only one thing. It’s time to fire a late-18th Century cannon.
In this video, historian Dan Snow travels to Wareham in Dorset, and steps into the shoes of a gunner in Nelson’s Navy below deck at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. There he is met by a team of weapons experts and a replica, late-18th Century cannon.
The History Hit team wanted to test the cannon’s accuracy and punch. Would it hit a target with round shot at 600 metres away, and what sort of damage would it do to a target as close as 60 metres? Watch this video and find out.
Up Next in Season 1
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The Worst Journey in the World: The A...
In August 1941, the Allies launched Operation Dervish. This was the first of the Arctic Convoys, ships which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland and North America, and brought essential supplies to the Soviet Union.
After the successful launch of Operation Barbarossa, the USSR was in despe...
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Hunt the Bismarck
Launched on 14 February 1939, the German flagship and pride of the Kriegsmarine, Bismarck was launched. In the darkness of the early morning of the 19 May 1941, Bismarck slipped out of harbour on the Baltic coast and started making its way through the Baltic Sea on its maiden voyage, Operation Rh...
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Life and Death in Nelson's Navy
200 years ago, Britain's Royal Navy was the most technologically advanced and supremely efficient force in the history of naval warfare.
But what was it like to live and work on board these ships? What did the men eat? How did the ships sail? What were the weapons they used?
In this documentar...
