Massive Smoothbore

A 15-inch Rodman like this gun, one of the largest smoothbore cannon ever developed, was installed here in 1868 but never fired in combat. Although rifled, breech-loading artillery gradually replaced them, 8-, 10-, and 15-inch Rodmans remained the primary armament at Fort Pickens and other coastal forts until the late 1880s. The barrel of the 15-inch Rodman weighed 50,000 pounds. With a maximum effective range of three miles, it could fire a 15-inch-diameter explosive shell weighing about 300 pounds or a solid 400-pound shot. Circular iron tracks allowed the cannon to be turned to fire in any direction. Designed by Thomas Jefferson Rodman, the cannon was first cast in 1860.

Warrington, Florida · United States