Armament Term....

[USNCHief013107]

In the book "The Heavy Frigate" I came across a term I have never heard before and cannot find the definition in the text. The sentence reads: "carronades to be on the outside principle and fitted as ships came forward for service".  Can anyone shed light on what "outside principle" means?

[bruce d]

"The body of the carriage recoils and is run out guided by a groove in the slide, which is pivoted at its outboard end; trucks at its inboard end make it easy to traverse the mounting. If the pivot pin was located inside the gunport – called the ‘inside principle’ – the port could be smaller, but those over the channels might pose a danger to the shrouds from blast; the alternative ‘outside principle’, with the pivot stepped on the outboard edge of the sill, required a larger port, making the crew more vulnerable when reloading."

source: https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2020/10/14/the-true-frigate-1748-1778-part-iii/

Edited February 25, 2022 by bruce d

[USNCHief]

Thanks fir the excellent explanation!