Can anyone explain this curious gun station detail on Gibraltar?

[Bob Cleek]

 

This is a gun station cut into the living rock of Gibraltar. Note the "curtain" of lines hanging from the bar in front of the gunport.  Does anybody know what they are called or what purpose they actually serve? I've never seen anything like them before. 

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Bob, each line terminates in an eye. Do you think it could have been for safety? If someone stumbled through the port it would provide a last chance grab. Weird. 

[Lieste]

Maybe a counter to splinters of rock on near misses coming through the embrasure? Small, light rock shards are much heavier and sharper when shattered from a rock face than equally small splinters of wood - plenty to cause injury to crews - interfering with them with a screen of lines might significantly reduce the number and severity of injuries to a noticeable degree?

[Morgan]

Could be to break up the outline if the Gunport to obscure its location in the rock face, like the stripes of a tiger - 1800’s dazzle camouflage.

 

Gary

[Keith Black]

10 minutes ago, Lieste said:

Maybe a counter to splinters of rock on near misses coming through the embrasure? Small, light rock shards are much heavier and sharper when shattered from a rock face than equally small splinters of wood - plenty to cause injury to crews - interfering with them with a screen of lines might significantly reduce the number and severity of injuries to a noticeable degree?

 A good theory but it doesn't explain why each line would end with an eye. If it was to dampen blast fragments a line with a simple knot at the end would have sufficed. 

 

 "to obscure its location in the rock face, like the stripes of a tiger."  Would work till a lantern was lit. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Keith Black

[jud]

Concealment of the exact location of the embrasure. Also hides the the movement of the crew and the running out of the gun.

[Bob Cleek]

29 minutes ago, jud said:

Concealment of the exact location of the embrasure. Also hides the the movement of the crew and the running out of the gun.

I considered and discarded all the explanations mentioned, save this one. The trouble I have with it, though, is that as soon as a black powder cannon was fired from that embrasure, it would be pretty obvious that it was there and, at the firing distances involved, the movement of the crew and running out the gun would probably not have been all that discernable. Furthermore, for the purposes of concealment, canvas curtains painted the color of the rock face would be much more effective.

 

I was hoping RN vet could explain with certainty what those things are. 

[Richard44]

No idea, but perhaps the ropes were added at some much later date, and actually have nothing to do with the gun itself.

 

Given that this is Gibraltar, maybe for the apes to swing on?? 😁😁 I'll retire quietly now.

[Lieste]

A document which includes a description of a British engineer proposal for baise stripes suspended from iron rods to conceal the embrasures, and a Russian use of rope in the same way (along with a mantlet of rope wound around the barrel (as a disk, tightly constructed) to prevent the heavy losses from canister and musketry.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KDZWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=rope+screen+embrasure&source=bl&ots=f6wpJySIsu&sig=ACfU3U3aYOyBuV2ZHjg3Fq6C5YDE-Lv_tg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwieWC34P6AhWDg1wKHaIyAsgQ6AF6BAgWEAM#v=onepage&q=rope screen embrasure&f=false

So the screen is as above suggested most probably for concealment, but a mantlet is also likely on the gun itself to give protection to the gunners.

[mtaylor]

I think Lieste, Gary, and Jud are right.   For a ball or shot to knock off splinters would mean that it the edge of the opening.

[Bob Cleek]

I think Lieste has found some authority for the "screening" explanation. Good research work!

 

[Belco]

Hi Bob

Indeed, that curtain of ropes was used in a certain way to prevent the entry of the attackers' shots, as well as to prevent sparks and particles generated by the cannon's firing from entering causing a fire.
You can see an interesting article about the Great Siege Tunnels on wikipedia.
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Siege_Tunnels

Regards

 

Belco

[jud]

They were called  mantlets  as the article says, it also states that they were woven rope, not hanging rope and intended to stop projectiles and at Gibraltar flame from setting off unprotected powder. The hanging ropes in the original photo are not mantlets and would fail to stop shot or flame. When I was doing a lot of archery, to extend the life of my backstop bales of hay, I would hang a piece of old carpet, about a 6' X 6' piece, in front of the bales to stop the arrows, they never reached the hay. Was shooting an 80 pound compound bow, the arrows would strike the carpet and as it was free hanging from the top, it would rise and bunch up absorbing the energy, much as a true manliet would do. Replacing the target area was a simple matter of attaching another piece of carpet over the shot up main carpet.

Edited September 17, 2022 by jud

[Belco]

I can assume that currently they have placed the ropes to give the public an idea of how it should be. 

Putting thick and opaque rugs would take away the "charm" of the visit.

 The presence of eyes at the end of each rope should be to give them weight to prevent the usual air in the area from causing the ropes to fly.

 

Belco

[jud]

As the hanging ropes are depicted, they are used to mask the location to an approaching foe. The Eyes on both ends would allow for a bar or pole to be inserted through all, restricting their movement and preventing twisting and tangling while they were being trained to hang properly. They were also probably used with a bar or secured pole to restrict movement and tangling during high wind conditions. What you see is what you get, they are not Mantlet's or intended to mimic them.

[dafi]

Possibly something alike like this russian position at the Crimian War. Shelter against sharp shooters and shrapnels.

 

XXXDAn

Edited October 21, 2022 by dafi