Difference between revisions of "Cannon"
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[[Image:5-54-Mark-45-firing edit.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A modern cannon mounted on a ship.]] | [[Image:5-54-Mark-45-firing edit.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A modern cannon mounted on a ship.]] | ||
A '''cannon''' (Spanish: cañón, French: canon, German: Kanone, Greek: κανόνι, Italian: cannone, Japanese: 大砲 ) is a type of heavy weapon usually mounted on a carriage used since the [[Middle Ages]]. | A '''cannon''' (Spanish: cañón, French: canon, German: Kanone, Greek: κανόνι, Italian: cannone, Japanese: 大砲 ) is a type of heavy weapon usually mounted on a carriage used since the [[Middle Ages]]. | ||
Revision as of 00:25, July 11, 2007
A cannon (Spanish: cañón, French: canon, German: Kanone, Greek: κανόνι, Italian: cannone, Japanese: 大砲 ) is a type of heavy weapon usually mounted on a carriage used since the Middle Ages.
They came about due to the development of gunpowder and metallurgy. They consisted of a heavy barrel cast in one piece, generally of bronze or iron, mounted on a wooden carriage. Ammunition ranged from solid iron balls, to chain shot and cannister. They were muzzle loaded and thus slow to reload. Massed batteries were used on both land and sea. Their relatively short range limited them to direct fire only, as opposed to modern artillery which uses indirect fire.