Rodman Guns
Rodman guns were all nearly identical in design, with a curving soda bottle shape, the only differences being the size of the gun. They were all smoothbore guns designed to fire spherical shot and shell, primarily against ships. The guns were elevated and depressed by means of a lever called the elevating bar. The point of this lever fits into ratchets on the earliest guns cast, or sockets on the later guns. The fulcrum, called the ratchet post, fit on the rear transom of the upper carriage. The ratchet post was cast iron and had several notches for adjusting the position of the elevating bar.
Only one 13-inch Rodman gun appears to have been made, but it was placed in service. (Ripley 1984, p. 79). Two 20-inch Rodman guns were emplaced at Fort Hamilton, New York. A third shorter 20 inch gun was cast for the USS Puritan using the Rodman technology.
The other, smaller Rodman guns were placed in seacoast fortifications around the United States. It took 8 men to load and fire a 10-inch Rodman gun, and 12 men for a 15-inch Rodman gun.
Over 140 Rodman guns survive today and they may be seen at coastal fortifications around the country.
| Length | Weight | Charge | Shot | Shell | Range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. 1861
8-inch |
119.5” | 8,465 lb. | 10 lb. | 65 lb. | 50 lb. | 3,873 yd.
@ 30° (shell) |
| M. 1861
10-inch |
136.7” | 15,509 lb. | 15 lb. | 128 lb. | 102 lb. | 4,836 yd.
@ 30° (shell) |
| M. 1864
13-inch |
177.6” | 3,271 lb. | 30 lb. | 283 lb. | 218 lb. | --- |
| M. 1861
15-inch |
190” | 49,909 lb. | 40 lb. | 400 lb. | 352 lb. | 5,018 yd.
@ 30° (shell) |
| M. 1864
20-inch |
243.5” | 115,200 lb. | 200 lb. | 1,080 lb. | 750 lb. | 8,001 yd.
@ 25° (shot) |
Rodman guns (continued)
| Number
Made |
Years
Made |
Current
Survivors |
Foundries | Weight Front |
Weight Center |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. 1861
8-inch |
213 | 1861-
1865 |
56 | Fort Pitt Foundry Scott Foundry |
4,899 lb. | 4,539 lb. |
| M. 1861
10-inch |
1,301 | 1862-
1867 |
99 | Fort Pitt Foundry Scott Foundry |
5,031 lb, | 4,626 lb. |
| M. 1864
13-inch |
1 | 1864 | 0 | --- | --- | --- |
| M. 1861
15-inch |
323 | 1861-
1871 |
25 |
Fort Pitt Foundry |
22,800 lb. | 21,250 lb. |
| M. 1864
20-inch |
2 | 1864-
1869 |
2 | Fort Pitt Foundry | 36,000 lb. | NA |
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Photograph of the 15-inch Rodman gun at Battery Rodgers.
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Another photograph of the 15-inch Rodman gun at Battery Rodgers. This photograph gives an excellent view of the elevation mechanism and the center-pintle carriage.
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20-inch Rodman gun at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, 1876. Hollow casting and the large guns that could be produced using the method were considered showpieces of American technology.
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8-inch Rodman Guns Fort McHenry, Maryland. They are mounted on post-war front pintle carriages.
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Photograph of cascabel of an 8-inch Rodman gun at Fort McHenry showing elevation ratchets used in earliest guns and the ratchet post.
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Photograph of cascabel of an 8-inch Rodman gun at Fort McHenry showing elevation sockets used in later guns. The ratchet post is missing on this gun.
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