The difference there, chain shot, is that the chain is still fairly short, because you can’t really get a large length of chain to reliably ‘unfold’ from a single projectile when fired. This beast had a chain that started unfurled, attached to each cannon ball, and long enough to go all the way down each of the barrels - making it, theoretically, have a massive spread of chain which could scythe down large numbers of troops in formation, instead of just a handful (for which one would generally prefer grapeshot, shrapnel, or canister).
A common combustion chamber would have been better, but even then you have slightly different sized balls, different wadding with different amounts of friction, etc.
I dont see why it wouldn’t work with just a regular cannon and two balls, linked by chain, stacked in series in the barrel.
Make the chambers share a central wick or ignition chamber.
I also wonder if just firing 2 regular canonballs was effective
It is the chain that was the innovation
The article/meme specifically states the canon was experimental and the canon never saw battle.
Also didn’t ships already have canons capable of tearing down masts with chained balls by that time?
The difference there, chain shot, is that the chain is still fairly short, because you can’t really get a large length of chain to reliably ‘unfold’ from a single projectile when fired. This beast had a chain that started unfurled, attached to each cannon ball, and long enough to go all the way down each of the barrels - making it, theoretically, have a massive spread of chain which could scythe down large numbers of troops in formation, instead of just a handful (for which one would generally prefer grapeshot, shrapnel, or canister).
I wonder if a single canon with 3 balls chained together would have worked by loading the center ball
More beads. Like, 20 of them. Load one, put the others up my bum. Fire the cannon. Pure bliss.
A common combustion chamber would have been better, but even then you have slightly different sized balls, different wadding with different amounts of friction, etc.
I dont see why it wouldn’t work with just a regular cannon and two balls, linked by chain, stacked in series in the barrel.
Another comment in this thread mentioned there is too much chain to fit in the barrel of a single canon