Ship's deck gun - aka canon

[Wookie]

Can't believe it's over twenty years since Mel Fisher passed, thought maybe ten

Nuestra Señora de Atocha - Wikipedia

Mel Fisher - Wikipedia

Mel Fisher's Treasures - Historic Shipwreck Recovery

Morro Castle (Havana) - Wikipedia

Ospho Rust Treatment - Since 1947

Is he the guy that built ducts for his boat motors to direct thrust downwards and blow away sand

He and many others. They are called mailboxes.

 

[happy-diver]

Thanks!

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Wookie

"I have a friend in Key West with the largest collection of bronze cannons in the world. He has the only found bronze swivel gun from the Atocha, Mel owed him a ton of money and he took it in trade.

He builds the sharpest oak carriages and trunnions I've ever seen, his mortar from Morro Castle is exquisite.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mel owed him money ? And was paid with a bronze cannon ! He was one of the lucky ones !
Mel had a lot of entanglements in his life and after life

Mel was a Hoosier from Goshen northern Indiana who moved west as many did and set up a small dive shop in a chicken coop. Knew him and his red headed wife Delo well, we were all early LA Co UW instructors

My last contact with him was at the LA Co UW Instructor Association reunion some years ago, At that time he was still smoking very heavenly even though suffering from lung cancer.

Ironically I have possibly the last known match cover from his shop,,,It reads

Mel's AQUA SHOP
skin divers paradise

if it is underwater
equipment I've got it

1911 South Catalina Avenue
Redondo, Beach Calif.

Open it up and it
It is all about SCUBA instruction
"LA Co certified
SCUBA Instruction
cost of instruction $5.00"
etc...etc... etc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I already have the wood - donated by a neighbor - for the base. we are gong to cut to size then scorch it with at torch followed with a wire bush to give a old well used look, then assemble the carriage

One neighbor thinks he can make all the fittings- if he can then "I" will make a deck gun and a mortar.

Another project to keep the local retirees busy and happy-- or is it happy and busy ?

Thanks again for your concern and input-- Appreciated !

SAM
CC
@jon Hall


@Marie13 CE

 

[driftwood]

I have a long thin out dated SCUBA cylinder which I would like to convert to a yard art "ships deck canon."

This is the canon that was mounted on four wheels. low to the deck with a short round barrel- a deck canon

Any one in SCUBA Boardom have or know of where I can obtain plans for a deck canon ?

Sam Miller, 111

What you are describing sounds more like a carronade.

Carronade - Wikipedia

If you go to Bonaire, the cannons you see at Fort Orange are carronades salvaged from the frigate wreck.

 

[txaggie08]

He and many others. They are called mailboxes.

And have been responsible for obliterating more archaeological sites than hurricanes. He was a tomb raider, as are the rest of the mailboxers, who don't care about the archaeology, just about the $$. I spent enough time around an actual nautical archaeology lab to have a burning desire to see every mailboxer at the bottom.

 

[Wookie]

And have been responsible for obliterating more archaeological sites than hurricanes. He was a tomb raider, as are the rest of the mailboxers, who don't care about the archaeology, just about the $$. I spent enough time around an actual nautical archaeology lab to have a burning desire to see every mailboxer at the bottom.

I would never ever argue the point with you. Mailboxes are pretty disgusting, although I'm firmly of the opinion that man made junk on the bottom of the ocean is still junk.

 

[txaggie08]

I would never ever argue the point with you. Mailboxes are pretty disgusting, although I'm firmly of the opinion that man made junk on the bottom of the ocean is still junk.

I dont even have an objection to the salvage.... just don't nuke the site, then lie about the archaeological context. I know of at least two minor wrecks he got to and destroyed before a team could find funding that had some very unique building methods , and had a lot of intact lumber. His paid "archaeologist" describe the sit as a typical gulf wreck, a large depression that metal objects settled in to.