Fort Nelson has recently received a donation of a composite drake gun sometimes known as a minion drake. The gun is believed to be Dutch, possibly originating from Amsterdam. Dutch patents of 1627 and 1633 cover this kind of construction. According to the inscription behind the vent, it weighs 260 Amsterdam pounds and was produced in the mid-17th century.
Drake gun being lowerd into desalination tank
The gun was found in inshore waters off the Kent coast by divers Paul Aaronovitch, Vince Woolsgrove and John Webb.
Rear view of Drake gun being lowered into desalination tank
This gun is a light version of a minion or roughly 3 pounder, built up of copper alloy and iron, and probably soldered using lead alloy. The copper alloy has been decorated with bands of interlace from the muzzle (head) of the gun down to cascabel (rear) – where arresting ropes are tied to limit the gun’s movement due to recoil when firing. The handles located on the mid-section of the gun have been cast in the form of dolphins which was common for guns of this type
Diagram showing the parts of a gun
The gun will be on public display in a desalination tank which will be used to wash the chloride ions out of the gun and to keep it underwater to prevent rapid corrosion until the conservation treatment is completed. This process will take several years in the Artillery Hall at Fort Nelson.
Fort Nelson Conservator Matthew Hancock said
“Fort Nelson is delighted to be able to add this fine and rare gun to the collection, although it presents some conservation challenges. It is impossible to put a precise timescale on the project as the amount of chloride ions in the gun cannot be calculated. The process is further complicated by the reactions of the different metals in the gun.
The public will be able to view the gun during the conservation treatment as the gun will be on display in its tank in the Artillery Hall.”
Muzzle of the Drake gun
The Royal Armouries would like to thank the Receiver of Wreck for their assistance with this donation.
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