Ananova:
Rare cannon recovered from Cromwellian wreck
Archaeologists have discovered what is believed to be one of the most significant underwater finds ever made.
They have found a 17th century iron cannon, thought to be the only one of its kind still in existence.
It was recovered from the wreck of the Swan, a small Cromwellian warship lost off Mull while attacking the royalist stronghold of Duart Castle in 1653.
Colin Martin of the University of St Andrews, who has been excavating the eroding wreck for 10 years, recently discovered the historic cannon.
He has been working at the wreck site in conjunction with the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) and Historic Scotland.
Dr Martin said the cannon had the initials of John Browne, King Charles I's royal gunfounder, on it.
"In the 1620s Browne developed a completely revolutionary new type of gun - one which was much lighter for the weight of shot it fired, allowing more to be carried on the king's ships," said Dr Martin.
"These stronger and lighter new guns were called 'drakes', and the secret of their success was a tapered end to their bores, where the pressure of the gunpowder explosion was greatest."
Conservators at the NMS are currently removing layers that have built up on the cannon over hundreds of years.
St Andrews University said conservationists hope to find out soon whether the cannon is indeed a drake. Work is expected to reveal that it is probably the only iron example of this type of gun known to have survived into modern times.
Story filed: 11:15 Friday 10th January 2003