Pirate Theme Party

It probably would be difficult to procure an authentic cannon for your pirate theme party, but it sure would make for a great prop. Caribbean pirates were very familiar with artillery. There were many naval battles during the 16th and 17th centuries, and these battles were fought out with large cannons. Cannons were a common sight on virtually all kinds of large vessels during that time. The advent of iron made cannons easy to produce and cheap to buy, and this led to a naval arms race of sorts that pitted pirates and profiteers against governments and the East India Trading Company. One invention for the cannon improved its reload time and accuracy significantly. It was the four wheeled truck. The cannon sat on top of the truck and was rolled into place before firing. The barrel of the cannon usually stuck out the side of the boat, so reloading it from that position was impossible without the use of the truck. After firing, the cannon was simply rolled back, loaded, and pushed back into position. Another type of cannon was the swivel cannon. These types were permanently mounted on the ship and allowed for deadly aim. Next up on pirate theme party …. the Guns!