Carcass (projectile)

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In artillery, a carcass was a kind of bomb or shell, originally oblong or oval, and later spherical in shape, consisting of an external casing filled with highly flammable matter, and having three to five holes through which the internal flames could blaze outward.^[1][2] Carcasses were shot from howitzers, mortars, and other cannons to set fire to buildings and defences; on impact, the shell shattered, spreading its fiery interior around the target. They were used for the first time by the French under Louis XIV in 1672.^[3] From the 17th to the early 19th century, Bolton describes carcasses as the ideal ammunition for warships.^[4]

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For the composition of the flammable material used in a carcass, Johannes Wolfius prescribed 10 parts of pounded gunpowder, 2 of nitre, 1 of sulfur, and 1 of colophony; or 6 of gunpowder, 4 of nitre, 4 of sulfur, 1 of beaten glass, 0.5 of antimony 0.5 of camphor, 1 of sal armoniac, and 0.25 of common salt. For the shell, he started with two iron rings (others used plates), fitting one at one extreme, near the aperture at which the carcass was to be fired, and the other at the other. These he braced with cords drawn lengthwise; and across these, at right angles, laced other cords, making a knot at each intersection. Between the folds of the cords, he made holes, inserted copper tubes, and filled them half full of powder and lead bullets, packing it in with a tow. The internal shell thus prepared, Wolfius immersed it, the aperture first plugged up, in a liquid consisting of 4 parts of melted pitch, 20 of colophony, 1 of oil of turpentine, and as much ground gunpowder as would reduce it to the consistency of a paste. After immersion, the shell was to be covered with tow, and immersed again, until it was the proper size for the mortar.^[2]

It has the name carcass, because the circles which pass from one ring, or plate, to the other, seem to represent the ribs of a human carcass.^[2]

As an example, an early 19th-century 10-inch mortar used in the British sea service fired iron-shelled carcasses weighing 105 pounds (48 kg), filled with about 7 pounds (3 kg) of incendiary material, which was ignited during the discharge of the mortar. It burned very fiercely for about 9 minutes, with flames coming out of the three holes in the shell. While the 105-pound projectile's purpose was to crash into combustible structures, setting them ablaze, the force of its descent was so large that, upon falling on a building, it frequently went straight through the roof and all the floors of the house, until it ultimately buried itself in the cellar, where there was nothing combustile, rendering it useless. Rocket artillery, which could carry the same-sized payload eventually replaced carcasses and other specialized artillery shells.^[5]

As another example, the Dictator was a huge 13-inch cast iron mortar used in the bombardment of Petersburg, Virginia, 1864–5. Its shells weighed at least 200 pounds (90 kg).^[6]

[edit] See also

• Napalm
• Incendiary bomb
• Greek fire

[edit] References

1. ^ "Carcass". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition. 1989.
2. ^ ^{a b c} This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.
3. ^ Nicolas Édouard Delabarre-Duparcq and George Washington Cullum. Elements of Military Art and History. 1863. p 142.
4. ^ Bolton, D. "The Arming of Battle Ships". Seapower: 1652-1860. URL accessed 2006-05-29.
5. ^ Voyle, George Elliot. A Military Dictionary, Comprising Terms, Scientific and Otherwise, Connected with the Science of War. Clowes. 1876. p 349.
6. ^ Manucy, Albert. Artillery Through the Ages. The Minerva Group, Inc. ISBN 0-89875-446-1. 2001. p 60.