threepdr
09-21-2008, 10:44 PM
I just returned from two weeks in the UK. While in Portsmouth I visited the historic dockyards to see the HMS Victory, the Mary Rose and the HMS Warrior. Warrior was England's first iron hulled war ship and was launched in 1860. The resoration was extremely well done and was complete down to the fine details.
I thought this crowd would appreciate this detail. There were about 20 weapons racks with Parker Hale made p58s complete with sword bayonets. There must have been more than 400 muskets scattered around two decks in these racks. Brand new when put in the racks back in the 80s, they are suffering from neglect. Some rust spots and for some reason most had the front sights missing. All the main springs had been removed or disconnected and the hammers had fallen to the full cock position. It was impressive to see this many Parker Hales in one place.
The down side were the pistol racks. They held the cheapest brass frame Colt Navy repros they could find. For some reason they chose the Navys in .44 caliber, which of course did not exist during the period.
Had a great time, saw lots of history, but its good to be back in the USA.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/threepdr/ParkerHales.jpg
I thought this crowd would appreciate this detail. There were about 20 weapons racks with Parker Hale made p58s complete with sword bayonets. There must have been more than 400 muskets scattered around two decks in these racks. Brand new when put in the racks back in the 80s, they are suffering from neglect. Some rust spots and for some reason most had the front sights missing. All the main springs had been removed or disconnected and the hammers had fallen to the full cock position. It was impressive to see this many Parker Hales in one place.
The down side were the pistol racks. They held the cheapest brass frame Colt Navy repros they could find. For some reason they chose the Navys in .44 caliber, which of course did not exist during the period.
Had a great time, saw lots of history, but its good to be back in the USA.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/threepdr/ParkerHales.jpg