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cannonmn
06-05-2009, 09:36 AM
Last summer my efforts to get the US Army and Navy to do something about the deterioration of these fine old weapons produced no tangible results at Fort McNair, DC and the Washington Navy Yard. The only real progress I think I made then was to get the US Naval Academy to institute a funded cannon conservation program which runs parallel to their monument restoration efforts.

I was trying to do too much at once, so what I'm doing this year is to focus on the Washington Navy Yard, specifically the world-class collection of bronze trophy cannons in Leutze Park.

Step one of the renewed effort was to generate awareness of the issue. To do that, I've put a series of six videos on you-tube, featuring close-up video and descriptions of the cannons, highlighting the ongoing corrosion damage to these priceless artifacts.

If you know anyone who may be in a position to help motivate the Navy to fix this problem, please enlist their help. If they happen to be a Navy admiral, active or retired, or a congressman or senator, they're an excellent candidate.

Here are links to the videos. I'm listing them in reverse order since I think most people would rate the the higher-numbered parts as more succinct and more interesting. Please pardon the narrator's voice, some have compared it to that of cartoon character Homer Simpson, or actor Wilfred Brimley; we make do with what's available.

Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtR3hH21LDw

part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXWvrS-uuUY

part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHZh-M7xIw

part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVhQUclVUGA

part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxRPRooaODA

part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn985R060Lo

cannonmn
06-06-2009, 10:15 PM
Part 7 shows detailed views of two Revolutionary War American howitzers that the Navy didn't know it had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvFx7-mmgLM


Part 8 shows a neat, small 12-pounder bronze howitzer that no one seems to be able to identify, and a once-beautiful heavy Spanish field howitzer that's being eaten up very rapidly by acid rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZvvlT16s-M


Part 9 shows two Austrian rifled bronze howitzers captured from the Confederates during the Civil War, and two once-beautiful Venetian bronze howitzers which have been heavily damaged by the environment and marred by some idiot who was welding or brazing on them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwB2SAHswlw

cannonmn
06-14-2009, 01:23 PM
If you are concerned about the ongoing deterioration of the priceless bronze trophy cannons at the Washington Navy Yard, you may want to write to the man in charge of them:

RDML DeLoach (Ret.)
Director, Naval History & Heritage Command
805 Kidder Breese Street SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060

cannonmn
06-16-2009, 04:43 AM
As you can see in my August 1980 photos of these two bronze cannons at the Navy Yard, the Navy formerly kept these bronze cannons painted. I'm guessing they were last painted in the 1960's since by the time the photos were taken, the cannons have lost some of their paint. The reason the cannons are literally dissolving away in the rain at this time is that they aren't being kept painted or protected in any other way from the acid rain.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/forums35/scan0011a.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/forums35/scan0012b.jpg