"The Gunner"
Any sailor could quickly grasp the basics of loading and firing a cannon, but to accurately aim one from the constantly-shifting deck of a vessel under sail demanded expertise that came only from military training aboard a naval vessel or a privateer.
Rate of fire was also a critical issue in naval warfare. For this, constant drilling of the gun-teams was essential. While gun crews of the Royal Navy could fire as fast as three times in two minutes at the opening of an engagement, pirates seldom drilled. As a consequence, they usually performed poorly in gunnery duels with determined opponents.
Naval gunners were designated as “master gunners”, “gunner’s mates”, “quarter-gunners” and “gun captains” according to their training and ability.
William Osbourne was a gunner’s mate aboard the Marianne under the command of Bellamy, while a French gunner named Jean Taffier is believed to have joined the Company thereafter.
This section of the online museum contains various artifacts that came under a gunner’s area of responsibility.CLICK TO VIEW ARTIFACT:
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