A pair of 19th Century signal cannons

Details

A pair of 19th Century signal cannons
cast bronze each with tapering two-stage barrel with cast relief decorations at muzzle and main body, indistinctly signed above the touch hole, swamped at the muzzle, plain trunnions and cascabel, and one touch-hole, on [later] wooden carriages of naval type with brass mounts on four wood wheels.
15 in. (38.1 cm) barrel; 1 in. (2.5 cm.) bore. (2)

Lot Essay

These cannons were purportedly taken on board the U.S.M.S. Northstar during Admiral Byrd's 1939-41 Antartic Expedition. It is further believed that the carriages and trucks are made from wood recovered from the U.S.F. Constitution and U.S.F. Constellation during their respective restorations.

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