| Hand Mortar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Firearm |
| Production history | |
| Designer | John Tinker Menno Van CoehoornOthers |
| Specifications | |
| Shell | Incendiary, Explosive |
| Action | flintlock,matchlock, orwheellock |
Thehand mortar is afirearm and early predecessor of moderngrenade launchers[1] that was used in the late 17th century and 18th century to throw fusedgrenades. The action was similar to aflintlock,matchlock, orwheellock firearm (depending on the date of production), but the barrel was short, usually 2 inches (5.1 cm) to 4 inches (10 cm) long (though some are reported to have barrels up to 13 inches (33 cm) long), and had a large bore to accommodate the grenade; usually between 2 and 2.5 inches (5.1 and 6.4 centimetres).[2]
After priming the firearm and adding the gunpowder, the shooter would light a grenade fuse, place the grenade in the muzzle of the mortar, then fire it at the enemy. However, accidents could occur if the weapon misfired and the lit grenade remained in the barrel. Additional modifications attempted to light the grenade using the burning gunpowder, but accounts say that the fuse would be forced into the grenade, detonating it prematurely.[3]
The low number of surviving specimens of this firearm indicate that it was not a popular weapon, possibly due to the safety issues. In his essay on the weapon, Hewitt opines that the mortar is among a variety of "projects for destruction which have never destroyed anything but the fortunes of their inventors."[4] In fact, under military exhibitions in The Official Report of theCalcutta International Exhibition, 1883–84 a hand mortar is described as "only a toy ... never intended for service."[5]
Hand mortars were also to be found in the New World. References to a hand mortar being transferred in Maryland are found in the record ofThe Proceedings of the Council of Maryland in 1698.[6]
In 1872, a work titledLife-boats, Projectiles and Other Means for Saving Life gave an account of a sailor using a hand mortar. The hand mortar was described as being able to throw a leaden projectile and a line a distance of 80 yards (73 metres).[7] It, however, doesn't seem to have any direct connection to the military hand mortars of the 17th century, rather being a hand variety of theManby mortars which were used during the 19th century for throwing lines.
At least one version of the hand mortar was probably invented by John Tinker in 1681.[8] However, his mortar may have been an improvement on an earlier piece. A reference to this mortar may have appeared in a work titledAncient Armour which refers to a tinker's mortar.[4] Another account refers to a hand mortar as acoehorn, and attributes its invention to a Dutch engineer, Menno Van Coehoorn, who lived from 1641 to 1704.[9][10]
Between 1672 and 1740, the Royal Foundry of Berlin (Königliches Gießhaus zu Berlin) produced 302 hand mortars (Handmörser).[11] Additionally, a mortar at the Museum of Artillery inWoolwich, Great Britain bears the inscription Fondeur á Strasbourg (made inStrasbourg (France)) and several other surviving pieces bear the coat of arms ofWürttemberg indicating that they might have been made there.
The first references to the type of grenade used in a hand mortar occur in a 1472 work titledValturius, where an incendiary prototype may have been produced. However, widespread use of the explosive grenade does not occur until the early-to-mid-16th century underFrancis I of France.[4] An early casualty of this type of grenade wasCount de Randan who died ofshrapnel wounds to the legs from a grenade during theSiege of Rouen (probably the battle of Issoire)[12] in 1562.[13] Explosive grenades were made from brass, glass, and possibly clay, and incendiary projectiles were made from canvas, however, Nathanael Nye, Master Gunner of the City of Worcester in a work titledArt of Gunnery published in 1647, remarks that the soldiers of his day were not fond of handling the grenades because they were too dangerous.[4] While there are substantial records of infantry units calledgrenadiers throughout the 18th century in Europe, these units generally threw the grenades by hand.