DEMI-CULVERIN

A 'demi-culverin' or 'saker' was a 17th Century term for a cannon which fired a 9-pound solid shot (a culverin fired an 18-pound shot). It was first employed by the Dutch in the early 1600s. The tube was about 3 metres long, and fired a shot 11 cm in diameter and 4 to 6 kilograms in mass. With a weight of 1640 kg (3600 lb), it had a range of almost 2 km, though its effective range was only about 80 metres. Firing this gun was dangerous - many gunners lost their lives to recoiling barrels or blowback from the touchhole.