River Day 5 Gunnery

Still fotos are mute;   they communicate no noise. Too bad . . .  because River Day 5 hurt the ears, like thunder over the Hudson.  Take the dory Willi Bohlmann.  I’m still wondering who Willi here is.  Hear the blast, feel the concussion?

Imagine it:   I didn’t expect to find this . . .  blunderbuss  on board.

Or Owl, also depicted here yesterday, has 16 guns that

look realistic, given the red tampions resting on the ports.

The small steamers carried several noise makers

loud enough to alarm, or startle.

Like this white steamer with conflicting image:  prissy canvas and

a thunderous cannon.

The orlop deck of Half Moon has armament expeditiously unleashed

when needed and carrying the company logo branded into it, maybe so you remember who you’re fighting for.  Robert Juet‘s log, inspiration for the blog henrysobsession, refers to some of their guns as murderers.

I’m sure this vessel has its own set of noise makers.

And then there are these on John J. Harvey, which I understand as “water cannon,” but are actually called “monitors” trained skyward at quite the ardent angle.

This is what Harvey looks like when it’s high time you move.  In its prime, its five engines could speed the 130′ focus to an emergency at 22 knots!  1931 was her launch date, coming off the ways from Todd Shipyard; recall that if you ever shop at the Ikea in that general vicinity today.

Back when I kayaked, I fancied myself as the antithesis of noise, the better to approach birds and fish . . .  .  I can’t resist here–given the noise of Day 5, I imagined calling out to this paddler:  “you’re too stealthy.  Get thee to a gunnery.”    OK, throw tomatoes…

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Unrelated:  Time is nearly up to get tickets to the PortSide fundraiser while they last here and  bid on line for the fabulous auction items (like a catered dinner at a private waterfront location with Bowsprite and me)  on eBay.