Here is an interview I did with Joel Stone, curator of the Detroit Historical Society at the 31st Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival regarding discovery of a pre-Revolutionary War cannon found in the Detroit River last summer.
Members of the Detroit Police Department dive team discovered the cannon about 200 feet from Cobo Center in downtown Detroit during a training session in July. It’s the fifth cannon found in the area in three decades. After a couple of failed attempts, the cannon was finally brought to the surface on Oct. 5 by the Detroit Police Underwater Recovery Team.
Stone said the cannon is 5.5 feet in length, with a 3.38-inch bore, molded of solid iron and weighs 1,288 pounds. It carries the crest of King George III.
The cannon is believed to have landed in the river in 1796, but how it got there remains a mystery. It is Stone’s opinion that the cannon was dumped there, since it had outlived its usefulness. He believes the cannon was “blown out,” and since it couldn’t be reforged, it no longer had value. And dumping it in the river would keep it out of the hands of the Americans.
My next video will feature Sgt. Dean Rademaker, the officer who discovered the cannon.
No comments:
Post a Comment