Draft:Tigre Cannon

The Tigre Cannon is one of the most important defensive weapons in the history of Spain. This artillery piece is famous because of its epic use on July 25 of 1797 in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). That day the english admiral Horatio Nelson tried to invade the city, but according to the popular history the use of this piece ripped off his arm and sank his fleet. Actually, the medic inform of the surgeon of the HMS Theseus, Thomas Eshelby, related that was a musket ball what wounded his arm, breaking his elbok and cutting an artery, so he was forced to amputate his arm to stop the hemorrhage and save the life of the admiral. .

Description
The cannon was cast in bronce in Seville in 1768. It has 5.23in gauge per 109.8in of bore length, that is, those called by 16. The bell is spherical and it has various decorative leaves, in the bell it can be read: SOLANO FELICIT SEVILLA AÑO DE 1768. The stove is open in the same piece, rounded by a embossed floral rosette. In the first body it has a 4 quarter shield with the arms of Castile and León and the inscription "Carolus III D. G. LBS-PAN. ET IND. REX". In the second body, the stumps and handles represent dolphins. The right stump has the inscription: 44 QQS 62 LIBS (2053 kg) and in the left: COBs AFINs. ILIGs. (Afinated and ligated copers). In the separation stripe between the second and third body it has a border with various embossed ornaments. In the third body it has the motto VIOLA TI FULMINA REGÍS (Rays of the insulted King), higher, in phylactery it has the name of the piece, "EL TIGRE" (The Tiger) and closing the curb it has another border with the same ornaments. It is perfectly conserved and in shooting conditions.

History
The eve of the attack a loophole was opened in the wall of the Castle of San Cristóbal, where a cannon was placed in a low height to hinder the english land on the beach that separated it from the Castle of San Pedro. It is possible that, as the tradition says, it was the Tigre Cannon, it was numerous the cannons that tried to hind the english access to the beach and the dock.

Currently
Until very recently the cannon was located in the Military Historical Museum of Canarias, now it can be visited in the San Cristobal Castle Museum located under the Plaza de España in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Referencies
1.Tenerife: Horacio Nelson

2. El cañón "El Tigre" | Un análisis heráldico

3. Tous Meliá, Juan (1999). Museo Militar Regional de Canarias y Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, ed. ''El Tigre. Un cañón de a 16. Historia y Leyenda''. ISBN 8492373326 Online Book

Category:Cannon Category:Military history of Spain Category:Santa Cruz de Tenerife