Quote:
Originally Posted by Retlaw
The myth still persist because of Hollywood, showing pyramids of cannon balls on the main deck.
Cannon balls were kept in racks next to the guns on the gun decks, three men manned each gun. .....whilst the powder monkeys (young boys because of confined spaces) are continually coming up through the hatches from the magazine delivering more charges.
Retlaw.
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The naval term for the rack was a "shot garland".
Anyway, I've just looked at the first piccy again and those steps do give a very confined, closeted appearance, similar to that which steps leading to deck hatches on a man o' war would have appeared, so possibly there may be something in the theory. Of course, that is just what it is