The 8-pounder short gun was a light calibre piece of artillery mounted on French warships of the Age of sail. They were used as main guns on light ships of the early 19th century, and on the quarterdeck and forecastle of ships of the line. They were similar in design to the Canon de 8 Gribeauval.
The 8-pounder was the heaviest of the light guns. As the short variant was relatively light, it could be mounted on the upper gun posts of ships of the line, where the timber of the deck was too light to support larger guns, and without jeopardising the stability of the ship. It was also used on frigates, xebecs and corvettes, as an addition to the larger guns of the main battery (usually 12- or 18-pounders, and sometimes 24-pounders).
Mounted on the sides of the ships, the 8-pounders reinforced the weight of the broadside. A long version of the same gun, the 8-pounder long gun, could be mounted at the bow or stern, parallel to the axis of the ship, and used as a chase gun.
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The 24-pounder long gun was a heavy calibre piece of artillery mounted on warships of the Age of sail. 24-pounders were in service in the navies of France, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. They were comparable to the Canon de 24 Gribeauval used by the French Army as its largest piece of siege artillery. 24-pounders were used as main guns on the heaviest frigates of the early 19th century and on fourth-rate ships of the line, on the second deck of first-rate ships of the line, and on the second deck of a few large third-rates.
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The 8-pounder long gun was a light calibre piece of artillery mounted on French warships of the Age of sail. It fired a projectile of eight livres in weight, equivalent to 8.633 English pounds, or 8 lb 10 oz. They were used as chase guns or main guns on light ships of the early 19th century, and on the quarterdeck and forecastle of ships of the line. They were similar in design to the Canon de 8 Gribeauval.
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The 30-pounder short gun was a piece of artillery mounted on French warships of the Age of sail. They were the middle-sized component of the unified system standardised on the 30-pounder calibre, replacing both the 24-pounders and 12-pounders in many usages.
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