Antique Royal Navy 12lb Cannonball Shell British Royal Laboratories Woolwich

This listing is for a very rare 12lb (4.4 inch) spherical shell, complete with its original brass transit plug and sealing washer.

Key features:

• Weight/Calibre: 12lb / 4.4 inches
• Condition: Recovered from a Georgian/Victorian Naval gunnery practice range, subsequently stabilised and restored.
• Fuze Aperture: Threaded for a brass "Boxer" type timed fuze, which replaced the less reliable tapered wooden fuzes of this type.
• Markings: Features a faint "RL" with broad arrow stamp, indicating manufacture at the Royal Laboratories (Woolwich) arsenal.
• Indexing Dimple: A dimple on the back of the ball accommodated a copper rivet, used to correctly index the ball on a wooden Sabot. This ensured the fuze always faced away from the direction of the propellant gases during firing.

This is a highly collectible and very rare projectile type from the golden age of sail.