The rage against the whalers increased each day. The sea was black, and the cod was nowhere to be seen. Today we know that there is no connection between the increase of the seal population and reduced number of whale, but the fishermen were firm in their belief.ġ903 proved to be a particularly bad year. Their theory was that the whale chased the fish towards the coast and at the same time scared the seal away. The fishermen believed that the extensive hunting of the fin whale was the cause of the harp seal invasion. The background was a conflict between fishermen and whalers. Soon it was feared that they would use the rifles in an armed rebellion. And the desparation was followed by anger. However, the government would soon regret selling a large number of military rifles to the poor fishermen, because they were getting desperate. Over the next few months 1,600 rolling block rifles and 250,000 cartridges were shipped north. The government had no centrefire ammunition to sell and buying it from private companies would prove too expensive. The Kongsberg Armoury could convert the rifles from rimfire to centrefire, but since the government had large amounts of military rimfire ammunition, the fishermen were advised not to convert the rifles. The rifles were then handed out to fishermen. The municipalities had to purchase at least 100 rifles with 100 cartridges.
The rifles were sold for 5 crowns, while 100 military rimfire cartridges were sold for 2 crowns. Thus the term “kobbegeværer” or “seal rifles” was coined. In March 1903 the government decided to aid the communities of the north by supplying them with cheap Remington rolling block-rifles. The fishermen blamed the disappearance on the harp seal – sometimes called saddleback seal – that had invaded the coast of Northern Norway in great numbers.
This article shows you how to convert a percussion revolver to fire metallic cartridges.Īt the same time the fish disappeared from the sea in Northern Norway. Percussion revolvers, also known as cap and ball revolvers, were made by the thousands before and during the war, but the principle of muzzleloading started to become obsolete when the new metallic cartridges became common after the war. (You must be logged in to the forum to chat.) She was purchased by the Navy while still on the stocks, launched on 10 November 1812, and commissioned on 4 June 1813 with Lieutenant J. Her keel was laid down at Charleston, South Carolina. Shortly after, she exploded.Ī schooner, the USS Carolina was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the British colony that became the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The heated shot set her afire, and her crew was forced to abandon her. The USS Carolina came under heavy British fire from enemy artillery outside New Orleans.