Carronade

A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy and first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range, anti-ship and anti-crew weapon. Carronades were initially considered very successful, but they eventually disappeared as rifled naval artillery changed the shape of the shell and led to fewer and fewer close-range engagements.