I have always thought that the cannon on board of the warships were mounted on carriages with small wheels. Also somehow I have seen or read that the recoil of the carriage was contained by a heavy rope which looped around behind the gun carriage and was secured to either the gun deck or the hull. The cannon would then recoil until it was stopped by the loop of rope, then it would be swabbed and reloaded. It would have then been ran out of the gunport, ready to fire again. Am I right in this, or can someone furnish more particular details? Am I anywhere near to right on my particular terms for the components? Joe W. Smith