The spirit of Scotland X. One O'clock Gun

The spirit of Scotland X. One O'clock Gun

11 d'agost de 2011
Canon EOS 40D, objectiu EFS 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Edinburgh Castle

One O'Clock Gun

The One O'Clock Gun is a time signal, and is fired every day at precisely 13:00, excepting Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas Day. The gun was established in 1861 as a time signal for ships in the Firth of Forth, and complemented the time ball, which was installed on the Nelson Monument in 1852, but which was useless during foggy weather. The gun could easily be heard by ships in Leith Harbour, 2 miles (3.2 km) away. Because sound travels relatively slowly (approximately 343 metres per second (770 mph)), maps were produced in the 1860s to show the actual time when the sound of the gun was heard at various locations in Edinburgh.
The original gun was an 18-pound muzzle-loading cannon, which needed four men to load, and was fired from the Half Moon Battery. This was replaced in 1913 by a 32-pound breech-loader, and in May 1952 by a 25-pound Howitzer. The present One O'Clock Gun is an L118 Light Gun, brought into service on 30 November 2001.
Although the gun is no longer required for its original purpose, the ceremony has become a popular tourist attraction.


…y las malas lenguas aseguran que el motivo de que el cañón dé la una y no las doce es para ahorrar en pólvora (los escoceses se han ganado la fama de ser tan tacaños como los judíos, los holandeses o los catalanes…)