Mayflower

Mayflower was a typical English merchant vessel of the day. It is most famously known as the ship that transported the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. It featured three masts and was square-rigged. It had three primary deck consisting of the main deck, gun deck, and cargo hold. The high, square aft-castle made the ship difficult to sail close to the wind. It was not particularly ideal for sailing against the North Atlantic prevailing westerly winds. As a result, the voyage to America took more than two months.    Mayflower was heavily armed. The largest gun she carried was a minion cannon made from brass. It weighed about 1,200 lbs and had a range of almost a mile when firing a 3.5 pound cannonball. The ship also had one 800 lb saker cannon and two base cannons (200 lbs each). There were at least ten pieces of ordnance on the port and starboard sides of the gun deck consisting of seven cannons for long-range purposes as well as three smaller guns which were typically fired from the stern at close quarters. When the Pilgrim's disembarked in the New World, four of the pieces were unloaded intended to help fortify Plymouth Colony.   After a long and arduous 65 days at sea, Mayflower reached America. Land was first sighted on the 9th of November. The ship sailed north along the coast the following day until eventually rounding Cape Cod to first drop anchor on November 11. This artwork depicts Mayflower sailing off the coast of Cape Cod on November 10, 1620.