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From the Times of Malta (http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=208563):
Rinella gun roars back to life
Monday, December 12, 2005 - Updated 08:57 (CET)
The firing yesterday was sponsored by Macphersons, Ta' Guido gunshop, the Malta Tourism Authority and Island Caterers with the 19th May fireworks factory providing the blank charge. Picture: Jason Borg
A campaign by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna to raise funds to fully refurbish the historic 100-ton gun at Fort Rinella in Kalkara was launched with a bang yesterday - literally.
The huge gun was fired by Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech before a crowd of some 300, producing an ear-splitting roar heard around the harbour area.
The event marked the first firing of the gun in a century, except for a test firing on November 21.
But Mario Farrugia, the foundation's executive head, said the size of the cannon which he described as a "monster gun" and the roar it produces were just two of its characteristics. This, he said, was the first cannon to be mechanically steam-driven, using hydraulics and it had been designed to fire every six minutes for four hours, with all the loading process done mechanically. The foundation has set its sights on restoring it to that condition but needs some Lm130,000 to do so - the steam boiler alone will cost Lm35,000.
He said the restoration would necessitate the dismantling of the whole gun and its rebuilding - about 40 per cent of it is missing.
The foundation had already carried out the necessary research and identified the companies and the people who can take on the task.
"Our priority is to get the gun to its original state in the next two years but it is just one of 32 projects the foundation is handling," Mr Farrugia said.
Its members were also firing guns last month, when five 19th century British iron 24-pdr muzzle loaders were used to fire a salute from the Upper Barrakka saluting battery in Valletta as HMS Illustrious came into harbour. One of the priorities for next year is to raise the number of those guns to 16 and to start firing a shot not just at noon, as is done at present, but also at sunset. Indeed, Mr Farrugia would like cruise liner operators to make arrangements with the foundation so that a salute could be fired from the saluting battery as cruise liners arrive or leave, making Malta's a unique harbour in that regard. The foundation employs 19 and a small army of volunteers.
Rinella gun roars back to life
Monday, December 12, 2005 - Updated 08:57 (CET)
The firing yesterday was sponsored by Macphersons, Ta' Guido gunshop, the Malta Tourism Authority and Island Caterers with the 19th May fireworks factory providing the blank charge. Picture: Jason Borg
A campaign by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna to raise funds to fully refurbish the historic 100-ton gun at Fort Rinella in Kalkara was launched with a bang yesterday - literally.
The huge gun was fired by Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech before a crowd of some 300, producing an ear-splitting roar heard around the harbour area.
The event marked the first firing of the gun in a century, except for a test firing on November 21.
But Mario Farrugia, the foundation's executive head, said the size of the cannon which he described as a "monster gun" and the roar it produces were just two of its characteristics. This, he said, was the first cannon to be mechanically steam-driven, using hydraulics and it had been designed to fire every six minutes for four hours, with all the loading process done mechanically. The foundation has set its sights on restoring it to that condition but needs some Lm130,000 to do so - the steam boiler alone will cost Lm35,000.
He said the restoration would necessitate the dismantling of the whole gun and its rebuilding - about 40 per cent of it is missing.
The foundation had already carried out the necessary research and identified the companies and the people who can take on the task.
"Our priority is to get the gun to its original state in the next two years but it is just one of 32 projects the foundation is handling," Mr Farrugia said.
Its members were also firing guns last month, when five 19th century British iron 24-pdr muzzle loaders were used to fire a salute from the Upper Barrakka saluting battery in Valletta as HMS Illustrious came into harbour. One of the priorities for next year is to raise the number of those guns to 16 and to start firing a shot not just at noon, as is done at present, but also at sunset. Indeed, Mr Farrugia would like cruise liner operators to make arrangements with the foundation so that a salute could be fired from the saluting battery as cruise liners arrive or leave, making Malta's a unique harbour in that regard. The foundation employs 19 and a small army of volunteers.
