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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchEighteen historic cannons have been lifted from St Michael’s Mount by a Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 helicopter and flown across Mount’s Bay for specialist conservation. The operation, conducted on 14 October (the published report does not state the year), removed the guns from the island’s salt-laden coastal environment and began a restoration project whose completion date has not yet been announced.
What happened during the airlift
The cannons were suspended beneath a Merlin Mk2 operated by Atlantic Flight of 814 Naval Air Squadron, the Royal Navy unit known as the Flying Tigers. The helicopter carried each load from St Michael’s Mount to Folly Field Car Park in Marazion, where the objects could be transferred for onward road transport.
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The mission was designated “Cormoran’s Throw.” It solved a practical access problem: moving large, fragile iron objects off an island without subjecting them to a difficult surface transfer. The flight also gave the Merlin crew realistic practice in moving stores and equipment between ship and shore, a core capability of the aircraft.
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Henry Mathews, Head of Land and Property at St Aubyn Estates and manager of St Michael’s Mount
“Transferring stores or equipment between ships or from ship-to-shore is one of the core capabilities of the Merlin helicopter.”
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Commander Ben Kerley, Commanding Officer of 814 Naval Air Squadron
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Why the cannons needed to leave the island
St Michael’s Mount’s coastal setting exposes metalwork to salt spray, damp air and repeated wetting and drying. The Mount’s report identifies that environment as the cause of corrosion affecting the collection. Removing the guns allows conservators to examine and treat them in controlled conditions rather than continuing to work around an exposed outdoor setting.
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Initial examinations indicate that all 18 pieces are English. Three carry crests believed to date from the reign of King George II, which lasted from 1727 to 1760. Those markings may help specialists document the guns’ history, but the available announcement does not provide individual manufacture dates, calibres or original locations.
How heavy and how difficult were the loads?
Some of the cannons weigh up to half a ton. That weight, combined with the guns’ age, uneven shapes and conservation risk, makes ordinary manual handling unsuitable. The underslung helicopter lift kept the objects moving directly between prepared points while avoiding repeated loading operations on the island.
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| Project detail | What is established |
|---|---|
| Objects moved | 18 historic cannons |
| Maximum reported weight | Up to half a ton for some pieces |
| Aircraft | Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 |
| Operating unit | Atlantic Flight, 814 Naval Air Squadron (“Flying Tigers”) |
| Route | St Michael’s Mount to Folly Field Car Park, Marazion, across Mount’s Bay |
| Operation name | “Cormoran’s Throw” |
Who is restoring the cannons?
The guns have been sent to Dorothea Restorations, the specialist named by St Michael’s Mount. The public announcement does not state the treatment schedule, project cost or a confirmed date for the cannons’ return.
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That missing timetable is significant for visitors: the airlift marks the start of conservation, not a reopening date for the displays. Any return will depend on examination, corrosion removal, stabilization, protective coating and decisions about how the restored pieces should be displayed in the island’s marine climate.
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What conservation can involve
The Mount has not published a technical treatment plan, so methods used there should not be assumed from other cannon projects. A useful comparison is the U.S. National Park Service’s conservation work at Castillo de San Marcos, which began on June 7, 2018, on 25 cast-iron cannons. Fourteen were transported in the first phase to Texas A&M University’s Conservation Research Laboratory.
For that Castillo project, the documented sequence included:
- Cleaning with pneumatic scribes to remove corrosion products and deposits.
- Immersion in a caustic electrolyte while applying a negative direct-current charge to draw out chlorides.
- Boiling in de-ionized water.
- Application of tannic-acid coats.
- Finishing with corrosion-resistant paint before reinstallation.
Those are Castillo de San Marcos methods, not confirmed St Michael’s Mount procedures. Treatment choices for the Mount’s guns will depend on their alloy, condition, previous coatings and intended display environment.
The scale of historic artillery handling varies widely. In another National Park Service project, four Fort Moultrie cannons weighed about 15,000 pounds each and required conservation before returning to display. That example illustrates why lifting plans, specialist packing and carefully controlled transport are central to artillery preservation.
When will the cannons return?
No return date has been published. St Michael’s Mount has confirmed the destination specialist and the reason for removal, but not how long assessment and treatment will take. Visitors should therefore treat the cannons as temporarily off display until the Mount or its conservators issue a specific completion and reinstallation announcement.
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