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Eighteen historic cannons have been lifted from St Michael’s Mount by a Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 helicopter and flown across Mount’s Bay to Folly Field Car Park in Marazion. The 14 October operation, code-named “Cormoran’s Throw,” is the first stage of conservation work prompted by corrosion from salt spray and the island’s coastal environment.
What happened during the airlift
Atlantic Flight of 814 Naval Air Squadron, known as the Flying Tigers, carried out the operation from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose. Each cannon was suspended beneath the Merlin Mk2 and transported from the island to Folly Field Car Park, where the pieces could be moved onward by road to a specialist conservation workshop.
The report does not state the year of 14 October, so the date should not be read as a specific year without further confirmation. Some of the cannons weigh up to half a ton (approximately 500 kilograms), making a helicopter lift more practical than moving every piece by conventional access routes from the island.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The mission also provided realistic training for the helicopter crew. Commander Ben Kerley, commanding officer of 814 Naval Air Squadron, described transferring stores or equipment between ships or from ship to shore as one of the Merlin helicopter’s core capabilities.
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Why the cannons need conservation
Salt spray, damp air and other coastal exposure have caused corrosion on the guns. Removing them from the island allows conservators to work in controlled conditions and examine each object more closely than would be possible while it remains in an exposed outdoor setting.
Initial examinations indicate that all 18 cannons are English. Three carry crests believed to date from the reign of King George II, which lasted from 1727 to 1760. Those marks could help specialists document the guns’ manufacture, ownership or historical associations, but the available report does not provide a complete identification for each cannon.
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Who is restoring the cannons?
St Michael’s Mount is sending the cannons to Dorothea Restorations for specialist restoration. The published account does not give a treatment schedule, project cost or confirmed date for returning the guns to the island.
Henry Mathews, head of land and property at St Aubyn Estates and manager of St Michael’s Mount, said: “These cannons are an important part of St Michael’s Mount’s story. Their removal is the first step in specialist work to conserve them for the future, and we are grateful to the Royal Navy for its support.”
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What restoration may involve—and what is not yet confirmed
The St Michael’s Mount report does not publish the technical treatment plan. Conservation decisions will depend on the cannons’ materials, corrosion depth, previous coatings and structural condition, so methods used on another collection should not be treated as a specification for this project.
A useful comparison is the National Park Service conservation project at Castillo de San Marcos, which began on 7 June 2018 and covered 25 cast-iron cannons. Fourteen were transported in the first phase to Texas A&M University’s Conservation Research Laboratory. The documented Castillo sequence included:
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- Cleaning with pneumatic scribes to remove corrosion products and deposits.
- Immersion in a caustic electrolyte while applying a negative direct-current charge to draw chlorides from the iron.
- Boiling in de-ionized water.
- Applying tannic-acid coatings.
- Finishing with corrosion-resistant paint before reinstallation.
Those steps describe the Castillo de San Marcos project only; there is no project-specific confirmation that Dorothea Restorations will use the same sequence at St Michael’s Mount.
Why moving historic artillery is difficult
| Challenge | What the St Michael’s Mount operation shows |
|---|---|
| Weight | Some cannons weigh up to half a ton, requiring carefully planned lifting equipment and aircraft operations. |
| Access | The guns were flown from the island to Marazion rather than moved over ordinary roads from their original locations. |
| Corrosion risk | Salt spray and coastal exposure are the stated reasons for removing the cannons for controlled conservation. |
| Handling sequence | The Merlin delivered the objects to Folly Field Car Park for onward transport to restorers. |
| Return planning | No public timetable for completion or reinstallation has been announced. |
A separate National Park Service account records four Fort Moultrie cannons weighing about 15,000 pounds each that required conservation before returning to display. That much larger scale illustrates why historic artillery projects require engineered lifting plans, secure transport and specialist treatment rather than routine museum handling.
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When will the cannons return?
There is currently no confirmed public return date. The cannons first have to be assessed and treated by Dorothea Restorations, after which St Michael’s Mount will need to plan transport, reinstallation and any decisions about protective coatings or display conditions. Until the estate or conservators publish those details, any completion estimate would be speculative.
Quick Recap
What visitors should take away
- Eighteen cannons were airlifted from St Michael’s Mount.
- A Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 from 814 Naval Air Squadron performed the lift.
- Some individual guns weigh up to half a ton.
- Corrosion caused by the coastal environment prompted the removal.
- Dorothea Restorations is the named specialist conservator.
- The restoration method, cost and return date have not been published.
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