Volley Gun (Nock Gun)

A firearm with multiple barrels bundled together and fired simultaneously from one lock, developed by British gunsmith Henry Nock for the Royal Navy to be fired down onto an enemy’s deck from a ship’s fighting top. Its punishing recoil limited its practicality, but its ability to unleash several rounds at once made it feared in close ship-to-ship actions. It saw use during the era of Revolutionary and Napoleonic naval warfare, when privateers were also active in large numbers.