Whitworth Pattern I, Sub-pattern II
Sir Joseph Whitworth patented an improvement on his Whitworth projectile on
December 30, 1859, Great Britain patent #2990. His patent states, "The rear part is
made to taper, and the weight, form, and degree of convergence given to it must be
determined by and adapted to those of the fore part". This improvement gave the
Whitworth projectile more favorable accuracy, velocity, and range. The 6-pounder caliber
Whitworth projectile was used to a very limited extent. Most Whitworth projectiles were
manufactured as bolts. The small ineffective bursting cavity in the shells made them less
effective because of poor fragmentation. This pictured Whitworth projectile is located in
the West Point Military Academy Museum in New York.
