The Two Cannon Recovered From the Grecian Wreck

My blog article titled 1979-1980 Images of the Grecian wreck site and artefacts featured these two photos of a cannon that was thought to possibly been from the Grecian shipwreck at Outer Harbor, Port Adelaide: -

I wanted to see if I could find out any more details about the cannon. According to the “Observer” of Saturday 17th June 1916, a second cannon believed to be from the 1850 wreck of the Grecian was found at Outer Harbor: -

“FIRST WRECK AT THE PORT - MEMENTO OF THE GRECIAN

A noteworthy discovery was recently made during dredging operations at the outer bar at the entrance to the Port Adelaide River. An old-fashioned cannon (the second of the pattern found at the spot) was recovered. It is believed that the weapons, the first of which was "picked up" seven or eight years ago, belonged to the barque Grecian, which was wrecked there on Sunday, October 13, 1850. This vessel was the first stranded and lost at the entrance to the Port.”

So, there were two cannon recovered over a period of 7 or 8 years (1908/9 and 1916). What became of these two cannon? I decided to ask Microsoft’s Copilot AI Assistant what had become of those two cannon.

Microsoft’s Copilot AI Assistant’s response was (in part) that “no surviving source confirms what ultimately became of either piece. The historical record goes silent after their recovery, and no museum or heritage listing today identifies a Grecian cannon.”

I then submitted those two photos of cannon that had been suggested as being artefacts from the Grecian. Microsoft’s Copilot AI Assistant, however, suggested otherwise: -

“The small bronze cannon shown here is a late‑19th or early‑20th‑century saluting or signal gun, used for ceremonial firing rather than shipboard defence. Its polished bronze barrel, light construction, and modern decorative carriage clearly distinguish it from the two iron cannon recovered from the Grecian wreck during dredging in 1908–09 and 1916. Those Grecian guns were larger, heavily corroded iron pieces typical of mid‑19th‑century merchant‑ship armament, and no surviving example matches their description. The cannon in these photographs is therefore unrelated to the Grecian and represents a completely different class of artefact.”

The Assistant then provided me with this complete explanation: -

“How we know this cannon isn’t from the Grecian?

Although the Grecian wreck yielded two iron cannon during dredging in 1908–09 and 1916, the gun shown here is a completely different type of artefact. Its polished bronze barrel, light construction, and small saluting‑gun proportions mark it as a late‑19th or early‑20th‑century ceremonial piece, not a mid‑19th‑century iron ship’s gun. The Grecian cannon were described at the time as heavily corroded iron relics typical of merchant‑ship armament, and no surviving South Australian example matches that description. The differences in material, size, condition, and purpose make the separation unmistakable.”

The Assistant also crafted a short caption for the photos of the cannon: -

Bronze saluting gun, late 19th–early 20th century

(A small ceremonial signal piece, not connected with the iron cannon

recovered from the Grecian wreck)

The Assistant also provided me with “a slightly longer “museum‑label” version, or a more conversational caption”: -

1. Museum‑label style

Bronze saluting gun, late 19th–early 20th century

(A small ceremonial signal piece used for firing salutes. Its bronze construction and light form confirm that it is unrelated to the iron cannon recovered from the Grecian wreck.)

2. Heritage‑blog

This little bronze cannon is a ceremonial saluting gun from the late 1800s or early 1900s. It was made for signalling or firing salutes, not for shipboard defence, and its materials and condition make it completely separate from the iron guns raised from the Grecian wreck.

3. Conversational caption

A small bronze saluting gun — the kind used for yacht‑club salutes and ceremonial bangs. Its polished bronze barrel and modern carriage show it’s a much later piece, not one of the iron cannon dredged up from the Grecian.

There was much more to my conversation with the Assistant, some of it very repetitive, but I have relayed most of the important details here.