| Craftsman | : | John Berkeley |
| Category | : | Take-Apart |
| Material | : | African Blackwood & Mahogany |
| Pieces | : | 8, plus the carriage |
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The objective is to remove the cannonball from the cannon. Though similar in appearance to The Cannon and Ball, the mechanism is completely different. The cannonball can be seen protruding from the muzzle, but it will not fit through the opening. The cannonball can be pushed deeper into the cannon and is obviously held in place with a spring. The part of the barrel forward from the trunnions will turn freely.
The puzzle uses the same principle as The Lighthouse. The first step is to unscrew the knob at the breech. It appears to be a single piece, but in fact, can be further unscrewed into two parts, one of which has a long pin. These two parts can be seen in the right hand side of the middle photograph. Next, one of the trunnions is unscrewed and the pin is inserted into the hole. The pin, being longer than the trunnion, will find a hole in a part that normally turns freely. Now held fast, the forward part of the barrel can be unscrewed from it. This is, perhaps, the most complex of the Hoffmann puzzles. The original puzzle (lower photograph) did not have a carriage. | ||