Some of the cannon, probably 4 of them, were offloaded with the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock for defense against possibly hostile natives. As fairly heavy armament for a small cargo ship, the Mayflower could be used in combat if needed. Still, the small ship carried some guns, probably 8 “minion” cannons capable of projecting a 3 ½ pound ball a mile and 4 smaller “saker” cannon which fired up to a 5 ounce ball, usually with multiple balls like a shotgun. The 180 ton ship was of the Dutch “ fluyt” variety (3 masts, 3 main areas or decks), a cargo ship meant to maximize efficiency in carrying cargo and not worthy of conversion to a warship in time of war. Not a big ship, Mayflower had been built around the early 17th Century and was only about 80-90 feet long at the main deck (perhaps 100 feet overall). Mayflower finally set sail for America on September 6 with 102 Pilgrims aboard (instead of the intended 65), and a crew of perhaps 25 to 30 men.
Setting off again, the Speedwell again leaked and the ships returned, this time to for the Mayflower to take on Speedwell passengers and continue the Trans-Atlantic voyage alone.
When the Speedwell started leaking, the ships turned back for repair. On August 5, 1620, the Mayflower set out from England with another ship, the Speedwell, on its first attempt to take Pilgrims to the New World.
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