The Basilic, or The Ottoman Cannon was a supercannon

Supergun

A supergun is an extraordinarily large artillery piece. This size may be due to a large bore, barrel length or a combination of the two. While early examples tended to have a fairly short range more recent examples sometimes had an extremely high muzzle velocity resulting in a very long...

 designed by Urban, a Romanian cannon

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

 engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...

, Saruca Usta and architect Muslihiddin Usta at a time when cannons were still new. It was horribly inaccurate, but when it hit, it caused massive damage to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

's walls. Additionally, due to the material the cannon was constructed of, and the intense heat created by the charge, the cannon had to be cooled with olive oil between shots to prevent cracking. The heat also prevented the cannon from being fired more than three times per day. Ultimately, it lasted all of six weeks before becoming non-functional.

• Length: ~24 feet (8+ m)
• Diameter: 2.5 feet (75cm)
• Cannonball: 1200 lb (544 kg)
• Range: ~1 mile (2 km)