"Brad Naylor" wrote:
" Few
landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than
iron
when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the
brass
indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come
right
off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally,
"Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey."


Brass (Copper & Zinc) and sea water are NOT compatible.

Sea water leeches the zinc out of brass leaving a honeycomb structure that
is useless.

Even though the plate is known as a "Brass Monkey", most likely made of
bronze (Copper & Tin), a standard of the time for vessel construction.

Lew