ship burning tactics - Historum

old_abe · August 23rd, 2006, 07:58 AM

Was it a common war tactic to set fire to enemy ships? You see this on TV or in movies, but I don't see it be that plausible. If you have standard 2"x4" piece of wood and try to burn it... it will be very difficult. It would take an hour or more to burn.

Wouldn't it be more effective to burn the saild and/or use bodies to create a massive fire on the ship?

You just see people throwing a small gasoline bottle on a wood ship and then the whole thing is on fire. It doesn't happen like that does it?

Ritocal · August 23rd, 2006, 10:19 AM

I dont' think it's the wood that starts to burn first. It would be the pitch, used to seal the hull, that would start to set the boat on fire.

But I think it would be easier to set the sails on fire then anything else on a ship.

Ymeto · August 23rd, 2006, 11:36 AM

From what I have read about ancient navies some cultures used fire ships. They would take some of their own ships pack it with goodies to make it extremely flammable. Then a group of sailors would sail the ship, while on fire, into their enemy ship or any target. The sailors would jump off right before the ship crashed and swim to shore or a friendly ship.

htmlmaster · August 23rd, 2006, 11:52 AM

A myth is that Archimedes used mirrors to reflect light at wooden ships to burn an entire fleet, but it's been tested and it's really impossible unless the ships were standing still.

A much easier and more effective way is to shoot flaming arrows.

celtman · August 23rd, 2006, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htmlmaster

A myth is that Archimedes used mirrors to reflect light at wooden ships to burn an entire fleet, but it's been tested and it's really impossible unless the ships were standing still.

A much easier and more effective way is to shoot flaming arrows.

that would have to be a really big mirror and a very bright sun to work

Ritocal · August 23rd, 2006, 12:12 PM

Yeah that myth with the mirrors has been proven false as the focal point would have to be so exact and the mirror so huge that it became impossible.
Mythbusters had a group of MIT students for an entire day try to do it on a single, nonmoving ship and couldn't get a single flame.

htmlmaster · August 23rd, 2006, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Mythbusters had a group of MIT students for an entire day try to do it on a single, nonmoving ship and couldn't get a single flame.

I thought they did get a flame on a still ship at a close distance, just not a moving one.

Ritocal · August 23rd, 2006, 02:10 PM

According to the episode recap, the goal was to get a ship to ignite at 100ft.. which did not work. It did work when they moved the ship to 75ft.

But the myth was busted anyway for a myriad of reasons which everyone can read at:

http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/01/e..._death_ra.html

Nick · August 23rd, 2006, 03:49 PM

Yes, Francis Drake used fire ships against the Armada.

Komrade · August 23rd, 2006, 06:27 PM

I've toured a number of old masonry forts along the East Coast of the United States and several of them have large ovens with odd looking racks in them. Found out this was for heating up 'hot shot' you'd put cannonballs in one end and let them sit for awhile and pull them out the other end red hot. The goal of this very dangerous ammunition (it might set off the charge in your own cannon) was in fact to set enemy ships ablaze.