| Science of Conflict Sailing ships - ammunition |
|
Heavy
round metal cannon balls inflicted incredible damage to the wooden hull
of an enemy vessel. Sometimes the metal was heated until it was red hot
and fired into the hull of vessels where upon they ignited the wood and
set the ship on fire. |
|
| Often, devices, such as the one shown on the right, would be fired and were designed to bring down rigging and personal. |
|
| Two half metal spheres linked by a chain was also fired and again was designed to inflict damage on sails and rigging. |
|
| At close quarters, anti-personnel shells, as shown on the right, were fired. These were full of small metal fragments that would pierce a sailors body and inflict horrifying wounds. |  |
| After the Battle of Trafalgar, 4,400 Spanish and French sailors were dead while 2,500 were wounded as compared to the British with 448 dead and 1,200 wounded. | |
