Arming the Warship

In the 16th century, warships engaged at close range, sometimes with yards touching, and small arms fire and hand-to-hand combat were at least as important as the “great guns.” As time went on, the big guns became more decisive and increased in destructive power, range and accuracy. This book explores how naval armament, armor, ballistics and gunnery evolved from the 16th to 20th centuries from a scientific and technological perspective. It examines the functional aspects—the guns and their distribution on warships, the propellants, the projectiles and so forth—and examines the development of each.

Iver P. Cooper is a retired patent attorney and is an independent researcher in the history of science and technology. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Iver P. Cooper
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 305
Bibliographic Info: 56 photos, appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9499-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5284-9
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1

Abbreviations 3

 1. Big Guns at Sea 5

 2. The Ship as a Weapons Platform 23

 3. Gunfounding 37

 4. Gunpowder and Other Propellants 52

 5. ­Gun-Fired Projectiles 79

 6. Ammunition 98

 7. Gun Mounting, Traversal and Elevation 114

 8. Load, Aim and Fire 143

 9. Internal Ballistics and Gun Design 161

10. Exterior Ballistics and Projectile Design 183

11. The Art of Gunnery 198

12. Accuracy at Sea 212

13. Beyond the Gun 229

14. Hull Penetration and Damage 248

Conclusion 265

Appendix: Ballistics of Spherical Projectiles 267

Bibliography 269

Index 293