This engraving by Peter Breughel the Elder displays the stark differences
between the traditional galley and the much larger sailing ship of the
Atlantic nations. By the close of the fifteenth century these sailing
ships had become the dominant force of the seas. Conscequently, the
impact on the methods of sea battle were monumental. Soon gone were the
days of ramming and hand to hand combat as primary battle tactics. The era of
the stand off fight at sea had begun. With its high castles the sailing
ship had added room for anti-personel gunnery which could either be the
lightweight mounted swivel gun (verso) or the more powerful bombard.
These advancements made it very difficult for enemy ships to board for
battle. By design, the galley could not place heavy guns on the
broadside without disrupting the rowers. Because the only place a galley
could support heavy guns was the bow, which was also used for ramming, the
gunmen were exposed to the powerful blast of the incoming bombard fire. In
fact, it was not uncommon for a single sailing ship to hold off and even
defeat several galleys.
By the middle of the fifteenth century it was becoming common practice
for merchant and sailing ships to be equiped with several mounted swivel
guns. Although the verso was not effective as a long range weapon it
could most certainly kill an enemy trying to board during battle as well
as destroy the rigging of enemy ships. As a result, the verso was very
effective in fighting off attacks by galleys whose primary objective
was to get as close as possible to enemy ships in order to board and
fight. This illustration (from Ships and Shipwrecks of the
Americas, A History Based on Underwater Archaeology) shows the verso
in its typical mounted fashion.
Breech loading bombards were the first heavy guns to be used at sea. The
first of these guns were mounted on timber beds with no means of recoil
and tied to their carriages with rope to help secure the blast, see
illustration (from Ships and Shipwrecks of the Americas, A History Based
on Underwater Archaeology). Later, refinments were made in order to
allow the guns to recoil such as guiding bars which allowed movement and
also the addition of wheels. With the advent of cast iron, which allowed
for more powerful charges, these changes became neccessary. Although the
verso was very effective in combating the current methods of attack, it
was the bombard that forced ships to keep their distance or be severly
damaged. As a result, the bombard played a major role in the beginning of
the stand off fight at sea. Last
updated: 3 October
1996
URL:
http://www.indiana.edu/~r317doc/dr/old/html/verso+bombardhist.html
Comments: Underwater Science
Program
Copyright 1996,
The Trustees of Indiana University