"The History of Weapons," by ZDF Studios, Pt.7

 The History of Weapons
 By: ZDF Studios
 Pt. 7 (cont. from Pt.6)




                                                                                       

Episode 7: War At Sea






   In this episode the historians look at Greek Fire, The Ship Cannon and Torpedos.


  Up first is Greek Fire. While the recipe for Greek fire is lost to us today, there's a few clues as to what it might have contained, including: Sulfur, Pitch, Bitumen, Petroleum, Naphtha, Quicklime and various other oils. (let's go with olive, since they were Greek) In the practical experiment, they build a pump that would pick up the substance, set it alight, (there's debate on whether an ignition source was needed or if it combustied upon contact with water) and propel it onto an enemy's vessel. The result of which was terrific and horrifying. As Mike Loades put it, "They had the choice between burning alive, or drowning in the sea." While the recipe for the various formulations was kept secret, it lives on today in modern flamethrowers and napalm bombs. 

 Next up is the ship cannon. What's the difference between a ship cannon and field artillery, you ask? Quite a bit. Early ship mounted guns were small caliber and smooth bored. This allowed a variety of loads to be used, whether to punch a hole in the enemy's hull, to take out their ship's rigging or to clear a deck of enemy combatants. The early ship cannon was nearly as dangerous to the crew manning the gun as it was to the enemy. Advances in iron/steel manufacture and casting meant the cannon got stronger as it got lighter, and wheeled carriages allowed the gun to be pulled into its port to be reloaded and serviced without leaving the crew entirely exposed. In this practical experiment, Stephen Bull oversees the manufacture of a 9lb ship cannon, which was the heavy cannon that allowed Britain to maintain superiority at sea in the 18th and 19th centuries. Once the cannon is made, they build a representation of a ship's hull with thick oak armor and take aim. Not only does it pierce the hull, it also sends splinters the size of butcher's knives out at high velocity, which often caused more injury to the enemy combatants than the actual round did. 

  Lastly they cover the torpedo. In the fight for naval superiority, the need for a long range weapon that could piece an enemy's hull below the waterline was realized. This need directly led to the development of both the submarine and the torpedo. Early naval torpedoes were essentially what we'd call "naval mines" today, either set adrift or delivered by a small manned surface vessel. While this worked on a small scale, the need to deliver it unseen and unimpeded led directly to the development of the first manned submersibles like the "Turtle," (developed and demonstrated by American David Bushnell in the Revolution) and the C.S.S. Hunley, which was the first sub to take out an enemy ship. (while also killing the crew)  While it took another few decades for the sub and torpedo to be refined and find a home in navies across the globe, the two were married in an absolutely devastating combo in the First World War.