Bomb Vessels
A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannon (long guns or carronades)—although bomb vessels carried a few cannon for self-defence—but rather mortars mounted forward near the bow and elevated to a high angle, and projecting their fire in a ballistic arc. Explosive shells or carcasses were employed rather than solid shot. Bomb vessels were specialized ships designed for bombarding (hence the name) fixed positions on land. In more modern times, the same role was carried out by battleships, cruisers and destroyers, as well as the purpose-built World War I- and II-era monitors.
Read more about Bomb Vessels: Development, Notable Bomb Vessels and Actions, In Fiction
Famous quotes containing the words bomb and/or vessels:
“Lincoln said, “With malice toward none and with charity to all.” Nowadays they say, “Think the way I do or I’ll bomb the daylights out of you.””
—Robert Riskin (1897–1955)
“So near along life’s stream are the fountains of innocence and youth making fertile its sandy margin; and the voyageur will do well to replenish his vessels often at these uncontaminated sources.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)