Arming the Warship - by Iver P Cooper (Paperback)

About the Book

"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 separates out the functional aspects: the guns, their distribution on warships, the propellants, the projectiles, etc., and examines the development of each."--

Book Synopsis

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.

About the Author

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.