Also known as: naval shot and shell.
| Use | Fired by naval guns |
|---|---|
| Types | Heavy solid shot and bolts, shell, and grape |
| Targets | Ships' hulls, armor, rigging, and crews |
Guns against ships
Naval projectiles were the ammunition of the ships' guns, and their design reflected the special problem of fighting other vessels. Heavy solid shot and rifled bolts were meant to smash through wooden hulls and, as ironclads appeared, to try to pierce armor, while shell burst within a ship to wreck and set fire to it.
The rise of the ironclad drove a search for heavier shot and stronger guns, and the naval ordnance of the war ranged from grape and canister for close action to the great shot of the Dahlgren and Brooke guns.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: manuals, reports, and reference pages.