This article is about a ship deliberately set on fire. For the firefighting vessel, see Fireboat. For other uses, see Fire ship (disambiguation).
The burning of the Royal James at the Battle of Solebay, 28 May 1672
A fire ship or fireship is a large wooden vessel set on fire to be used against enemy ships during a ramming attack or similar maneuver. Fireships were used to great effect against wooden ships throughout naval military history up until the advent of metal-hulled ships; they could also serve a considerable function in shock and awe strategies to harm the morale of enemy crews.[1] Ships used for fireship tactics were sometimes surplus, obsolete or purpose-build vessels filled with gunpowder or other combustibles, but could also be improvised from active warships purposefully set on fire during engagements, such as if a vessel expended its munitions or had some other reason to be abandoned in battle.
Hellburners, also called "explosion ships", were a variation on the fire ship, intended to cause damage by blowing up in proximity to enemy ships.
Fireships were used to great effect by the outgunned English fleet against the Spanish Armada during the Battle of Gravelines,[1]: 7–11 the Dutch in the raid on the Medway, Chinese warlord Sun Quan in the Battle of Red Cliffs,[2] and the Greeks in their war of independence.
^ abCoggeshall, James (1997). The Fireship and its Role in the Royal Navy(PDF) (Thesis). Texas A&M University – via nautarch.tamu.edu.
^de Crespigny, Rafe (1969). The Last of the Han: being the chronicle of the years 181–220 AD as recorded in chapters 58–68 of the Tzu-chih t'ung-chien of Ssu-ma Kuang. Canberra: Australian National University, Centre of Oriental Studies..
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