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gunners on each would use their chasers to make carefully aimed and timed shots at the other. Despite this, most chase guns were of limited accuracy even when aiming at the sizeable target of an enemy ship's rigging. In one eighteenth-century example, a
British crew fired seventy-two shots from their vessels' bow chasers before hitting the sails of a fleeing enemy craft.
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to take advantage of small variations in the wind. Chase guns of this era were commonly made of brass rather than iron, as this improved their accuracy. A single lucky shot could cut through a critical line, or cause a sail to split if the wind was strong, so if the ships were within range the best
105:, or dedicated weapons made with an unusually long bore and a relatively light ball, and mounted in the bow. Stern chasers could also be improvised, or left permanently in the cabins at the stern, covered up and used as part of the furniture.
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By the late eighteenth century, Royal Navy crews were progressively being trained in the use of artillery in chases. The cannons themselves were also modified to maximise their effectiveness as chase guns, including reshaping of their
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were universally supplied with two bow and two stern chasers, as these were the vessels most likely to be engaged in the pursuit of fleeing enemies.
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Bow chasers could be regular guns brought up from the gundeck and aimed through specially cut-out ports on either side of the
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harbour. The smoke cloud at her transom indicates that she is firing her stern chase gun.
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could not be brought to bear. Typically, the chasers were used to attempt to damage the
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Fighting at Sea in the
Eighteenth Century: The Art of Sailing Warfare
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212:"The Sacramento Historical Maritime Educational Organization, Inc"
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show that chase guns could be fired from either side of the
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in this contemporary small-scale model of the bow of the
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Cannon mounted in the bow or stern of a sailing ship
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134:and longer range. From 1799 Royal Navy
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23:Gunports high on either side of the
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163:Naval artillery in the Age of Sail
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168:Naval tactics in the Age of Sail
242:Sailing warships of the US Navy
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66:), usually distinguished as
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240:Canney, Donald L. (1826).
86:(aiming backward) of a
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130:to allow for greater
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158:History of gunpowder
148:Apilan and kota mara
82:(aiming forward) or
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216:the original
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88:sailing ship
72:stern chaser
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30:Soleil Royal
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115:Age of Sail
109:Development
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222:2011-10-13
174:References
153:Gun shield
68:bow chaser
52:Concarneau
25:forecastle
132:elevation
92:broadside
60:chase gun
282:Category
142:See also
136:frigates
103:bowsprit
74:, was a
35:bowsprit
113:In the
96:rigging
47:Vétéran
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76:cannon
64:chaser
119:sails
84:stern
265:ISBN
246:ISBN
201:p.11
70:and
62:(or
44:The
80:bow
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182:^
58:A
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