Editing Mary Rose (section)

=== Armament ===

[[File:BattleofSluys.jpeg|thumb|alt=Four sturdy wooden ships lying side by side filled with men armed with shields, swords and bows fighting in a confused melee|An illustration from a [[Froissart of Louis of Gruuthuse (BnF Fr 2643-6)|French edition]] of the [[Froissart's Chronicles|Froissart Chronicle]] depicting the [[battle of Sluys]] in 1340. The picture clearly shows how medieval naval tactics focused on close combat fighting and boarding.]]

The ''Mary Rose'' represented a transitional ship design in naval warfare. Since ancient times, war at sea had been fought much as on land: with melee weapons and bows and arrows, only on floating wooden platforms rather than battlefields. Though the introduction of guns was a significant change, it only slowly changed the dynamics of ship-to-ship combat.{{sfnp|Rodger|1997|pp=205–206}} As guns became heavier and able to take more powerful gunpowder charges, they needed to be placed lower in the ship, closer to the water line. Gunports cut in the hull of ships had been introduced as early as 1501, only about a decade before the ''Mary Rose'' was built.{{sfnp|Rodger|1997|p=207}}

This made [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]s{{efn|It was not until the 1590s that the word "broadside" in English was commonly used to refer to gunfire from the side of a ship rather than the ship's side itself; {{harvp|Rodger|1996|pp=312, 316}}}} – coordinated volleys from all the guns on one side of a ship – possible, at least in theory, but in practice this was a relatively minor part of the gunnery tactics of the time. Throughout the 16th century and well into the 17th century the focus was on countering the oar-powered [[galley]]s that were armed with heavy guns in the bow, facing forwards, which were aimed by turning the entire ship against its target. Sailing warships did this first with their [[chase gun]]s. Combined with inefficient gunpowder and the difficulties inherent in firing accurately from moving platforms, this meant that boarding remained the primary tactic for decisive victory throughout the 16th century.{{sfnp|Rodger|1996|p=308, ''passim''}}{{sfnp|Rodger|1997|pp=206–208, 215}}

==== Bronze and iron guns ====

[[File:Bronze Demi Cannon Culverins Pmoth.png|thumb|upright|alt=A view of four very large cannons leaning towards the inside wall of a building with a high ceiling|Two [[culverin]]s and two [[demi-cannon]]s from the ''Mary Rose'' on display at the [[Mary Rose Museum]] in [[Portsmouth]]]]

''Mary Rose'' served during a period of both the development of ship-borne guns and the design features of ships that deployed these weapons. By the time of her sinking, the number of heavy guns had roughly doubled. The heavy armament was a mix of older-type [[wrought iron]] and more modern cast bronze guns, which differed considerably in size, range and design. The large iron guns were made up of staves or bars welded into cylinders and then reinforced by shrinking iron hoops and [[breech loader|breech loaded]] and equipped with simpler [[gun-carriage]]s made from hollowed-out elm logs with only one pair of wheels, or without wheels entirely.{{sfnp|Hildred|2009|p=297-303, 311-312}}

The bronze guns were cast in one piece and rested on four-wheel carriages which were essentially the same as those used until the 19th century. The breech-loaders were cheaper to produce and both easier and faster to reload, but could take less powerful charges than cast bronze guns. Generally, the bronze guns used cast iron shot and were more suited to penetrate hull sides while the iron guns used stone shot that would shatter on impact and leave large, jagged holes, but both could also fire a variety of ammunition intended to destroy rigging and light structure or injure enemy personnel.{{sfnp|Hildred|2009|p={{page needed|date=January 2025}}}}

The majority of the guns were small iron guns with short range that could be aimed and fired by a single person. The two most common are the ''bases'', [[breech-loading swivel gun]]s, most likely placed in the castles, and ''hailshot pieces'', small muzzle-loaders with rectangular bores and fin-like protrusions that were used to support the guns against the railing and allow the ship structure to take the force of the recoil. Though the design is unknown, there were two ''top pieces'' in a [[Anthony Roll|1546 inventory]] (finished after the sinking) which were probably similar to a base, but placed in one or more of the fighting tops.{{sfnp|Hildred|2009|pp=313–316}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Distribution and range of guns at sinking<ref>Based on tables in {{harvp|Marsden|2009|pp=318, 332, 338, 341}}</ref>
|-
! Gun type !! Main deck !! Upper deck !! Castle decks !! Fighting tops !! Range in metres (feet)
|-
! Port pieces
| 12 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 130+ (425+)
|-
! Culverins and demi-culverins
| 2 || 4 || 2 || 0 || 299–413 (980–1355)
|-
! Cannons and demi-cannons
| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || c. 225 (740)
|-
! Sakers
| 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 219–323 (718–1060)
|-
! Fowlers
| 0 || 6 || 0 || 0 || "short"
|-
! Falcon
| ? || ? || ? || 0 || 144–287 (472–940)
|-
! Slings
| 0 || 6 || 0 || 0 || "medium"
|-
! Bases
| 0 || 0 || 30 || 0 || "close"
|-
! Hailshot pieces
| 0 || 0 || 20 || 0 || "close"
|-
! Top pieces
| 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || "close"
|}

[[File:Mary Rose Guns ForeBronzeCulverin RearWroughtIronCannon.png|thumb|alt=Two large metal cannons of differing designs, one in front of the other|A cast bronze culverin (front) and a wrought iron port piece (back), modern reproductions of two of the guns that were on board the ''Mary Rose'' when she sank, on display at [[Fort Nelson, Portsmouth|Fort Nelson]] near Portsmouth]]

The ship went through several changes in her armament throughout her career, most significantly accompanying her "rebuilding" in 1536 (see below), when the number of anti-personnel guns was reduced and a second tier of carriage-mounted long guns fitted. There are three inventories that list her guns, dating to 1514, 1540 and 1546.<ref name=roll>The last record is the illustrated [[Anthony Roll]], which was compiled after the sinking, when it was apparently still believed that the ''Mary Rose'' could be raised and restored.</ref> Together with records from the armoury at the [[Tower of London]], these show how the configuration of guns changed as gun-making technology evolved and new classifications were invented. In 1514, the armament consisted mostly of anti-personnel guns like the larger breech-loading iron ''murderers'' and the small ''serpentines'', ''demi-slings'' and stone guns.{{sfnp|Hildred|2009|pp=298–303}}

Only a handful of guns in the first inventory were powerful enough to hole enemy ships, and most would have been supported by the ship's structure rather than resting on carriages. The inventories of both the ''Mary Rose'' and the Tower had changed radically by 1540. There were now the new cast bronze ''cannons'', ''demi-cannons'', ''culverins'' and ''sakers'' and the wrought iron ''port pieces'' (a name that indicated they fired through ports), all of which required carriages, had longer range and were capable of doing serious damage to other ships. The analysis of the 1514 inventory combined with hints of structural changes in the ship both indicate that the gunports on the main deck were indeed a later addition.{{sfnp|Hildred|2009|pp=298–303}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Type of guns<ref>Based on table in {{harvp|Marsden|2009|p=302}}</ref>
|-
! Date!! Total !! Carriage-mounted !! Ship-supported !! Anti-ship !! Anti-personnel
|-
! 1514
| 78 || 20–21 || 57–58 || 5–9 || 64–73
|-
! 1540
| 96 || 36 || 60 || 17–22 || 74–79
|-
! 1545
| 91 || 39 || 52 || 24 || 67
|}

Various types of ammunition could be used for different purposes: plain spherical shot of stone or iron smashed hulls, spiked bar shot and shot linked with chains would tear sails or damage rigging, and [[canister shot]] packed with sharp flints produced a devastating [[shotgun]] effect.{{sfnp|Rule|1983|pp=149–168}}<ref>David. Loades, "II: The Ordnance" in {{harvp|Knighton|Loades|2000|pp=12–14}}; Alexzandra Hildred, "(ii) Munitions" in {{harvp|Knighton|Loades|2000|pp=16–19}}</ref> Trials made with replicas of culverins and port pieces showed that they could penetrate wood the same thickness of the ''Mary Rose's'' hull planking, indicating a stand-off range of at least {{convert|90|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The port pieces proved particularly efficient at smashing large holes in wood when firing stone shot and were a devastating anti-personnel weapon when loaded with flakes or pebbles.{{sfnp|Hildred|2009|pp=311–312, 341}}

==== Hand-held weapons ====

[[File:MaryRose-bollock daggers.jpg|alt=Five dagger handles with bulbous guards with the badly corroded remains of a few steel blades against a white background|thumb|upright|Some of the [[bollock dagger]]s found on board the ''Mary Rose''; for most of the daggers, only the handles have remained while the blades have either rusted away or have been preserved only as [[concretion]]s.]]

To defend against being boarded, ''Mary Rose'' carried large stocks of melee weapons, including [[pike (weapon)|pikes]] and [[bill (weapon)|bills]]; 150 of each kind were stocked on the ship according to the [[Anthony Roll]], a figure confirmed roughly by the excavations. Swords and daggers were personal possessions and not listed in the inventories, but the remains of both have been found in great quantities, including the earliest dated example of a British [[basket-hilted sword]].{{sfnp|Childs|2007|p=57}}<ref>{{cite web |website=BBC News |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/6917780.stm |title=Sword from Mary Rose on display |date=26 July 2007}}</ref>

A total of 250 [[longbow]]s were carried on board, and 172 of these have so far been found, as well as almost 4,000 arrows, bracers (arm guards) and other archery-related equipment.<ref>{{harvp|Rule|1983|p=172}}; {{harvp|Stirland|2000|p=21}}</ref> Longbow archery in Tudor England was mandatory for all able adult men, and despite the introduction of field artillery and handguns, they were used alongside new missile weapons in great quantities. On the ''Mary Rose'', the longbows could only have been drawn and shot properly from behind protective panels in the open waist or from the top of the castles as the lower decks lacked sufficient headroom. There were several types of bows of various size and range. Lighter bows would have been used as "sniper" bows, while the heavier design could possibly have been used to shoot fire arrows.{{sfnp|Rule|1983|pp=181–182}}

The inventories of both 1514 and 1546<ref name=roll/> also list several hundred heavy darts and lime pots that were designed to be thrown onto the deck of enemy ships from the fighting tops, although no physical evidence of either of these weapon types has been identified. Of the 50 handguns listed in the Anthony Roll, the complete stocks of five [[matchlock]] [[musket]]s and fragments of another eleven have been found. They had been manufactured mainly in Italy, with some originating from Germany. Found in storage were several ''gunshields'', a rare type of firearm consisting of a wooden [[shield]] with a small gun fixed in the middle.{{sfnp|Hildred|2009|pp=324–325}}<ref>see also Balfour, Metcalf & North, "[http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/journal/number_39/gunshield/index.html A Gun-Shield from the Armoury of Henry VIII:Decorative Oddity or Important Discovery?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120064924/http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/journal/number_39/gunshield/index.html |date=20 January 2010 }}" in ''V&A Online Journal'' No. 39 for more information.</ref>