We Tested 1700s and 1800s Royal Navy Weapons! (Pistols, Cutlasses, Grenades!)
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Published 2021-11-19
On 21 October 1805, the British Royal Navy clashed with the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies at Cape Trafalgar, northwest of the Strait of Gibraltar, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars.
On display at the battle was a varied arsenal of weaponry – from boarding cutlass’ to flintlock pistols and explosives. In this video, History Hit presenters Luke Tomes and Louee Dessent spoke to weapons expert and fight director Keith Wallis to find out more about the weapons and how they were used.
You can watch the documentary 'Life and Death in Nelson's Navy' over on History Hit TV right now: access.historyhit.com/videos/life-and-death-in-nel…
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All Comments (21)
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You're about to board an enemy ship at the Battle of Trafalgar... which weapons are you taking with you? ⚔💣
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Very interesting. The battle of Trafalgar was fought in almost a calm wind barely 5 mph so the huge loss of life was a direct result of the time it took for ships to engage and disengage. This worked to the advantage of the Royal Navy who were superbly trained. The French and Spanish fleets had been blockaded for years in ports without any sea duty.
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Don't forget, you would also have marines with muskets, stationed in the fighting tops, shooting down at the enemy's deck: that's how Nelson was killed.
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As kids come bonfire night we'd make pistols from copper pipe , black powder and fuses from bangers with acorns as balls, they were fairly powerful and packed a punch if you were hit. I don't recommend it.
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As a Retired History Professor and a Retired Infantry Officer from the United States Marine Corps I feel yours is one of the Best and most well researched History Sites on the Internet! EXCELLENT!!! WELL DONE! Keep up the good work and if I can every Help to Consult in any way please feel free to ASK!!
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fun fact, in case anyone watching is interested, the boarding axe and wide saber were used instead of more conventional land equivalent melee weapons was because damaging a ship was useful for quick boarding actions. a few men could quickly board and cut riggings then retreat back to the ship. a few men can make a terrible mess of riggings with sabre and axe, immobilizing a ship or severely alowing it down.
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Grenades weren't that high on the sailors' nightmare list. Nightmare #1 would have been the explosion of a cannon on an enclosed gun deck. Nightmare #2 would have been a cannon breaking loose on an enclosed gun deck.
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Also used were boarding pikes and daggers, many seamen of that time carried daggers and knives of various sorts, just in case! Interesting demo's guys, thanks for this.
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Did you make this in response to the French seizing the British fishing boat the other week ? 😉
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Love the use of fixed perspective to make Penzance harbour look huge in the long shots.
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Very informative thank you
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Great show and channel
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love this channel
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Sitting here the day after Thanksgiving and I stumbled across this video. Good Stuff!
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Very inferesting. Thank you!
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Very interesting guys, thank you 😊
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I could image the huge amount of blood on those ships deck
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Naval warfare from this era is my current obsession, thank you so much for making this video!
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I would have thought that fire caused however would be the greatest terror then reaching any ready powder.
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Awsome bite size content
