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Cannonballs Really Could Sink Ships Study Finds

livescience.com — Researchers have solved the puzzle of what sunk a recently discovered 19th century battleship.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 16, 2009

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  • btsgreg, on 07/16/2009, -0/+141What am I missing here? No ***** they could sink ships.
  • smack1700, on 07/16/2009, -0/+60Why would they have used them for century after century if they didn't??
  • CdnStanton, on 07/16/2009, -0/+49This just in: new study shows the sky is blue.
  • enragedpenguin, on 07/16/2009, -0/+48And here i was thinking cannonballs were only useful for warning shots
  • bamafun, on 07/16/2009, -0/+42I know, I thought the same thing but couldn't resist leaving the title as is - I knew the comments would be priceless. but hey..... at least I didn't put BREAKING in all caps in the title =)
  • Consequences, on 07/16/2009, -1/+41I thought loose lips sink ships?
  • rocknog, on 07/16/2009, -0/+35Up next: can swords really hack people's limbs off, or were the sharp blades merely for decoration?
  • nick041, on 07/16/2009, -0/+33Researchers are pretty ***** stupid these days.
  • borez, on 07/16/2009, -0/+28Errm, I would have considered that a foregone conclusion to be honest.
  • MacEnvy, on 07/16/2009, -0/+28You totally should have used BREAKING.
  • L555BAT, on 07/16/2009, -1/+26You sunk my battleship.
  • asgardshill, on 07/16/2009, -1/+25FTA:

    "Experimental firings of cannons at replicas of wooden warships have been carried out in other countries, but due to the cost and complexity of such experiments, they have been few and far between."

    "Cost and complexity?" Its a friggin' cannon - there's one in every county square in the US. The USS Constitution in Boston has loads of them. The tech to build one isn't exactly comparable to whipping up a nuclear reactor. And I know Home Depot is proud of its oak planks, but geez ...

    Buried for sheer ridiculousness.
  • TheBigBad, on 07/16/2009, -0/+24So a study was done to prove that something that put bowling ball sized holes in a wooden vehicle that floats on water could cause it to sink? ***** brilliant.
  • freeridstylee, on 07/16/2009, -0/+19I'll keep that in mind next time I'm in an Oak vessel.
  • CaptObvious, on 07/16/2009, -0/+18You're welcome.
  • rocknog, on 07/16/2009, -0/+18My first thoughts exactly. If cannons didn't do anything, they would've been abandoned the first time they were used in battle.
  • ameba, on 07/16/2009, -1/+18I'd say the creation and destruction wooden warships were the expensive and complex parts.
  • Elderon, on 07/16/2009, -0/+17And here I thought they just shot cannonballs over to other ships to help them decorate. This can be filed on the Duh category.
  • shiftkgb, on 07/16/2009, -0/+13No they tested whether the cannon or flying splinters did more damage to people.
  • skipvt, on 07/16/2009, -0/+13Another fine study by Captain Obvious.
  • CaptObvious, on 07/16/2009, -0/+13Man....i really shoulda gone into this job market.
  • enoxard, on 07/16/2009, -0/+11i always thought cannonballs were for soaking hot chicks that sit too close to the pools edge. =/
  • mattwalton56, on 07/16/2009, -0/+10...duh?
  • Ryokuchaa, on 07/16/2009, -0/+10I knew it! I'm surrounded by *****!
    (Pulls down helmet)
    Keep firing, *****!
  • pattyme, on 07/16/2009, -0/+9This research party deserves a "slow clap".
  • MacEnvy, on 07/16/2009, -1/+10Sherlock?
  • bluehouse, on 07/16/2009, -2/+11Who is that?

    He's an *****, sir

    I know he's an ***** but what's his name?

    That is his name.
  • rocknog, on 07/16/2009, -2/+11Fire a warning shot across her nose.
    *fires*
    Careful you idiot! I said across her nose, not up it!
  • BoneheadFarker, on 07/16/2009, -1/+9Sorry sir! I'm doing my best!
  • veriix, on 07/16/2009, -0/+7So people back then didn't just do stuff for ***** and giggles?
  • bermudianguy, on 07/16/2009, -1/+8Well my mind has been put to rest I can finally sleep at night. All of those restless nights , pacing the floor wondering if Cannonballs really were an effective weapon in naval warfare,now I know . /S
  • kierfish, on 07/16/2009, -0/+7shocking... big ***** holes in a ship will cause it to sink...
  • JRBobDobbs, on 07/16/2009, -1/+7In other news researchers now think that bullets might be able to kill people when fired from a gun and that sitting on a howitzer in a manner to suggest that it is your phallus does make you look like a dumba$$ who's trying way too hard to overcompensate.
  • mandarin, on 07/16/2009, -5/+11No ***** Matlock!
  • tonydapony10, on 07/16/2009, -0/+6duh?
  • EddiePotato, on 07/16/2009, -0/+6Strangely, the 17th century Botox cannon never made it past the experimental phase.
  • valleyman86, on 07/16/2009, -0/+6Because I bet it would have made battles exciting. "Sir we are out of cannon balls, what shall we do? Hmm, ok well just wait here until they get bored and leave, and then we will say they retreated. Good idea sir!"
  • radu79, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5Those ships were made out of wood, so a canonball would punch a pretty big hole. Maybe one cannonbal alone would not be able to sink a ship, unless really well aimed, but a dozen of them could blast away most of the side of a ship, which would allow some water to get in.
    Also, they can start fires or even explosions, if they hit the right stuff.
  • asgardshill, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5Yeah, I suppose I can see where cobbling together a "test bed" ship could be a bit pricey. If I were doing it, I'd probably whip up a sample hull section using period materials and construction techniques, "borrow" the cannon in my county square, test-fire a few cannonballs against said sample hull section, and call it a day. But I still don't grok the "complex" part here - the plans to build a replica man 'o war aren't exactly state secrets any more. If they were, every hobby shop in the US would be on lockdown by DHS and so would I because I once built an authentic replica of the HMS Victory from scratch.

    Generally though, this was a silly article fraught with questionable conclusions and dubious statements of fact, desperately seeking even a scintilla of modern-day relevance. There HAD to be grant money involved in this - there just HAD to be.
  • freshgrease, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5and here I thought they were just for show. /s
  • inactive, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5Round hips do.
  • twigboy, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5I hope they didnt spend more than $10 on this research ...
  • AndrewDB, on 07/16/2009, -3/+8Research next to find out Republicans Lost Last Election, Sarah Palin is Stupid, Sky is Blue, Grass is Green and Cats Purr.

    Nobel prizes will be handed out for each.
  • dsmx, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5Lets make one thing clear bullets don't kill people. I DO.
  • Philbert, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5With a cannonball of all things!
  • Totenkopf88, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5BREAKING:BULLETS APPARENTLY KILL PEOPLE
  • DrRetro, on 07/17/2009, -0/+4And here I thought they used to put cannons on their ships just for show and expected magical dolphins to do their dirty work for them. Gee, shows how much I know.
  • silverchrysalis, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4what?? blue?
  • Philbert, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4I call it azure.
  • dsmx, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3Nope that's just a cover for me to do my work.
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