Fire ship

A vessel deliberately set ablaze and sent toward enemy ships to ignite them, disrupt their formations, or force them to flee.

Naval boarding: A combat tactic in which sailors seize an enemy vessel by crossing onto it. Crews often abandoned fire ships before they collided, while boarding remained a direct way to capture ships.
Ancient Greek naval warfare: The maritime combat traditions and practices of the ancient Greek world. Ancient accounts describe burning vessels as part of early naval tactics.
Battle of Gravelines: The 1588 naval engagement between the English fleet and the Spanish Armada in the English Channel. The Armada’s response to the fireships helped shape the battle’s opening and its retreat northward.
Spanish Armada: The Spanish fleet sent against England in 1588 to escort an invasion force. At Calais, fireships forced the Armada to cut anchors and scatter its formation.
Fireship attack at the Battle of Gravelines: The 1588 use of burning vessels against the Spanish Armada at anchor off Calais. The attack scattered the Armada’s formation and helped prompt its departure from Calais.
Siege of Tyre (332 BC): Alexander the Great’s siege of the island city of Tyre in 332 BC. Tyrian defenders used a burning ship against siege works, an early related use of incendiary vessels.
Battle of the Downs: The 1639 naval battle in which the Dutch fleet destroyed a Spanish fleet near the English coast. Dutch fireships contributed to the destruction of Spanish ships crowded in the Downs.
Second Anglo-Dutch War: A naval conflict between England and the Dutch Republic fought from 1665 to 1667. Dutch fireship attacks during the war exposed the vulnerability of ships anchored in the Medway.
Explosive ship: A vessel carrying explosives intended to detonate near enemy ships or harbor works. Explosive ships relied on a blast, whereas fire ships primarily threatened ignition and panic.
Greek fire: A combustible weapon used by the Byzantine Empire, especially in naval combat. Greek fire and fire ships both threatened wooden fleets with flames, but used different delivery methods.

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