Broadside (naval)

Since ancient times, war at sea had been fought much like on land: with melee weapons and bows and arrows, but on floating wooden platforms rather than battlefields.

[1] As guns were made more durable to withstand stronger gunpowder charges, they increased their potential to inflict critical damage to the vessel rather than just its crew.

[2] The development of propulsion during the 15th century from single-masted, square-rigged cogs to three-masted carracks with a mix of square and lateen sails made ships nimbler and easier to maneuver.

[3] Gunports cut in the hull of ships were introduced, according to tradition, in 1501 by Breton shipwright called Descharges, but it is just as likely to have been a gradual adaptation of loading ports in the stern of merchant vessels that had already been in use for centuries.

[5] The main batteries in 20th century battleships tended to be powered gun turrets which could swivel 180 degrees or more to establish wider firing arcs around the entire vessel.

Broadside of a French 74-gun ship of the line
The English warship Mary Rose , one of the earliest warships with a broadside armament; illustration from the Anthony Roll , c. 1546
USS Iowa firing her guns broadside (July 1984). Note that intervening structures such as the bridge tower would prevent all of the guns from being focused directly forward or aft.
The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa (August 1984). The muzzle blasts are large enough to distort the ocean surface.